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Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy has become the standard approach for patients with locally advanced rectal adenocarcinoma. For patients who achieve a complete response determined preoperatively, less than maximally aggressive surgery has been contemplated. However, improved accuracy of the preoperative assessment needs to be established. In the current prospective evaluation, assessments of response were made with and without the use of PET/CT in a consecutive series and it was found that the additional scans were useful adjuncts to comprehensive clinical examination.
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Results of this well-done trial strongly suggest that CoQ10 administration over 24 weeks' time does not help relieve the treatment-related fatigue experienced by a significant proportion of women with newly diagnosed breast cancer.
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A 57-year-old retail pharmacist presented to his primary care physician because of progressive headaches, blurry vision, hearing loss, and episodes of confusion. He had not had night sweats, fever, or weight loss. On physical examination he was found to be pale and there were ecchymoses over his upper and lower extremities that he reported occurred spontaneously over the past 3 months. He had attributed these to his current medications including both aspirin (81 mg/day) and clopidogrel (75 mg/day), although he had been taking these medications for more than 5 years without noticing ecchymoses in the past. He did not have palpable lymphadenopathy nor was there splenomegaly.
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In this single-institute pilot study, 30 subjects with hepatocellular cancer were randomized to transarterial chemoembolization with or without bevacizumab. Bevacizumab use significantly improved progression-free survival at 16 weeks but no significant difference was seen with respect to the primary outcome (vessel count) or in the overall survival.
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Lorcaserin for weight loss; statins and fatigue; treatment-resistant gonorrhea; hydrocodone classification changes; USPSTF recommendations; and FDA actions.
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In a multicenter, Phase 3 trial, perioperative chemoradiotherapy with capecitabine proved safe and equivalently effective as fluorouracil in reducing local recurrence. In fact, post hoc analysis demonstrated better disease-free and overall survival for those treated with capecitabine. This is a finding that will resonate in the offices of community-based oncologists.
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In this Phase 2 trial, 11 patients with relapsed/refractory primary central nervous system lymphoma after high-dose, methotrexate-based regimen were treated with pemetrexed 900 mg/m2 every 3 weeks, dexamethasone 4 mg bid, folate, and B12 supplementation. The treatment had an overall response rate of 55%, disease control rate of 91%, median progression free survival of 5.7 months, and median overall survival of 10.1 months. Toxicities were more than expected with the standard pemetrexed dose (500 mg/m2) and were primarily hematologic and infectious, which were easily managed. Although single-agent activity of pemetrexed in this study is novel and promising, optimal dosing and efficacy need to be studied further.
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A multi-institutional study examined the addition of a purine analog, either cladribine or fludarabine, to the standard induction regimen ("7 & 3") in adult patients 60 years of age and younger with acute myelogenous leukemia, and found improved outcomes for those receiving cladribine. The added benefit from cladribine appears to be the result of a reduction in the incidence of resistant disease. The study arm containing cladribine, daunorubicin, and cytaribine yielded an overall survival at 3 years of 45% while conventional "7 & 3" therapy was only 33% at 3 years. Cladribine added to daunorubicin and cytarabine during remission induction improves leukemia control and patient survival for those 60 years of age and younger.
