Breast cancer in young women is uncommon, but when it does occur, it is thought to be very aggressive. In this large series of young (< 35 years old) patients from a single institution seen over a 13-year period, high tumor grade, hormone receptor negativity, and family history of ovarian cancer turned out to be significant negative prognostic indicators.
Artificial hydration therapy could alleviate membranous dehydration signs, but could worsen peripheral edema, ascites, and pleural effusions. It is suggested that the potential benefits of artificial hydration therapy should be balanced with the risk of worsening fluid retention symptoms.
Erectile Dysfunction and Visual Disturbance; Mixed News on Statins; FDA Actions.
Factors associated with leukemia development in patients with polycythemia vera were examined in a cohort of 1638 patients enrolled in an observational study. Older age, alkylating agent treatment and female gender were demonstrated to be significant risks, hydroxyurea treatment was not.
The IRI/LV/5-FU and OXA/LV/5-FU regimens demonstrated equally substantial efficacies and manageable toxicity profiles in the first-line treatment of patients with advanced CRC. However, IRI/LV/5-FU may be the preferable regimen to avoid significant neurotoxicity associated with OXA/LV/5-FU.
Survivors 2 years or more after autologous stem cell transplant for AML, ALL, NHL, and HD remain at significant risk of death, with 29% mortality, almost entirely between 2 and 10 years after transplant. While 56% died of relapse of the primary disease, 43% died from treatment related complications, many of whom suffered from therapy related MDS or AML.
Delays in starting radiation therapy for high-risk localized prostate cancer were shown in this retrospective review to be associated with a greater risk for disease relapse, as witnessed by PSA recurrence. For patients with low-risk disease, however, comparable delays were not associated with greater risk for relapse.
The Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS) is an easily derived measure of underlying inflammatory processes. In this series of 101 patients with newly diagnosed advanced non-small cell lung carcinoma, it proved superior to the ECOG Performance Scale in predicting survival. After initial treatment, however, the prognostic value fell, but this may have been the result of fewer evaluable patients at the latter time points.
