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In examining the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Colorectal Database, reasons for not completing the recommended postsurgical chemotherapy were examined. Although only 17% of patients for whom adjuvant therapy was recommended failed to receive treatment, the decision to not proceed was based on a number of factors, most notably the existence of comorbidities. In comparison to this cohort of patients treated at academic centers, the percent of patients not treated with adjuvant chemotherapy is likely to be greater in the community setting.
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The experience from Harbin, China, in the treatment of de novo acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) in patients 60 years and older demonstrates the efficacy and safety of single agent arsenic trioxide. This agent with or without all trans retinoic acid may ultimately prove optimal for induction and maintenance APL treatment in older adults.
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Ten years of adjuvant tamoxifen is significantly better than the standard 5 years of treatment. Continuing adjuvant tamoxifen for 10 years substantially reduces rates of both recurrence and breast cancer-specific mortality in women with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer.
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Relative to the general population, the risk of anal cancer in HIV-infected patients remains very high. Unlike other malignancies associated with AIDS, effective antiretroviral treatment appears to have no preventive effect on anal cancer, particularly among men who have sex with men.
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In a prospective Phase 2 study, 48 patients with resected pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma were treated with erlotinib (100 mg daily) and capecitabine (800 mg/m2 twice daily Monday-Friday) concurrently with intensity-modulated radiation therapy followed by four cycles of adjuvant gemcitabine (1000 mg/m2 on days 1, 8, and 15 every 28 days) and erlotinib (100 mg daily).
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NSAIDs and cardiovascular risk; new antithrombotic guidelines; warfarin during surgery; Pfizer selling Viagra online; azithromycin and cardiovascular risk; and FDA actions.
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In a single-arm, multicenter, Phase 2 trial, bevacizumab in combination with docetaxel and carboplatin achieved a pathological complete response in 19 of 45 patients with stage II/III triple-negative breast cancer. Forty-four of the 45 patients completed the planned six cycles and toxicity was manageable. One patient had delayed wound healing as a subsequent surgical complication. Thus, bevacizumab may provide significant improvement in neoadjuvant strategies for triple-negative breast cancer and further investigation is warranted.
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Ninety-six women with breast cancer undergoing radiotherapy during a 5- to 6-week interval were randomized to either a qigong group or a wait-list control group. The results indicate that the women in the qigong group had clinically significantly less depressive symptoms and better quality of life than the control group.
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Two recent reports provide supportive evidence for current strategies in the management of prostate cancer. The first, from Finland, is a report of the marginal value of PSA screening in terms of long-term prostate cancer survival. And, from a cooperative observational cohort in the United States, there is suggestive evidence that radical prostatectomy provides a somewhat more favorable survival outcome when compared to external beam radiotherapy.
