Articles
Patient-specific treatment plans devised using images from a combination of single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and computed tomography (CT) may reduce radiation-induced lymph node damage without sacrificing treatment outcomes, according to a small study released at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium this past weekend.
Transvaginal ultrasound has high sensitivity and specificity for detecting endometrial cancer in asymptomatic postmenopausal women, according to a study published online at The Lancet Oncology. Although the United Kingdom Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening (UKCTOCS) has yet to determine the role of population screening for endometrial cancer, these findings can be applied currently in women with increased endometrial thickness who undergo a pelvic scan for reasons other than vaginal bleeding.
Read More ›By Fran Lowry
ORLANDO—Breakthrough pain in cancer patients can be managed easily and effectively with fentanyl pectin nasal spray, according to new data.
Minocycline, given before the start of treatment with cetuximab and chemoradiotherapy, plus topical pimecrolimus as needed, can reduce the severity of cetuximab-induced skin toxicity in patients with non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to researchers from The Netherlands.
Read More ›By Fran Lowry
ORLANDO—Women who are on intravenous (IV) chemotherapy regimens for recurrent ovarian carcinoma are at risk for nonadherence or nonpersistence with their treatment. But telephone support by an advanced practice nurse (APN) can lower this risk and even boost compliance, a new, nonrandomized study suggests.
Read More ›Patients with stage III colorectal cancer who experience surgical complications are at increased risk for omission of chemotherapy and for delay in adjuvant chemotherapy, according to a new study in the December issue of Diseases of the Colon & Rectum.
Women with breast cancer who have elevated levels of C-peptide (a marker of insulin secretion) have significantly higher mortality rates than their peers with lower levels, results of the Health, Eating, Activity, and Lifestyle (HEAL) study indicate.
Oral rivaroxaban’s efficacy at reducing the risk of recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE) was confirmed in two trials presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology. The agent was studied for treatment of deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) as well as for continued therapy after initial anticoagulation treatment for DVT or pulmonary embolism.
For patients with a past history or family history of colorectal cancer, annual fecal immunochemical tests (FITs) detect neoplasias sooner than scheduled 10-year colonoscopies, according to a new study published in the December issue of Gastroenterology. For patients with FIT-positive results, diagnosis was made sooner by 25 months for cancer and by 24 months for advanced adenomas.
A new web-based application predicts the probability for complete remission (CR) or early death (ED) after chemotherapy in patients aged 60 years and older with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The tool, developed by the German Acute Myeloid Leukaemia Cooperative Group and the Study Alliance Leukemia Investigators, can help clinicians weigh the option of intensive induction chemotherapy for older, otherwise healthy patients. In addition, the tool requires only standard clinical data and laboratory variables to calculate the risk scores.
Researchers have confirmed the long-term benefits of adjuvant anastrozole to help stop recurrence of breast cancer in postmenopausal women with hormone-sensitive early breast cancer, according to a 10-year analysis of the Arimidex, Tamoxifen, Alone or in Combination (ATAC) trial published in The Lancet Oncology (Nov 16, 2010. Epub ahead of print).