In a nutshell This phase III trial compared two maintenance therapy strategies in the treatment of advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. The effect of bevacizumab (Avastin) was compared to that of combined bevacizumab and pemetrexed (Alimta) treatment. Some background Chemotherapy is one of the main strategies applied in the...
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Smoking cessation after the diagnosis of lung cancer
In a nutshell This review analyzed data collected from recent studies, and estimated the effect of smoking cessation after diagnosis on the outcome of lung cancer patients. Some background Smoking is known to increase the risk of developing lung cancer, as well as other life threatening medical conditions. Quitting smoking after the diagnosis of...
Read MoreCrizotinib improves progression-free survival in advanced ALK-positive lung cancer patients
In a nutshell This phase III trial investigated the benefits of crizotinib (Xalkori) as treatment for ALK-positive lung cancer patients. Patient outcome with crizotinib treatment was compared to that of treatment with standard chemotherapy. Some background Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells may contain different...
Read MoreIpilimumab with paclitaxel and carboplatin as first-line therapy in extensive disease small cell lung cancer
In a nutshell This study investigated the effects of ipilimumab (Yervoy) in combination with chemotherapy in the treatment of extensive disease small-cell lung cancer (ED-SCLC). Some background Ipilimumab is a drug used to modify the behavior of the immune system. Ipilimumab acts against regulatory immune cells (cells that inhibit the action of...
Read MoreChemotherapy after surgery for elderly patients with non–small cell lung cancer
In a nutshell This analysis examined the use of adjuvant chemotherapy in elderly patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Chemotherapy treatments and their effect on survival were compared between patients in different age groups. Some background Adjuvant chemotherapy (chemotherapy treatment given after cancer surgery) has...
Read MoreErlotinib versus chemotherapy as first-line treatment for patients with advanced EGFR-positive non-small cell lung cancer
In a nutshell This phase III trial compared chemotherapy to erlotinib (Tarceva) as first line treatment for EGFR-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. The safety and efficacy of the treatments were compared to decide which treatment is most beneficial for advanced cancer patients. Some background Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC)...
Read MoreHide and Go Seek…Continues: Prevalence
Deep Breathing Time Again… We’re about to seek the answer to another of the numbers that health and medical professionals use daily from statistics. Are you ready? Here it goes… What does Prevalence Rate in Statistics Mean? The prevalence rate is the total number of cases of a disease in a specific population divided by the total number of people...
Read MoreCount to 10… then Hide: Incidence! Understanding Statistics
Ready to play Hide and Seek? Or are you just ready to hide? Most people feel like hiding when faced with the numbers that health and medical professionals use daily, statistics. So we’re going to start slowly and cover different mathematical concepts you might have heard. This will be a series of posts so if there are any math concepts that you...
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