In a nutshell This study examined if adding biological therapy rituximab (Rituxan) to chemotherapy improved treatment results for children with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The results showed that rituximab improved patients’ chances of survival but also caused more side effects. Some background Treatment results for children with NHL have...
Read MoreComparing branded and generic imatinib treatment in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia
In a nutshell This study aimed to compare the effectiveness and safety of generic and branded imatinib in patients with newly diagnosed chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia. This study concluded that generic and branded imatinib had similar effectiveness and safety in these patients. Some...
Read MoreStress urinary incontinence in women: Is single incision sling as effective as transobturator sling?
In a nutshell This study aimed to evaluate whether single incision sling (SIS) was as effective and safe as transobturator sling (TOS) for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence in women. The main finding was that SIS was as safe and effective as the TOS. Some background Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is the involuntary leakage of urine due...
Read MoreSafinamide added to L-Dopa improves wearing-off symptoms in patients with Parkinson’s disease
In a nutshell This study investigated the effectiveness and safety of safinamide (Xadago) in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and wearing-OFF symptoms. Researchers suggested that safinamide improved OFF symptoms in these patients. Some background PD is a chronic disease that affects the brain. Over time, brain cells lose their abilities to...
Read MoreCan biological drug pembrolizumab added to chemotherapy improve treatment results long-term for patients with non-small cell lung cancer?
In a nutshell This study examined if the addition of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) to chemotherapy with pemetrexed (Alimta) and platinum improved treatment results long-term for patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The authors found that patients who received pembrolizumab with chemotherapy had improved survival and...
Read MoreAre injections under the skin of daratumumab as effective as intravenous infusions for patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma?
In a nutshell This study examined if subcutaneous (sc) injections of daratumumab (Darzalex) were as effective and safe as intravenous (iv) infusions for patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (MM). The authors found that sc injections were as effective as iv infusions and caused fewer side effects. Some background Daratumumab...
Read MoreCan radiotherapy benefit patients with advanced Hodgkin lymphoma with small tumors?
In a nutshell This study examined if radiotherapy (RT) would benefit patients with advanced Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) with small tumors following chemotherapy. The authors found that RT may increase patients’ survival without worsening of HL, although this may also increase side effects. Some background Treatment options for patients with...
Read MoreMedication and psychological therapy decrease depression in stroke survivors
In a nutshell This study reviewed the effects of medication, psychological therapy (PT), and non-invasive brain stimulation in depression after stroke. Researchers suggested that medication and PT reduce depression and improve mood in stroke survivors. Some background A stroke happens when the blood flow to the brain is cut-off. This can be a result...
Read MoreShould androgen-deprivation therapy be given at the same time or before radiotherapy in the treatment of localized prostate cancer?
In a nutshell The study looked at the sequence of dose-escalated radiotherapy (RT) and androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) in the treatment of local prostate cancer (LPCa). The study found that treatment with ADT before RT had the same outcome as treatment with ADT and RT at the same time. Some background LPCa is a form of cancer that is...
Read MoreCan pembrolizumab combined with chemotherapy slow the progression of extensive stage small-cell lung cancer?
In a nutshell The study evaluated the addition of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) to etoposide (Etopophos) and platinum chemotherapy drugs for patients with untreated extensive-stage (ES) small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). The study found that pembrolizumab improved progression-free survival (PFS; survival without cancer getting worse) when added to...
Read MoreManaging patients with chronic myeloid leukemia who fail responding to second generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors
In a nutshell The report recommends how to manage patients with chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CP-CML) who failed to respond to 2nd generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). The authors suggested to consider patient-specific factors and personalize treatment for such patients. Some background TKIs deactivate cancerous enzymes which cause...
Read MoreWhich patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma benefit most from CAR-T treatment?
In a nutshell This study compared the effectiveness of CAR-T treatment for patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The authors found that while a significant number of all patients benefitted from the treatment, some patients were more likely to benefit from it than others. Some background During initial treatment for DLBCL,...
Read More