In a nutshell This study aimed to assess use of dacomitinib in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who had previously failed to respond to chemotherapy and erlotinib (Tarceva). Some background NSCLC is the most common type of lung cancer. Erlotinib and gefitinib (Iressa) are used to treat NSCLC. They...
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In a nutshell The authors aimed to determine the effect of selumetinib in treating eye cancer compared to chemotherapy. Some background Uveal melanoma (eye cancer) is a rare form of cancer that occurs in the eye and has a 50% rate of metastasis (cancer spreads from the original site around the body). Selumetinib (AZD6244) is a drug that...
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In a nutshell The authors compared two drug combinations for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer. Some background Metastatic colorectal cancer indicates the cancer has spread from the colon or rectum to other parts of the body. Treatment often includes a combination of chemotherapy drugs such as FOLFOX...
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In a nutshell The authors aimed to determine the effect of nivolumab in treating malignant skin cancer. Some background Nivolumab (Opdivo) is a man-made immune cell made to attack a specific disease that has been approved for treating malignant skin cancer (cancer that has spread throughout the body). Nivolumab functions by attaching to a...
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In a nutshell This paper investigated the safety and efficacy of pertuzumab (Perjeta) and trastuzumab (Herceptin) with paclitaxel (Taxol) given once per week. Some background Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 is a protein that can be found on some cancer cells. Drugs that target HER2 has shown to be effective in improving survival in...
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In a nutshell The authors aimed to determine whether radiosurgery alone or in combination with whole-brain irradiation was the better treatment option for cerebral metastases (cancer that has spread to the brain). Some background Brain metastases occurs when cancer tumors have spread to the brain from another location in the body, like the...
Read MoreIn a nutshell The study investigated whether a common mutation in non small-cell lung cancer (NSCL), an EGFR mutation, can predict metastatic patterns (how cancer spreads to distant parts of the body) in advanced disease. Some background NSCLC is a common type of lung cancer that can have various underlying causes. Mutations...
Read MoreIn a nutshell The authors aimed to determine whether abiraterone acetate (Zytiga) can be used to stop tumor activity in castration-resistant prostate cancer in patients with and without PTEN protein function. Some background PTEN is a protein that controls cell processes like survival, replication and movement within the body. It has recently...
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In a nutshell The authors evaluated skeletal events to determine whether denosumab (Prolia) reduced the risk of skeletal complications in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Some background Denosumab is a drug used to treat metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (cancer which has spread from the prostate and...
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In a nutshell This study looked at the effect of cytoreductive radical prostatectomy (CRP) on advanced prostate cancer following androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). Some background Though the majority of men do not die from prostate cancer, some forms can be fast growing and can potentially spread to other organs (advanced or metastatic...
Read MoreIn a nutshell This paper studied methods of treatment in breast cancer brain metastasis. Some background Breast cancer brain metastasis is cancer that has spread from the breast to the brain and is associated with poor prognosis (outlook). The overexpression of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2, a protein on cells)...
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In a nutshell The authors aimed to investigate factors associated with survival when undergoing surgery to remove colorectal cancer metastases in the lungs. Some background Metastatic colorectal cancer is cancer that has spread from the original site (in the colon or rectum) to distant organs. Chemotherapy can prolong average survival times and...
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