In a nutshell The authors evaluated the effectiveness of chemotherapy and targeted therapy for patients with initially unresectable (inoperable) colorectal liver metastases. Some background Liver resection (surgical removal of cancerous tissue from the liver) with chemotherapy is the standard procedure as well as the only curative...
Read More
In a nutshell The authors evaluated the effectiveness of degarelix (Firmagon) for advanced prostate cancer. Some background Prostate cancer requires the androgen hormone testosterone to grow, and is described as a hormone-sensitive disease. Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is intended to reduce the production of androgens, or...
Read More
In a nutshell This study examined if genetic analysis can predict when FOLFOX or FOLFIRI chemotherapy would be more useful. Some background The treatment of choice for colon cancer is surgical resection (removal of part of the intestine). However, if the cancer has spread (metastasized), chemotherapy is often the only option. Two drug...
Read More
In a nutshell This study examined the effect of hepatic-artery infusion combined with systemic chemotherapy on patients with inoperable colorectal liver metastases. Some background Any cancer involving the colon or rectum is called colorectal cancer. Frequently, this cancer spreads to the liver (colorectal liver metastasis), and often in...
Read More
In a nutshell This study focused on the effectiveness of bevacizumab (Avastin) in the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer. Some background Colorectal cancer is any cancer that involves the colon, rectum, or both. It has a tendency to spread to other organs, frequently the liver. This phenomenon is called metastatic colorectal cancer....
Read More
In a nutshell The authors aimed to evaluate the use of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) in patients with oligometastatic lung cancer. Some background Oligometastatic lung cancer refers to a tumors that have only spread to a limited number of sites in the body. Stereotactic body radiotherapy (or SBRT) involves the delivery of high dose...
Read MoreIn a nutshell The authors evaluated the use of sorafenib and irinotecan-based combination chemotherapy in patients with KRAS-mutated metastatic colorectal cancer who had progressive disease despite prior treatment. Some background KRAS-mutated metastatic colorectal cancer is a cancer that has a mutated KRAS gene (an important gene...
Read More
In a nutshell This study examined the prognostic value of S100B and lactate dehydrogenase in non-resectable metastatic melanoma. Some background Melanoma that has metastasized, or spread to other areas of the body, has a poor prognosis. While 5-year survival rates can be as high as 41% in patients whose cancers are resectable, or able to be...
Read MoreIn a nutshell This study evaluated the effectiveness of surgery to remove abdominal melanoma metastatic lesions. In addition, the study proposes a new method of predicting surgery outcomes. Some background Melanoma is a type of malignant skin cancer which has a high tendency to metastasize (spread into distant organs). While patients with...
Read MoreIn a nutshell This study examined the patterns of disease response and progression among patients with metastatic melanoma treated with a combination of MAPK inhibitors. Some background BRAF is an important gene regulating cell division and growth through a process mediated by an enzyme known as mitogen-activated protein kinase or MAPK....
Read More
In a nutshell This review examines the current and future treatment options for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Some background The initial treatments offered to most patients with prostate cancer include radiation therapy or prostatectomy (surgical removal of the prostate). These treatments effectively reduce the size of and...
Read More
In a nutshell This study evaluated whether past surgery could be used to predict response to bevacizumab (Avastin) treatment among metastatic cancer patients. Some background Combined treatment with bevacizumab and chemotherapy is the standard of care for the treatment of metastatic (wide spread) colorectal cancer. Bevacizumab acts by inhibiting...
Read More
