In a nutshell This study investigated the effectiveness and safety of neratinib treatment in patients with early-stage HER2+ breast cancer. The study concluded that neratinib significantly improved 2-year invasive disease-free survival in women with HER2+ breast cancer. Some background HER2 positive (HER2+) breast cancer is dependent on the...
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Alternative hormone therapies for prostate cancer examined
In a nutshell This review summarized recent evidence on alternatives to continuous androgen deprivation therapy (CADT). Authors reported that more high-quality evidence is needed to determine overall benefits of new hormonal treatment approaches compared to ADT. Some background Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is a type of hormone therapy that...
Read MoreIs prostate surgery beneficial for older men with additional medical conditions?
In a nutshell This study examined the benefits of prostate surgery among older men with high-risk prostate cancer and additional medical conditions. Researchers concluded that prostate surgery is a suitable treatment option for older high-risk prostate cancer patients with few additional medical conditions. Some background Surgical removal of the...
Read MoreCan beta-blockers aid breast cancer treatment?
In a nutshell The authors aimed to determine whether the use of beta-blockers could reduce the risk of cancer recurrence (the cancer comes back) in women with breast cancer. This study showed that beta-blockers can reduce the risk of cancer recurrence and the risk of death due to cancer. Some background Beta-blockers are a class of drug that are...
Read MoreCan pertuzumab improve long-term response rates in HER2-positive breast cancer?
In a nutshell The authors aimed to assess whether adding pertuzumab (Perjeta) to chemotherapy could improve response in women with metastatic (has spread) breast cancer. This study showed that adding pertuzumab to chemotherapy resulted in higher response rates among women with breast cancer that relied on the human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2) to...
Read MorePersonalized peptide vaccine shows promising early-phase results
In a nutshell This study examined personalized peptide vaccine (PPV) immunotherapy in the treatment of advanced metastatic prostate cancer. Researchers reported that patients treated with PPV showed delayed disease progression and increased overall survival. Some background Immunotherapy has recently been under intense investigation as a possible...
Read MoreDealing with cancer pain: Low-dose morphine examined
In a nutshell This study compared weak opioids and low-dose morphine in providing pain relief for moderate cancer pain. Researchers concluded that low-dose morphine is more suitable as pain management for moderate cancer pain than weaker pain relievers. Some background The guidelines for cancer pain relief developed by the World Health...
Read MoreDealing with cancer pain: Low-dose morphine examined
In a nutshell This study compared weak opioids and low-dose morphine in providing pain relief for moderate cancer pain. Researchers concluded that low-dose morphine is more suitable as pain management for moderate cancer pain than weaker pain relievers. Some background The guidelines for cancer pain relief developed by the World Health...
Read MoreThe potential of Nivolumab in treating advanced NSCLC
In a nutshell This study compared the efficacy of antitumor drugs nivolumab (Opdivo) and docetaxel (Taxotere) in the treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The study concluded that nivolumab has better activity in advanced nonsquamous NSCLC which express the ligand PD-L1 and has a safer toxicity profile overall than docetaxel. Some...
Read MoreCombination of hormone therapy and chemotherapy in advanced prostate cancer
In a nutshell The authors aimed to determine whether hormone drugs abiraterone (Zytiga) and enzalutamide (Xtandi) and chemotherapy drug cabazitaxel (Jevtana) improved overall survival (patients who were still alive after treatment) in prostate cancer patients with advanced, hormone-resistant (castration-resistant) prostate...
Read MoreCan protein levels predict the response to bevacizumab in colorectal cancer?
In a nutshell This study investigated whether the levels of certain proteins could be used to predict response to treatment with bevacizumab or chemotherapy in patients with colorectal cancer which has spread beyond the original tumor site. Three proteins were identified as potential biomarkers. Some background In as much as 50% of patients...
Read MoreAlectinib in crizotinib-resistant lung cancer – Is it safe and effective?
In a nutshell This trial looked at the safety and efficacy of alectinib (Alecensa) in the treatment of patients with ALK-rearranged non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that had progressed after treatment with crizotinib (Xalkori). This trial concluded that alectinib was safe and effective in these patients. Some background Some NSCLCs...
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