In a nutshell This trial is examining the effectiveness of atezolizumab (Tecentriq) when used with chemotherapy in patients with inoperable, recurrent triple-negative breast cancer. The main outcome to be measured will be the overall survival (time from treatment until death from any cause) of participants. The...
Read MoreCurrent stage-Stage III Posts on Medivizor
Looking for women with metastatic breast cancer to evaluate whole, plant based diets
In a nutshell This trial is examining the effectiveness of a whole food diet for women with stable metastatic (spread) breast cancer currently undergoing treatment. The main outcomes to be measured will be the recruitment of patients approached, adherence to diet and change in symptoms and biomarkers. This study is being...
Read MoreComparing two targeted therapy drugs – is gefitinib safer than erlotinib?
In a nutshell This study compared two targeted therapy drugs gefitinib (Iressa) and erlotinib (Tarceva) in terms of effectiveness and safety at treating patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. They concluded gefitinib was as effective as erlotinib but with fewer toxic side effects. Some background Current and newer treatment options...
Read MoreDo patients with advanced lung cancer change their exercise habits?
In a nutshell This study examined the exercise behavior and physical fitness in patients with advanced lung cancer. The authors concluded that regular exercise and therefore physical fitness is reduced after diagnosis of advanced lung cancer. Some background Cancer patients frequently have reduced physical ability and quality of life due to fatigue...
Read MoreIdentifying patient factors that can predict the risk of local disease progression
In a nutshell This study looked at patients factors which would help predict local disease control for patients with inoperable non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have been treated with chemoradiation therapy. The authors concluded that patients with squamous NSCLC, large tumor volume and first-line chemotherapy had a higher risk of worse local...
Read MoreVemurafenib increases survival of patients with advanced BRAF-mutated melanoma
In a nutshell This study examined the long-term effectiveness of vemurafenib (Zelboraf) as treatment for BRAF-mutant metastatic melanoma. Researchers concluded that vemurafenib is associated with improved overall survival. Some background Over 50% of melanoma patients has a mutation (permanent change) in the BRAF gene. This can increase...
Read MoreLong-term outcomes of dose-dense chemotherapy for high-risk breast cancer
In a nutshell This study aimed to compare intense dose-dense adjuvant (after surgery) chemotherapy with conventionally scheduled chemotherapy. This study concluded that the dose-dense chemotherapy regime had a better 10-year survival and event free survival rates as compared to conventional chemotherapy. Some background Breast cancer...
Read MoreComparing targeted therapies for patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer
In a nutshell The authors aimed to understand the effectiveness of anti-PD-L1 therapy in patients with previously treated non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) compared to current treatments. The authors concluded that anti-PD-L1 therapy could be more beneficial than the chemotherapy drug docetaxel (Taxotere) at treating patients with previously treated...
Read MoreSearching for patients with HER2 negative breast cancer to test whether aspirin can prevent cancer recurrence
In a nutshell This phase 3 trial aims to evaluate how well aspirin can work to prevent recurrence of breast cancer. The main outcome to be investigated is invasive disease free survival. Other outcomes include overall survival (time from treatment until death from any cause) and the incidence of heart disease. This trial is taking place in 985...
Read MorePost-surgery chemotherapy benefits elderly colon cancer patients
In a nutshell This study investigated the effects of surgery and post-surgery chemotherapy in elderly stage 3 colon cancer patients. Researchers reported that post-surgery chemotherapy improves long-term survival of these patients. Some background Surgery and post-surgery chemotherapy are the standard treatment for stage 3 colon cancer. Several...
Read MoreThe beneficial effects of trastuzumab on locoregional control in HER2-positive breast cancer patients.
In a nutshell This study investigated the effects of trastuzumab (Herceptin) on the locoregional control (management in the area in which it arose) of patients with HER2-positive breast cancer (HER2+BC) following radiotherapy (RT). Trastuzumab administered alongside RT was found to be associated with a significantly reduced rate of locoregional...
Read MorePost-surgery risk factors for recurrence in stage 2 and 3 colorectal cancer
In a nutshell This study investigated the risk factors for recurrence (when the cancer comes back) after surgery in patients with stage 2 and stage 3 colorectal cancer. Researchers suggested that high-risk patients can be identified by assessing tumor specific blood levels, tumor spread to the lymphatic system and infiltrative growth (IG; when the...
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