In a nutshell The aim of this phase 1 clinical trial was to assess the safety and efficacy of combined therapy with nivolumab and ipilimumab (Yervoy) in patients with advanced melanoma. Some background Advanced melanoma is cancer of the pigmented (colored) cells of the skin (or "melanocytes") that has spread to distant lymph nodes or...
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In a nutshell This review analyzed the results from several clinical trials which compared the benefits of the standard dose of 250mg of fulvestrant (Ful) once a month to higher doses in breast cancer patients. Some background Some breast cancers need estrogen (a female sex hormone) to grow. Cancer cells respond to estrogen via...
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In a nutshell This phase II clinical trial tested whether a new drug, entinostat, can work in concert with exemestane (a hormone therapy drug), to fight breast cancer that no longer responds to hormone therapy alone. Some background Some breast cancers need estrogen (a female sex hormone) to grow. These breast cancer cells respond to estrogen via...
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In a nutshell This phase 3 clinical trial tested whether everolimus (a non-hormonal treatment) added to hormone therapy with exemestane improved survival in patients with advanced breast cancer (BCa). Some background Some BCa are fueled by female sex hormones (estrogen or progesterone) that help them grow. These types of cancer are called...
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In a nutshell This article looks at results from 8 clinical studies where patients had surgery to remove lung metastases. Using patient data from these studies, the authors identified risk factors which can predict the 5 year survival rate. Some background Oligometastasis defines the spread of a primary cancer (in this case colorectal cancer) to a...
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In a nutshell The present study compared the effectiveness of two kinds of hormonal therapy in advanced prostate cancer (cancer that has spread beyond the prostate gland). These are intermittent hormonal therapy (IHT) and continuous androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT). In this study, IHT was similar to ADT in terms of survival, but showed better quality...
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In a nutshell This study compared the effect of two regimens for hormone-positive, metastatic breast cancer on disease progression and survival: a combination of two drugs, namely anastrozole (Arimidex) and fulvestrant (Faslodex), versus anastrozole alone. Some background Breast cancers often require estrogen (the female sex...
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In a nutshell This article compares the use of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and a robotic method of treatment using directed radiation to liver metastases from colorectal cancer which have been deemed not suitable for surgical treatment. The study shows robotic radiation treatment is safe and comparable to RFA, with a trend towards being better...
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In a nutshell The aim of this study was to asses the prognostic significance of lymphocytopenia (very low lymphocytes-cells involved in the immune response), circulating tumor cell (CTC) count in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Lymphocytopenia and CTC measurement seem to be independent factors for predicting overall survival in patients...
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In a nutshell This paper looks at the long term survival rates after radiofrequency ablation treatment of small metastatic liver tumors in patients with primary colorectal cancer. Some background Radiofrequency tumour ablation is a method used to treat patients whose tumors cannot be treated surgically. The method involves guiding...
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In a nutshell The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of microwave ablation therapy on pulmonary metastases (cancer spread to the lungs) that cannot be removed surgically. The study showed that it can be an effective treatment method with a success rate depending on the tumor size. Some background Pulmonary metastases...
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In a nutshell This review presents the results of clinical trials for two newly approved immunotherapy drugs – ipilimumab (Yervoy) and vemurafenib (Zelboraf) – used for the treatment of patients with metastatic (late stage or advanced) melanoma. Some background Metastatic melanoma (MM) is cancer of the pigmented (colored) cells of the...
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