In a nutshell This study investigated the long-term outcome of a minimally invasive surgical procedure in patients after chemoradiation. Some background The main treatment for patients with rectal cancer is chemoradiation followed by radical surgery. Radical surgery involves removal of the tumor and a large portion of the surrounding bowel....
Read MoreIn a nutshell This article examined the benefits and risks of using rituximab (Rituxan, MabThera) for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Some background Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic (long-term) disease that leads to inflammation of the joints. The severity of patients’ symptoms can be graded using the ACR 50 (the American College of...
Read MoreIn a nutshell The authors aimed to determine the long-term effects of early prostate cancer treatment. Some background Early prostate cancer is usually treated with active surveillance, radiation therapy, androgen deprivation therapy or surgery. Active surveillance involves the monitoring of cancer progression in a patient without administering...
Read MoreIn a nutshell The authors aimed to determine how effective magnetic resonance imaging is in monitoring patients with prostate cancer undergoing active surveillance. Some background Active surveillance is used in patients with favorable-risk prostate cancer (very low or low risk – cancer cannot be felt or seen by imaging or is localised to...
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In a nutshell The authors aimed to determine whether nivolumab (Opdivo) can improve survival in advanced melanoma patients without the BRAF mutation. Some background Nivolumab is a man-made immune cell (protects the body from disease). It works by blocking a protein called programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) that is found on active immune...
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In a nutshell The authors aimed to determine whether patients developed unfavorable disease features while under active surveillance. Some background Active surveillance involves no treatment. It involves close monitoring of prostate cancer patients to determine any sign of progression. It is currently recommended in low/intermediate risk...
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In a nutshell The authors aimed to determine whether factors such as vitamin D levels and smoking can affect inflammation and overall melanoma survival. Some background Inflammation is the body's method of self-protection in response to harmful stimulants like damaged, cancerous cells in melanoma. In some cases inflammation can become...
Read MoreIn a nutshell This study compared the outcomes between the standard chemotherapy treatment for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer and a new drug, afatinib (Gilotrif, Giotrif) in Asian populations. Some background Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a common type of lung cancer but can be difficult to treat. Standard treatment involves...
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In a nutshell This report discusses using a device to track tumor sites in follow-up biopsies in prostate cancer. Some background Biopsies (the removal of tissue from the body and examination to establish the presence of cancer) are a very important part of active surveillance (patient monitoring instead of treatment) in early prostate...
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In a nutshell This paper studied the effect of adding carboplatin (Paraplatin) to neoadjuvant therapy (given before main treatment) in patients with triple negative breast cancer and HER2-positive breast cancer. Some background HER2 positive breast cancer is associated with over-expression of the human epidermal growth factor receptor...
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In a nutshell This study investigated whether multiple biopsies can influence erectile function in low-risk prostate cancer patients. Some background Continuous monitoring of prostate cancer (active surveillance) is becoming an increasingly common management strategy for patients with low risk cancer. It involves regularly repeating...
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In a nutshell This study investigated the impact of 3 months of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in a group of low-risk prostate cancer patients. Some background For patients with low-risk localized prostate cancer (has not spread beyond the prostate), treatment is not recommended but the patient is carefully...
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