In a nutshell This study investigated whether end-of-treatment PET scans could be left out if the mid-treatment scans were negative (no cancer activity). The authors concluded that the end-of-treatment scans were essential, even in patients with negative interim results. Some background Positron emission tomograpy (PET) scans are used to...
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In a nutshell This trial compared the outcomes of ABVD and Stanford-V chemotherapy in patients with stage I or stage II bulky Hodgkin lymphoma. The authors concluded that both treatments were equally effective. Some background Hodgkin Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymph system. Patients with bulky disease have tumors larger than 10 cm....
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In a nutshell This study assessed whether patients with relapsed- or refractory Hodgkin Lymphoma should be treated with radiation therapy. The authors concluded that radiation therapy was safe and prevented the return of the disease in certain patients. Some background Hodgkin lymphoma is a cancer of the lymph system. It is a...
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In a nutshell This study investigated whether or not there was an increased risk of radiation pneumonitis (RP, radiation-induced lung injury) in Hodgkin lymphoma patients treated with the chemotherapy bleomycin. The authors concluded that there was no association between bleomycin lung effects and RP. Some background...
Read MoreIn a nutshell This phase 1 trial aims to determine the dosage of the anti-cancer drug pembrolizumab (Keytruda, or MK-3475) and whether it is effective at treating small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) when combined with both chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The main outcome of the trial will be the maximum tolerated dose (MTD – the highest dose of a...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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In a nutshell The authors assessed the effectiveness of paclitaxel (Taxol)-based chemo-radiotherapy (combination of chemotherapy and radiation therapy) in non-small cell lung cancer patients (NSCLC) with presence of tumor after surgery. Some background The primary treatment for NSCLC is the surgical removal of the affected lobe of...
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In a nutshell The authors evaluated the benefits of preventive radiation therapy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have high risk of developing brain metastases (spreading of cancer from the lungs to the brain). Some background NSCLC is the most common type of lung cancer, accounting for 85% of all lung cancers. In...
Read MoreIn a nutshell The authors aimed to determine whether previous maintenance therapy with gemcitabine or erlotinib impaired pemetrexed treatment. Some background Maintenance therapy is the ongoing use of chemotherapy or another treatment given to help the primary treatment succeed and prevent cancer recurrence. Two drugs have been...
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In a nutshell This paper studied the impact of endocrine therapy on sexual function in postmenopausal patients with breast cancer. Some background Endocrine therapy is used in the treatment of hormone receptor positive early breast cancer. Hormone receptor positive breast cancer is cancer which has an abundant presence of the estrogen or...
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