In a nutshell This study investigated the safety of localized surgery followed by chemotherapy compared with total mesorectal excision (TME; bowel and lymph nodes around the tumor are removed) in early stages (T0 to T1) of rectal cancer. Researchers suggested that local surgery followed by chemotherapy improves long term outcomes in early stages of...
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Umbilical cord blood transplantation for Hodgkin’s lymphoma
In a nutshell This study investigated the outcomes of umbilical cord blood transplantation in pretreated patients with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The authors concluded that this procedure is a feasible treatment option for these patients. Some background Patients with relapsed or refractory (does not respond to treatment) Hodgkin’s lymphoma have...
Read MoreIs pirarubicin safer and more effective than doxorubicin in R-CHOP for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma?
In a nutshell This study compared the safety and effectiveness of two first-line chemotherapy regimens for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. This study concluded that the R-THP-COP regimen was as effective as conventional R-CHOP for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Some background R-CHOP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine,...
Read MoreOxaliplatin based treatments as adjuvant chemotherapy treatment in colon cancer patients
In a nutshell This study investigated the effectiveness of a 3-month oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy treatment after surgery in patients with stage 3 colon cancer. Researchers suggested 6-months of treatment is associated with better outcomes. Some background The current standard treatment for stage 3 colon cancer patients is surgery followed by...
Read MoreGenetics used to guide breast cancer chemotherapy treatment
In a nutshell This study examined if the presence of certain genes had an effect on endocrine (hormone) treatment alone compared to chemoendocrine (chemotherapy and hormone) treatment for breast cancer. The study concluded that endocrine and chemoendocrine had the same effectiveness in women with certain genetic factors. Some background Breast cancer...
Read MoreAlopecia after breast cancer treatment
In a nutshell This study aimed to find out how common persistent hair loss (alopecia) is after breast cancer chemotherapy, and how to prevent it. The authors found that persistent alopecia was present in all forms of chemotherapy but was worse with docetaxel (Taxotere) and could be prevented by using a scalp cooling technique. Some background...
Read MoreComparison of lapatinib and trastuzumab in patients with HER-2 receptor positive breast cancer
In a nutshell This study aimed to compare lapatinib (Tykerb) and trastuzumab (Herceptin) in patients with HER-2 receptor positive breast cancer. This study found that in patients with hormone receptor-positive tumors, use of lapatinib for 6 months, followed by trastuzumab for 12 months significantly improved survival...
Read MoreAdding Platinum agents to Chemotherapy for Triple Negative Breast Cancer Patients
In a nutshell This study was a meta-analysis (a review of all the relevant research) on the use of platinum-based chemotherapy in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Authors concluded that platinum-based chemotherapy is highly effective in this type of breast cancer. Some background Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is breast cancer that does not...
Read MoreWhat are the effects of different doses and treatments for limited stage classical Hodgkin’s lymphoma?
In a nutshell This study investigated the effects of increasing the initial dose of chemotherapy in patients with classical Hodgkin’s lymphoma (cHL). The main finding was that it is necessary to assess each treatment plan based on the patient’s individual disease. Some background Chemotherapy plus stem cell transplant (SCT;...
Read MoreIs tandem stem cell transplantation effective in high risk relapsed/refractory Hodgkin lymphoma
In a nutshell This study investigated the effect of tandem stem cell transplantation (SCT) in patients with high-risk relapsed/refractory Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL). The main finding was that patients treated with tandem SCT had greater progression-free survival than those without. Some background A SCT involves the transfer of stem cells into the patient to...
Read MoreWhat are the outcomes for lymphoma patients who received TECAM chemotherapy before a stem cell transplant?
In a nutshell This study analyzed data from patients with Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HL) and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) who received TECAM (etoposide, thiotepa, cytarabine, cyclophosphamide, melphalan) chemotherapy before autoSCT (autologous stem cell transplantation). The authors concluded that TECAM is an effective pre-autoSCT regimen for...
Read MoreThe use of ADT and docetaxel in metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer
In a nutshell This study aimed to discover if docetaxel (Taxotere) added to androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) increases overall survival for patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer. This study found that overall survival was higher for patients who received ADT and docetaxel compared to those who took ADT. Some...
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