For men with localized prostate cancer detected by prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level, treatment with radical prostatectomy did not significantly reduce mortality compared with observation, according to overall results of the large, randomized, controlled PIVOT trial (Wilt TJ, et al. N Engl J Med. 2012; 367:203-213). All-cause mortality and prostate-specific mortality were similar for the surgery and observation groups over a 12-year follow-up. Results suggest that surgery may be a better option than observation for men with intermediate- and high-risk localized prostate cancer, but low-risk localized prostate cancer can be safely managed with observation.
R-CHOP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone) induction therapy followed by maintenance therapy with rituximab was more effective than R-FC (rituximab, fludarabine, and cyclophosphamide) followed by maintenance therapy with interferon alfa in older patients with mantle cell lymphoma, according to a recently published prospective, randomized, double-blind clinical trial (Kluin-Nelemans HC, et al. N Engl J Med. 2012;367:520-531).
The OVA1 blood test had a high chance of correctly identifying whether an ovarian mass was malignant prior to surgery, according to results of the OVA500 clinical trial. In a study of 494 patients, the test had 94% sensitivity in premenopausal women and 91% sensitivity in the early-stage ovarian cancer group, for an overall sensitivity of 96%. The OVA1 blood test had a negative predictive value of 98%.
Although weightlifting reduced the need for lymphedema treatment by 50% compared with standard treatment in breast cancer survivors who participated in the Physical Activity Lymphedema (PAL) trial, weightlifting is not without its own risks. A retrospective analysis of the PAL trial found that the rate of injury was higher in the weightlifting group compared with controls (Brown JC, et al. Oncologist. 2012; 17:1120-1128).
A preliminary report of a meta-analysis of clinical trials of molecularly targeted therapies shows that they are not benign and can add to the toxicity of standard chemotherapy. In particular, increased rates of oral mucositis and diarrhea are reported with several US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved agents. Increased mucositis seen with bevacizumab and erlotinib does not appear to be clinically significant, but severe diarrhea occurs with a number of targeted agents and has a potential impact on quality of life (QOL) and healthcare resource utilization.
To sign up for our newsletter or print publications, please enter your contact information below.
