Articles

By repeating therapy cycles, clivatuzumab tetraxetan labeled with ⁹⁰Y plus low-dose gemcitabine improve overall survival (OS) over single-cycle therapy in patients with locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer, according to updated data presented at the Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium. Researchers also found that as the ⁹⁰Y labeld clivatuzumab tetraxetan dose increased so did median OS.

 

 

Two-thirds of patients achieved stable disease with sorafenib after resistance to imatinib and sunitinib treatment for gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), according to a phase 2 trial to be presented at the Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium.

 

 

New empirical evidence linking confusion about the multiple screening options for colorectal cancer with a reduced likelihood of adherence to screening guidelines should help oncology nurses tailor information when involved in patient education and outreach activities. The cross-sectional study found that patients confused about their options were 1.8 times more likely to be nonadherent with screening recommendations (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2010;19:2821-2825).

 

One year of bevacizumab added to 6 months of leucovorin/fluorouracil/oxaliplatin (mFOLFOX6) does not significantly prolong disease-free survival (DFS) in stages II and III colon cancer, according to recently released results of the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) Protocol C-08 (J Clin Oncol. 2011;29:11-16). The study did find, however, a significant transient effect during bevacizumab exposure.

 

 

No new evidence yet shows the advantages of interstitial brachytherapy over other forms of treatment in men with localized prostate cancer, even though 20 new studies have been released, according to a report released today by the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG), a German independent scientific institute that investigates the benefits and harms of medical interventions. IQWiG, therefore, has not changed its conclusions from its 2007 report.

 

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a fentynal immediate-release transmucosal tablet (Abstral, ProStraken) for breakthrough cancer pain in adults, making it the only fast-acting lingual tablet on the US market. The tablet is indicated for those patients who already use opioid pain medication and can safely use high doses of an additional opioid medication.