Ugeskrift for laeger
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Ugeskrift for laeger · Sep 2007
[Medical treatment of primary breast cancer: new targeted biological treatments].
The monoclonal antibody trastuzumab is at present the only modern targeted treatment which has been studied in early breast cancer. Data are available from four large and one smaller randomised trials where patients with HER2-positive operable breast cancer were randomised to trastuzumab or control in addition to standard adjuvant chemotherapy and endocrine treatment. Trastuzumab therapy resulted in relative risk reductions of 33-59% for recurrence and of 33-41% for death. Trastuzumab has become an integral part of adjuvant therapy in HER2-positive operable breast cancer.
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For women with steroid receptor-positive breast cancers, endocrine therapy has proven to be a major component of adjuvant therapy reducing the risk of recurrence and death. The selective estrogen-receptor modulator (SERM) tamoxifen has been well established as safe and effective in the adjuvant care of both pre- and postmenopausal women. ⋯ Additionally, aromatase inhibitors have recently demonstrated further benefits in postmenopausal women. The ideal sequencing of treatment with tamoxifen and/or an aromatase inhibitor is the subject of several ongoing studies.
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Ugeskrift for laeger · Aug 2007
Comparative Study[Hospital standardised mortality ratios based on data from administrative registries. A pilot project].
Hospital standardised mortality ratios (HSMR) are widely used in quality improvement campaigns. No data exist on whether HSMR can be computed based on Danish administrative registries. We therefore used data from Danish registries to compute HSMRs. ⋯ We found that it was possible to use data from Danish administrative registries to compute HSMR and that HSMR varied little between hospitals with comparable case-mixes.
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Ugeskrift for laeger · Aug 2007
Review[Identification of new ovarian cancer biomarkers with proteomic analyses--the diagnostic tool of the future?].
New non-invasive diagnostic tests for detection of ovarian cancer in early stages can improve survival. One approach is the proteomic analysis of serum or urine, which may be the technology needed. Preliminary proteomic analyses of serum and urine have shown a higher positive predictive value than that of the combination of serum CA125 and ultrasound examination, which actually is used preoperatively for the ovarian cancer diagnosis (RMI index). Identification of new ovarian cancer biomarkers will optimally be usable as an ovarian cancer-screening tool.