Journal of the National Cancer Institute
-
J. Natl. Cancer Inst. · Feb 2006
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyRandomized, double-blind, active-controlled trial of every-3-week darbepoetin alfa for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced anemia.
In the United States, darbepoetin alfa (Aranesp) is often used to treat patients with chemotherapy-induced anemia using weekly or every-2-week administration schedules. In Europe, darbepoetin alfa is used either weekly or in every-3-week dosing. The every-3-week schedule can be synchronized with many chemotherapy regimens, resulting in fewer visits and reducing burden to patients, but the safety and efficacy of this regimen have not been clear. ⋯ Patients with chemotherapy-induced anemia can safely and effectively be treated with 500 microg of darbepoetin alfa every 3 weeks.
-
J. Natl. Cancer Inst. · Feb 2006
Multicenter StudySupplemental and dietary vitamin E, beta-carotene, and vitamin C intakes and prostate cancer risk.
Vitamin E, beta-carotene, and vitamin C are micronutrient antioxidants that protect cells from oxidative damage involved in prostate carcinogenesis. In separate trials, supplemental vitamin E was associated with a decreased risk of prostate cancer among smokers and supplemental beta-carotene was associated with a decreased risk of prostate cancer among men with low baseline plasma beta-carotene levels. ⋯ Our results do not provide strong support for population-wide implementation of high-dose antioxidant supplementation for the prevention of prostate cancer. However, vitamin E supplementation in male smokers and beta-carotene supplementation in men with low dietary beta-carotene intakes were associated with reduced risk of this disease.
-
J. Natl. Cancer Inst. · Feb 2006
Gene expression profiling in breast cancer: understanding the molecular basis of histologic grade to improve prognosis.
Histologic grade in breast cancer provides clinically important prognostic information. However, 30%-60% of tumors are classified as histologic grade 2. This grade is associated with an intermediate risk of recurrence and is thus not informative for clinical decision making. We examined whether histologic grade was associated with gene expression profiles of breast cancers and whether such profiles could be used to improve histologic grading. ⋯ Gene expression grade index appeared to reclassify patients with histologic grade 2 tumors into two groups with high versus low risks of recurrence. This approach may improve the accuracy of tumor grading and thus its prognostic value.