Journal of the National Cancer Institute
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J. Natl. Cancer Inst. · Jun 2010
Randomized Controlled TrialChemoradiotherapy with or without AE-941 in stage III non-small cell lung cancer: a randomized phase III trial.
BACKGROUND AE-941 is a standardized aqueous shark cartilage extract with antiangiogenic properties that has previously been evaluated in phase I and II clinical trials. Our objective was to determine the effect of adding AE-941 to chemoradiotherapy on overall survival of patients with unresectable stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, phase III clinical trial was designed to test the efficacy of AE-941 in unresectable stage III NSCLC patients who were treated with chemoradiotherapy. ⋯ No differences between the two groups were observed in common grade 3 or higher toxic effects attributable to chemoradiotherapy. CONCLUSIONS The addition of AE-941 to chemoradiotherapy did not improve overall survival in patients with unresectable stage III NSCLC. This study does not support the use of shark cartilage-derived products as therapy for lung cancer.
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J. Natl. Cancer Inst. · Jun 2010
Merkel cell carcinoma: incidence, mortality, and risk of other cancers.
Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare skin cancer that was recently found to be associated with a polyomavirus and with immunosuppression, provoking new interest in its epidemiology. We conducted a nationwide study in Denmark to describe MCC incidence and mortality and the association between MCC and other cancers. ⋯ These results support the existence of shared risk factors for MCC and other cancers. Heightened awareness of the association between MCC and other cancers, particularly squamous cell carcinoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia, may facilitate earlier clinical detection and treatment of MCC, thereby improving patient survival.