Journal of the National Cancer Institute
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J. Natl. Cancer Inst. · May 2018
Magnitude of Clinical Benefit of Cancer Drugs Approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.
It is uncertain whether drugs approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have clinically meaningful benefit as determined by validated scales such as the European Society for Medical Oncology Magnitude of Clinical Benefit Scale (ESMO-MCBS). ⋯ The number of trials meeting the ESMO-MCBS threshold for clinical benefit has improved over time. However, fewer than half of RCTs supporting FDA approval meet the threshold for clinically meaningful benefit.
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J. Natl. Cancer Inst. · May 2018
Relative Performance of HPV and Cytology Components of Cotesting in Cervical Screening.
The main goal of cervical screening programs is to detect and treat precancer before cancer develops. Human papillomavirus (HPV) testing is more sensitive than cytology for detecting precancer. However, reports of rare HPV-negative, cytology-positive cancers are motivating continued use of both tests (cotesting) despite increased testing costs. ⋯ The added sensitivity of cotesting vs HPV alone for detection of treatable cancer affected extremely few women.
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J. Natl. Cancer Inst. · May 2018
Recent Trends in Chemotherapy Use and Oncologists' Treatment Recommendations for Early-Stage Breast Cancer.
There is growing concern about overtreatment of breast cancer as outcomes have improved over time. However, little is known about how chemotherapy use and oncologists' recommendations have changed in recent years. ⋯ For both node-negative/micrometastasis and node-positive patients, chemotherapy receipt and oncologists' recommendations for chemotherapy declined markedly over time, without substantial change in practice guidelines. Results of ongoing trials will be essential to confirm the quality of this approach to breast cancer care.