Journal of the National Cancer Institute
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J. Natl. Cancer Inst. · Nov 2011
Development and validation of a prognostic nomogram for terminally ill cancer patients.
Determining life expectancy in terminally ill cancer patients is a difficult task. We aimed to develop and validate a nomogram to predict the length of survival in patients with terminal disease. ⋯ We developed a highly accurate tool that uses basic clinical and analytical information to predict the probability of survival at 15, 30, and 60 days in terminally ill cancer patients. This tool can help physicians making decisions on clinical care at the end of life.
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J. Natl. Cancer Inst. · Oct 2011
Meta AnalysisOutcomes among black patients with stage II and III colon cancer receiving chemotherapy: an analysis of ACCENT adjuvant trials.
Among patients with resected colon cancer, black patients have worse survival than whites. We investigated whether disparities in survival and related endpoints would persist when patients were treated with identical therapies in controlled clinical trials. ⋯ Black patients with resected stage II and stage III colon cancer who were treated with the same therapy as white patients experienced worse overall and recurrence-free survival, but similar recurrence-free interval, compared with white patients. The differences in survival may be mostly because of factors unrelated to the patients' adjuvant colon cancer treatment.
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J. Natl. Cancer Inst. · Oct 2011
Comparative StudyCompany stock prices before and after public announcements related to oncology drugs.
Phase III clinical trials and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory decisions are critical for success of new drugs and can influence a company's market valuation. Knowledge of trial results before they are made public (ie, "inside information") can affect the price of a drug company's stock. We examined the stock prices of companies before and after public announcements regarding experimental anticancer drugs owned by the companies. ⋯ Trends in company stock prices before the first public announcement differ for companies that report positive vs negative trials. This finding has important legal and ethical implications for investigators, drug companies, and the investment industry.