Current medical research and opinion
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Multicenter Study
Multicenter COMPACT study of COMplications in patients with sickle cell disease and utilization of iron chelation therapy.
Over the past few decades, lifespans of sickle cell disease (SCD) patients have increased; hence, they encounter multiple complications. Early detection, appropriate comprehensive care, and treatment may prevent or delay onset of complications. ⋯ Although the most commonly reported SCD complication among all patients was pain, patients who received ICT were less likely to experience pain and other complications than those who did not. These results highlight the need for increased patient and provider education on the importance of comprehensive disease management.
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Comparative Study
Comparison of the long term cardiac effects associated with 9 and 52 weeks of trastuzumab in HER2-positive early breast cancer.
Trastuzumab induced cardiotoxicity (TIC) was defined as the most serious side effect. Long term cardiac effects of trastuzumab are still not known, thus we aimed to compare the long term cardiac effects of adjuvant trastuzumab therapies of HER2-positive breast cancer according to the treatment duration. ⋯ TIC was observed to be significantly higher in the 52 weeks trastuzumab group. At the end of 32 months of follow-up mean LVEF values and cardiac biomarkers were similar between the two treatment groups. In the subgroup analyses, significant LVEF loss and higher cardiac biomarkers which show cardiac damage in patients who developed TIC can be permanent in some of the patients and long term cardiac damage may be underestimated.