European journal of cancer : official journal for European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) [and] European Association for Cancer Research (EACR)
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Association of human papillomavirus and p16 status with mucositis and dysphagia for head and neck cancer patients treated with radiotherapy with or without cetuximab: Assessment from a phase 3 registration trial.
Mucositis and dysphagia are common adverse effects of radiotherapy (RT) treatment of locally advanced squamous cell cancer of the head and neck (LA-SCCHN). Chemotherapy added to RT increases survival rates but causes worse mucositis and dysphagia. The aim of this analysis was to assess the impact of p16 status on mucositis, dysphagia, and feeding tube use in LA-SCCHN among patients treated with RT±cetuximab in the phase 3 IMCL-9815 trial. ⋯ Regardless of p16 status, the addition of cetuximab to RT did not alter the incidence, time to onset, severity, or duration of mucositis and dysphagia and did not impact the frequency of feeding tube use.
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The aim of the present EURECCA international comparison is to compare adjuvant chemotherapy and relative survival of patients with stage II colon cancer between European countries. ⋯ The proportion of patients with stage II colon cancer receiving adjuvant chemotherapy varied largely between seven European countries. No clear linear pattern between adjuvant chemotherapy and adjusted relative survival was observed. Compared with NL, SE and BE showed an improved adjusted relative survival for stage II disease, and IE for patients with stage IIA disease only. Further research into selection criteria for adjuvant chemotherapy could eventually lead to individually tailored, optimal treatment of patients with stage II colon cancer.
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Observational Study
Impact of (18)F-FDG PET/CT staging on management and prognostic stratification in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: A prospective observational study.
Accurate assessment of the extent of cancer is essential for appropriate treatment planning and outcome prediction. This study prospectively evaluated whether adding (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose ((18)F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) to the routine initial staging practice in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) improved management and prognosis. ⋯ (18)F-FDG PET/CT added important staging information that improved management and prognostic stratification in HNSCC.
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Radiologic imaging of disease sites plays a pivotal role in the management of patients with cancer. Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumours (RECIST), introduced in 2000, and modified in 2009, has become the de facto standard for assessment of response in solid tumours in patients on clinical trials. The RECIST Working Group considers the ability of the global oncology community to implement and adopt updates to RECIST in a timely manner to be critical. ⋯ Achieving the optimal level of evidence desired is a difficult feat for phase III trials; this involves a meta-analysis of multiple prospective, randomised multicentre clinical trials. The rationale for modifications should also be considered; the modifications may be proposed to improve surrogacy, to provide a more mechanistic imaging technique, or be designed to improve reproducibility of the imaging biomarker. Here, we present the commonly described modifications of RECIST, each of which is associated with different levels of evidence and validation.