Annals of oncology : official journal of the European Society for Medical Oncology
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EXPERT and EXPERT-C were phase II clinical trials of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) followed by chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in high-risk, locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). ⋯ Administering NACT before CRT could be a potential strategy for high-risk LARC. In this setting, mrTRG after CRT is an independent prognostic factor, while mrTRG after NACT should be tested as a parameter for treatment selection in trials of NACT ± CRT. ypT stage may be a valuable surrogate end point for future phase II trials investigating intensified neoadjuvant treatments in similar patient populations.
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The predictive value of PIK3CA mutations in HER2 positive (HER2+) breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant anti-HER2 and chemotherapy has been reported, but the power for subgroup analyses was lacking. ⋯ Overall PIK3CA mutant/HER2+ tumours had significantly lower pCR rates compared with wild-type tumours, however mainly confined to the HR+/PIK3CA mutant population. No definite conclusions can be drawn regarding survival.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Factors associated with depression and anxiety symptoms in family caregivers of patients with incurable cancer.
Family caregivers (FCs) are critically important for patients with cancer, yet they may experience psychological distress related to caregiving demands. We sought to describe rates of depression and anxiety in FCs of patients with incurable cancer and identify factors associated with these symptoms to determine those at greatest risk for psychological distress. ⋯ Patients with incurable cancer and their FCs report high levels of depression and anxiety symptoms. We demonstrated that patients' coping strategies and prognostic understanding were associated with FC depression and anxiety symptoms, underscoring the importance of targeting these risk factors when seeking to address the psychological distress experienced by FCs.
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Based on data from two multicenter, phase III clinical trials (Studies 301 and 305), eribulin (a microtubule dynamics inhibitor) is indicated in the European Union (EU) for patients with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer (MBC) after ≥1 prior chemotherapy for advanced disease, including an anthracycline and a taxane in either the adjuvant or metastatic setting. Data from Studies 305 and 301 were pooled to investigate the efficacy of eribulin in various subgroups of patients who matched the EU label, including those with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative and triple-negative disease. ⋯ Our findings underline the survival benefit achieved by eribulin used according to EU label in the overall MBC population and in various subgroups of interest, including patients with HER2-negative and triple-negative disease.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Randomized phase III study of bevacizumab plus FOLFIRI and bevacizumab plus mFOLFOX6 as first-line treatment for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (WJOG4407G).
FOLFIRI and FOLFOX have shown equivalent efficacy for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), but their comparative effectiveness is unknown when combined with bevacizumab. ⋯ UMIN000001396.