Annals of oncology : official journal of the European Society for Medical Oncology
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Phase III study of nilotinib versus best supportive care with or without a TKI in patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumors resistant to or intolerant of imatinib and sunitinib.
This phase III open-label trial investigated the efficacy of nilotinib in patients with advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumors following prior imatinib and sunitinib failure. ⋯ In the ITT analysis, no significant difference in PFS was observed between treatment arms based on CRR. In the post hoc subset analyses, nilotinib provided significantly longer median OS.
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Current staging methods for pancreatic cancer (PC) are inadequate, and biomarkers to aid clinical decision making are lacking. Despite the availability of the serum marker carbohydrate antigen 19.9 (CA19.9) for over two decades, its precise role in the management of PC is yet to be defined, and as a consequence, it is not widely used. ⋯ Perioperative serum CA19.9 measurements are informative in patients with detectable CA19.9 (defined by serum levels of >5 U/ml) and have potential clinical utility in predicting outcome and response to adjuvant chemotherapy. Future clinical trials should prioritize incorporation of CA19.9 measurement at key decision points to prospectively validate these findings and facilitate implementation.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Short course chemotherapy followed by concomitant chemoradiotherapy and surgery in locally advanced rectal cancer: a randomized multicentric phase II study.
Induction chemotherapy has been suggested to impact on preoperative chemoradiation efficacy in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). To evaluate in LARC patients, the feasibility and efficacy of a short intense course of induction oxaliplatin before preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT). ⋯ Short intense induction oxaliplatin is feasible in LARC patients without compromising the preoperative CRT completion, although the current analysis does not indicate increased locoregional impact on standard therapy.
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We studied the stellate ganglion block (SGB) recently suggested for the treatment of severe vasomotor symptoms and sleep disturbances in breast cancer survivors. Following an initial pilot study, which focused on the acceptability and safety of SGB for this important problem, we evaluated its short- and long-term efficacy. ⋯ In the short term, SGB appears to be an effective treatment with acceptable morbidity for some breast cancer survivors with therapy-resistant vasomotor symptoms and/or sleep disturbances. Although sleep quality was maintained out to 24 weeks the efficacy of SGB for hot flashes was reduced over time. A randomized controlled trial is needed to confirm these findings.