Cancer
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Comparative Study
Treatment of breast carcinoma in patients with clinically negative axillary lymph nodes using radiotherapy versus axillary dissection.
The role of axillary lymph node dissection (AxD) for patients with breast carcinoma who have clinically negative lymph nodes (cN0) and undergo breast-conserving therapy has been controversial. If patients do not undergo AxD, then it is uncertain whether specific lymph node irradiation should be given. The authors compared the results obtained from patients w ho underwent AxD with the results from patients who received axillary irradiation (AxR) using one of two radiotherapy techniques. ⋯ For patients with cN0 breast carcinoma, AxD and AxR yielded the same overall survival rates. Most patients can be treated safely with tangential-field irradiation alone. Patients who are at increased risk of regional failure may benefit from three-field irradiation.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Mortality associated with daily bolus 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin administered in combination with either irinotecan or oxaliplatin: results from Intergroup Trial N9741.
Intergroup Trial N9741 evaluated 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)/leucovorin (LV) administered in conjunction with either irinotecan or oxaliplatin in the first-line treatment of advanced colorectal carcinoma (CRC). The current report describes two treatment arms that were withdrawn from the protocol due to unexpected treatment-related toxicities and a high mortality rate. The complications observed in these arms highlight the importance of aggressive and immediate supportive care in the management of digestive toxicity. ⋯ Combination regimens containing daily bolus 5-FU/LV and oxaliplatin or irinotecan can be associated with severe gastrointestinal toxicity and high mortality rates. Therefore, the authors recommend the use of more tolerable infusional 5-FU-based regimens in the treatment of metastatic CRC.
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Comparative Study
Morbidity and mortality of colorectal carcinoma surgery differs by insurance status.
Uninsured and underinsured patients are reported to be at an increased risk for impaired access to healthcare, delayed medical treatment, and the receipt of substandard care. These differences in care may result in disparities in surgical outcomes among patients with different types of insurance. In the current study, the authors examined associations between the insurance provider and short-term surgical outcomes after surgery for colorectal carcinoma and evaluated the extent to which two risk factors (comorbid disease and admission type) might explain any observed association. ⋯ The current study findings suggest that the uninsured and Medicaid populations are at greater risk of developing postoperative complications and dying than the privately insured population due only in part to preexisting medical comorbidities and emergent admission type.