Cancer
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The myeloproliferative disorders (MPDs) are chronic malignant conditions originating from the clonal expansion of a multipotential hematopoietic stem cell. These diseases include polycythemia vera (PV), essential thrombocythenia, atypical chronic myeloid leukemia, idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES), agnogenic myeloid metaplasia with myelofibrosis, and others. Receptor tyrosine kinases-the platelet-derived growth factor receptors (PDGFRs) and c-Kit-and their respective ligands have been implicated in the pathogenesis of MPDs. ⋯ Eight studies of 42 patients with HES indicated that 70% achieved complete hematologic remissions with imatinib. Four studies of 6 patients with MPD indicated responses with imatinib in 5 patients. Insight into the molecular pathogenesis of MPDs will improve the definitions of different disease categories and suggests that signal transduction inhibition is likely to be an increasingly important treatment option in the future.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Trastuzumab plus docetaxel in HER-2/neu-positive prostate carcinoma: final results from the California Cancer Consortium Screening and Phase II Trial.
Overexpression of the HER-2/neu oncoprotein has been reported to occur in
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Psychological adjustment and sleep quality in a randomized trial of the effects of a Tibetan yoga intervention in patients with lymphoma.
Research suggests that stress-reduction programs tailored to the cancer setting help patients cope with the effects of treatment and improve their quality of life. Yoga, an ancient Eastern science, incorporates stress-reduction techniques that include regulated breathing, visual imagery, and meditation as well as various postures. The authors examined the effects of the Tibetan yoga (TY) practices of Tsa lung and Trul khor, which incorporate controlled breathing and visualization, mindfulness techniques, and low-impact postures in patients with lymphoma. ⋯ The participation rates suggested that a TY program is feasible for patients with cancer and that such a program significantly improves sleep-related outcomes. However, there were no significant differences between groups for the other outcomes.
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Comparative Study
Skip metastasis in nonsmall cell lung carcinoma: predictive markers and isolated tumor cells in N1 lymph nodes.
Skip metastasis to mediastinal lymph nodes is a prognostic factor for patients with nonsmall cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). Little is known about the biologic behavior of tumors with noncontinuous spread to the mediastinal lymph nodes. In patients with pN2 skip metastases, micrometastases to N1 lymph nodes, which only mimic skip metastases, have not been investigated. ⋯ Patients with NSCLC and pN2 skip metastases have a more favorable prognosis than do patients with pN2 disease without skip metastases. Tumor specimens from these patients exhibit elevated expression of the antiapoptosis gene BCL2 and lower expression levels of p21 relative to patients with pN2 disease without skip metastases. Micrometastases occurred in 3 of 17 (17.6%) patients with pN2 disease and skip metastases diagnosed by routine histopathology.