Cancer
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Quality-of-life and health benefits of early treatment of mild anemia: a randomized trial of epoetin alfa in patients receiving chemotherapy for hematologic malignancies.
Chemotherapy-related anemia is prevalent among patients with hematologic malignancies. A randomized, open-label, multicenter trial of early versus late epoetin alfa in this population was conducted, focusing on quality of life (QOL). ⋯ Treating mild anemia immediately with epoetin alfa during chemotherapy for hematologic malignancy significantly improved QOL, productivity, and hemoglobin compared with delaying treatment until the hemoglobin level decreases to < 9.0 g/dL.
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Multicenter Study
The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality-of-Life questionnaire cervical cancer module: EORTC QLQ-CX24.
The authors report on the development and validation of a cervical cancer module for the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality-of-Life (QoL) questionnaire (QLQ), which was designed to assess disease-specific and treatment-specific aspects of QoL in patients with cervical cancer. ⋯ The current psychometric analyses supported the content and construct validity and the reliability of the EORTC QLQ-CX24 module. This newly developed module is a useful instrument for assessing the QoL of patients who are treated for cervical cancer both in clinical trials and in clinical practice.
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The posttreatment prostate-specific antigen (PSA) bounce phenomenon has been recognized in at least 20% of all patients treated with radiation. The purpose of the current report was to determine if there was a difference in biochemical and clinical control between the bounce and nonbounce (NB) patients using pooled data on 4839 patients with T1-2 prostate cancer treated with external beam radiation therapy (RT) alone at 9 institutions between 1986 and 1995. ⋯ Patients treated with external beam radiation therapy alone who experience a posttreatment PSA bounce have increased risk of BF. However, this did not translate into a difference in clinical failure with the available follow-up in the current study.
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In vitro studies have shown synergistic or additive interactions between rituximab and purine nucleoside analogues. The results of recent clinical trials seem to confirm these preclinical observations. ⋯ The RC and RCC regimens were highly effective and well tolerated modalities of treatment in heavily pretreated patients with indolent lymphoproliferative disorders.
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In the U. S., older adolescents and young adults with cancer have benefited less from therapeutic advances than did either younger or older patients. One factor that may explain this deficit is the relative lack of participation of patients in this age group on clinical trials of therapies that could improve their outcome. ⋯ Regardless of whether there is a causal relationship, the impact on the older adolescent and young adult U. S. population is substantial, adversely affecting the national cost of healthcare, the person-years of life lost, the loss of young people entering the job market, and the scientific knowledge and social implications of cancer during adolescence and early adulthood. National initiatives are underway to address these issues, with special emphasis on increasing the availability and access to clinical trials designed for older adolescents and young adults.