Cancer
-
Meta Analysis
Taxanes as primary chemotherapy for early breast cancer: meta-analysis of randomized trials.
In patients with locally advanced and operable breast cancer, neoadjuvant chemotherapy has been demonstrated to increase the chance of breast-conserving surgery (BCS) when compared with adjuvant treatment; moreover, patients who achieve a pathologic complete response (pCR) have a better outcome. A literature-based meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) to 'weigh' how much taxanes add to anthracyclines as primary treatment over standard chemotherapy was conducted. ⋯ The combination of taxanes and anthracyclines as neoadjuvant chemotherapy for early breast cancer improves the chance of achieving both higher BCS and pCR rates.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Primary chemotherapy for newly diagnosed nonsmall cell lung cancer patients with synchronous brain metastases compared with whole-brain radiotherapy administered first : result of a randomized pilot study.
This randomized pilot trial investigated whether primary chemotherapy was feasible in terms of efficacy, survival, toxicity profile, and quality of life compared with whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT) given first in chemotherapy-naive patients nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with synchronous brain metastasis when neurologic symptoms or signs are absent or controlled by supportive care. ⋯ Primary chemotherapy is more feasible and can be an appropriate option for patients with synchronous brain metastasis when neurologic symptoms or signs are absent or controlled. The role and timing of WBRT should be defined in further studies in this clinical setting.