Cancer
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Intensive chemotherapy for pediatric acute myeloid leukemia incurs the risk of infectious complications, but the benefits of antibiotic prophylaxis remain unclear. ⋯ Outpatient intravenous antibiotic prophylaxis is feasible in children with acute myeloid leukemia and reduces the frequency of documented infection but not of febrile neutropenia. Despite the emergence of VRE bacteremia, the benefits favor antibiotic prophylaxis. Creative approaches to shorten the duration of prophylaxis and thereby minimize resistance should be explored.
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The purpose of the current study was to describe the outcomes of patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-overexpressed/amplified (HER2+) early breast cancer who received adjuvant or neoadjuvant trastuzumab-based therapy and were subsequently retreated with trastuzumab for metastatic disease. ⋯ When treated with trastuzumab for metastatic disease, patients with HER2+ breast cancer without prior exposure to trastuzumab were found to have superior clinical outcomes to those with prior exposure. Prior trastuzumab exposure should be considered in treatment algorithms and in HER2-targeted clinical trial enrollment for metastatic disease.
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Octreotide long-acting repeatable (LAR) is indicated for the treatment of carcinoid syndrome and diarrhea related to VIPoma, and may delay tumor growth in patients with neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). To the authors' knowledge, the pattern of octreotide LAR use in clinical practice and its impact on survival outcomes has not been well documented. ⋯ The results of this retrospective study suggest a possible survival benefit for the use of octreotide LAR in elderly patients with distant-stage NET with carcinoid syndrome. The results of the current study also suggest that octreotide LAR is underused in this population despite recommended guidelines.
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Definitive chemoradiotherapy is a core treatment modality for patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Although radiotherapy (RT) technologies have advanced dramatically, to the authors' knowledge relatively little is known regarding the importance of irradiation technique on outcome, particularly given the competing risk of distant metastasis. The National Cancer Data Base was used to determine predictors of overall survival (OS) in patients with AJCC stage III NSCLC who were treated with chemoradiotherapy, focusing on the importance of conformal RT (CRT). ⋯ CRT was found to be independently associated with a survival advantage. These results reflect the importance of optimal locoregional therapy in patients with stage III NSCLC and provide motivation for further study of advanced RT technologies in patients with NSCLC.