Cancer
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In the phase 3 MARIANNE trial, trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) with or without pertuzumab showed noninferior progression-free survival and better tolerability than trastuzumab plus a taxane (HT) for the first-line treatment of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive advanced breast cancer. This article reports the final descriptive overall survival (OS) analysis, updated safety data, and additional patient-reported outcomes and biomarker analyses. ⋯ These results support T-DM1 as a first-line treatment for patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer who are deemed unsuitable for taxane-based therapy.
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Cancer contributes substantially to the life expectancy gap between US blacks and whites, and racial cancer disparities remain stubborn to eradicate. Disparities vary geographically, suggesting that they are not inevitable. ⋯ Mortgage discrimination is associated with larger black-to-white cancer mortality disparities. Some areas are exceptions to this trend. Examination of these exceptions and of policies related to housing discrimination may offer novel strategies for explaining and eliminating cancer disparities.