– August 1, 2013
August 1, 2013
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ESA Treatment in the Adjuvant Management of Breast Cancer: A Resurfacing Controversy
High-risk, early breast cancer patients treated on a dose-intense chemotherapy protocol were randomized to receive thrice weekly epoetin alfa or not. As compared with controls, hemoglobin levels were maintained and fewer red cell transfusions were required. Furthermore, there did not appear to be any detriment in progression-free or overall survival. However, venous thrombotic events occurred more frequently. The use of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents in the adjuvant setting remains unsettled. -
EBV-DNA Screening for Early Detection of Nasopharyngeal Cancer
In a study conducted in Hong Kong, plasma Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA levels were examined in 1308 adults who were not known to have nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC). Of these, 69 patients had detectable EBV DNA and three were found to have early NPC. The level of EBV DNA remained elevated on serial evaluations in the three patients but was only transiently elevated in the majority of those who remained free of NPC. In selected high-risk populations, plasma EBV DNA analysis may prove to be a useful screening measure for NPC. -
Hyperglycemia, Insulin Resistance, and the Risk of Pancreatic Cancer
There is a known association of obesity and glucose intolerance with pancreatic cancer but whether this is due to the effect of high glucose itself, insulin resistance, or pancreatic ß-cell dysfunction is unknown. In an epidemiological, nested, case-control analysis drawn from five large prospective cohorts, measures of insulin resistance were independently associated with pancreatic cancer risk, but this was not true for measures of hyperglycemia or ß-cell dysfunction alone. -
PAP 3.0 The Next Generation
A new technique of evaluating liquid-based Pap smears has been developed to identify confirmed disease-specific mutations in patients with uterine and ovarian cancers. The new technique identified most uterine and some ovarian cancers and importantly, produced no false positive screens among normal, noncancer controls. -
Oral Capecitabine/Cyclophosphamide for Treatment of Metastatic Breast Cancer
n a small, multicenter, randomized Phase 2 trial, the all-oral combination of cyclophosphamide and capecitabine demonstrated a trend toward an increasing response rate when compared to capecitabine alone in the treatment of locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer. The combination was well tolerated.