– December 1, 2010
December 1, 2010
View Archives Issues
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Endocrine Tumors
A55-year-old woman presents to her primary physician with worsening diarrhea and abdominal discomfort. Symptoms first occurred 3 months prior to presentation, and were mild. -
Castleman's Disease and Interleukin-6
Castleman's disease (CD), angiofollicular lymph- node hyperplasia, was initially described a half century ago in asymptomatic patients with a mediastinal mass. -
Imatinib Withdrawal in CML Patients After Molecular Remission
Imatinib results in significant and durable responses for CML. The safety of discontinuation has not been rigorously tested. In a prospective study, imatinib was discontinued among CML patients in a complete molecular remission (CMR) for 2 years or more. Among 69 patients with at least one year of follow-up, 61% relapsed by molecular analysis, almost all by 6 months. After imatinib reintroduction, all 42 relapsing patients responded, of which 26 (62%) entered CMR again. High Sokal score at baseline, female sex, and shorter period of CMR predicted for relapse on imatinib discontinuation. Around 40% of patients with CML in prolonged CMR on imatinib do not relapse at least one year after stopping the drug. -
Alcohol Consumption and Breast Cancer Recurrence
Consumption of alcohol among women who had received primary treatment for breast cancer was not associated with increased risk of breast cancer recurrence. In fact, for non-obese patients, alcohol intake was associated with other favorable prognostic factors and improved overall survival. -
Clinical Briefs in Primary Care Supplement
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Pharmacology Watch
Tiotropium for uncontrolled asthma, sibutramine pulled from market, incidence and mortality data from WHI, FDA Actions.