March 2014

Breast cancer patients whose chemotherapy is initiated more than 60 days following surgery experience worse survival outcomes, and the impact of treatment delay is greatest among patients with stage III or triple-negative breast cancer and those whose HER2-positive tumors have been treated with trastuzumab

Prednisone, when used in concert with other therapies for the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), does not raise the risk for severe toxicities, nor does it affect overall survival (OS)

The premature termination of clinical trials in the oncology setting is a problem that continues to vex researchers, and results of a new study that involved more than 7500 adult cancer clinical trials suggest that the concern is justified, with as many as 20% of these studies failing to complete for reasons unconnected to either the efficacy of the intervention or side effects.

An analysis of phase III, second-line data found that RAS mutations beyond KRAS exon 2 are negative predictive biomarkers for the EGFR-inhibitor panitumumab (Vectibix) in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).

Patients fear being a "guinea pig" or receiving a placebo, healthcare providers do not have time to keep up with all of the clinical trial information or talk with patients in depth, conducting clinical trials is very expensive for healthcare systems, and funding continues to decline for research

In fall of 2009, Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven opened a new, state-of-theart, 15-story, clinical facility with the latest advances in diagnostic, therapeutic, and surveillance procedures.

Extended follow-up of patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) and bone metastases randomized to radium-223 dichloride in the phase III ALSYMPCA study revealed a continued low incidence of myelosuppression and no association with secondary malignancies.

Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) and mindfulness-based stress reduction can improve sleep for patients with cancer, but CBT-I continues to be the best nonpharmacologic option

Electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigarettes, are battery-operated products designed to contain cartridges that deliver aerosolized additives.

With the aging of the US population, the number of seriously ill patients with complex conditions is expected to rise.

The FDA's approval of ibrutinib February 12 for the second-line treatment of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) was exciting news indeed for thousands of patients with CLL who stand to benefit from the drug

Physicians may have a clearer understanding of the optimum age for prophylactic oophorectomy in patients with BRCA mutations who want to reduce their risk of ovarian, fallopian tube, and breast cancer