The New England journal of medicine
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Adjuvant chemotherapy improves survival among patients with stage III colon cancer, but no reliable molecular predictors of outcome have been identified. ⋯ Retention of 18q alleles in microsatellite-stable cancers and mutation of the gene for the type II receptor for TGF-beta1 in cancers with high levels of microsatellite instability point to a favorable outcome after adjuvant chemotherapy with fluorouracil-based regimens for stage III colon cancer.
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Comment Letter Comparative Study
Fludarabine for chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
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In patients with atrial fibrillation that is refractory to drug therapy, radio-frequency ablation of the atrioventricular node and implantation of a permanent pacemaker are an alternative therapeutic approach. The effect of this procedure on long-term survival is unknown. ⋯ In the absence of underlying heart disease, survival among patients with atrial fibrillation after ablation of the atrioventricular node is similar to expected survival in the general population. Long-term survival is similar for patients with atrial fibrillation, whether they receive ablation or drug therapy. Control of the ventricular rate by ablation of the atrioventricular node and permanent pacing does not adversely affect long-term survival.