Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology
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We determined the frequency of and risk factors for congestive heart failure following treatment for Wilms' tumor that included doxorubicin. ⋯ We conclude that congestive heart failure is a risk of treatment with doxorubicin for Wilms' tumor. Additional follow-up of those children treated on NWTS-4 will be necessary to determine if the decrease in dose to 150 mg/m(2) significantly reduces this risk.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Value of high-dose cytarabine during interval therapy of a Berlin-Frankfurt-Munster-based protocol in increased-risk children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and lymphoblastic lymphoma: results of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer 58881 randomized phase III trial.
The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer 58881 study was designed to test in a prospective multicentric randomized trial the value of high-dose (HD) intravenous (IV) cytarabine (Ara-C) added to HD IV methotrexate (MTX) to reduce the incidence of CNS and systemic relapses in children with increased-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) or stage III and IV lymphoblastic lymphoma treated with a Berlin-Frankfurt-Munster (BFM)-based regimen. ⋯ Prevention of CNS relapse was satisfactorily achieved with HD IV MTX and intrathecal injections of MTX in children with increased-risk ALL or stage III and IV lymphoblastic lymphoma treated with our BFM-based treatment protocol in which cranial irradiation was omitted. Disappointingly, with the dose schedule used in this protocol, HD Ara-C added to HD MTX, although well tolerated, failed to further decrease the incidence of CNS relapse or to improve the overall DFS.
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Comparative Study
Patients with cancer referred to hospice versus a bridge program: patient characteristics, needs for care, and survival.
The purpose of this study was to compare the characteristics and needs of patients with advanced cancer who were referred to hospice with those referred to a prehospice "bridge" program that is staffed by hospice nurses. ⋯ Patients referred to this bridge program had prognoses that are significantly better than those of patients who enter hospice, but they have needs for supportive care that are at least as great. These findings underscore the importance of initiatives to extend some of the benefits of hospice care to a wider population of patients and should encourage the analysis of similar programs' ability to meet these needs.