Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology
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Comparative Study
Surveillance testing among survivors of early-stage breast cancer.
Guidelines recommend against routine surveillance testing for women who have had breast cancer. We described follow-up care for breast cancer survivors, examined how surveillance testing varies by the types of physicians seen, and assessed changes in testing rates over time. ⋯ Non-recommended testing for early-stage breast cancer patients has decreased over time. Although most breast cancer survivors did not see oncologists annually, those who did had substantially higher rates of testing than others; whether such testing in this low-risk population was due to more symptoms or excessive surveillance is an important question for additional study.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of erythropoietin in non-small-cell lung cancer with disease-related anemia.
Previous trials have suggested a quality-of-life (QOL) improvement for anemic cancer patients treated with erythropoietin, but few used QOL as the primary outcome. We designed a trial to investigate the effects of epoetin alfa therapy on the QOL of anemic patients with advanced non-small-cell carcinoma of the lung (NSCLC). ⋯ An unplanned safety analysis suggested decreased overall survival in patients with advanced NSCLC treated with epoetin alfa. Although infrequent, other similar reports highlight the need for ongoing trials evaluating erythropoietin receptor agonists to ensure that overall survival is monitored closely.
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Review Meta Analysis
Decision aids and breast cancer: do they influence choice for surgery and knowledge of treatment options?
To describe the effect of decision aids on the choice for surgery and knowledge of surgical therapy among women with early-stage breast cancer. ⋯ Decision aids are important adjuncts for counseling women with early-stage breast cancer. Their use increases the likelihood that women will choose breast-conserving surgery, and enhances patient knowledge of treatment options.
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Multicenter Study
Phase I study of the novel epothilone analog ixabepilone (BMS-247550) in patients with advanced solid tumors and lymphomas.
To establish the maximum-tolerated dose (MTD), dose-limiting toxicity (DLT), safety, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of ixabepilone when administered as a 1-hour infusion every 3 weeks to patients with advanced solid tumors or relapsed/refractory non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Dosing schedules of 40 mg/m2 and 50 mg/m2 over 3 hours were also evaluated. ⋯ The recommended dose of ixabepilone for the initiation of phase II studies on the basis of these results is 50 mg/m2 over 1 hour every 3 weeks. The promising efficacy and tolerability results demonstrated by ixabepilone in this study warrant its continued development.