Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology
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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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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.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Zoledronic acid inhibits adjuvant letrozole-induced bone loss in postmenopausal women with early breast cancer.
Treatment with aromatase inhibitors decreases bone mineral density (BMD) and may increase the risk of fractures in postmenopausal women with early-stage breast cancer. The addition of zoledronic acid to adjuvant letrozole therapy may protect against bone loss. ⋯ With 1 year of follow-up, results of the primary end point of the Zometa-Femara Adjuvant Synergy Trial (Z-FAST) indicate that upfront zoledronic acid therapy prevents bone loss in the LS in postmenopausal women receiving adjuvant letrozole for early-stage breast cancer.