Complementary and alternative medicine use and breast cancer prognosis: a pooled analysis of four population-based studies of breast cancer survivors.

Background: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use is common among breast cancer survivors, but little is known about its impact on survival.

Methods: We pooled data from four studies conducted in Hawaii in 1994-2003 and linked to the Hawaii Tumor Registry to obtain long-term follow-up information. The effect of CAM use on the risk of breast cancer-specific death was evaluated using Cox regression.

The n-of-1 clinical trial: the ultimate strategy for individualizing medicine?

N-of-1 or single subject clinical trials consider an individual patient as the sole unit of observation in a study investigating the efficacy or side-effect profiles of different interventions. The ultimate goal of an n-of-1 trial is to determine the optimal or best intervention for an individual patient using objective data-driven criteria. Such trials can leverage study design and statistical techniques associated with standard population-based clinical trials, including randomization, washout and crossover periods, as well as placebo controls.

Factors affecting survival among women with breast cancer in Hawaii.

Background: Given previous reports of ethnic differences in breast cancer survival among Hawaii's population, we investigated the role of adherence to treatment standards, treatment toxicity, preexisting chronic conditions, and obesity in the survival of 382 prospectively studied breast cancer patients representing six ethnic groups.

Methods: Participants were recruited from several hospitals in Honolulu. Information on tumor characteristics and treatment was abstracted from medical records.