CA19-9 for detecting recurrence of pancreatic cancer.

CA19-9 values are regularly measured in patients with pancreatic cancer. Certainly, its potential as a biomarker has been compromised by false negative results in CA19-9 negative patients and false positive results in benign pancreatico-biliary diseases. For detection of PDAC recurrence, however, CA19-9 might play an important role.

CabaGast: multicentre, Phase II study with cabazitaxel in previously treated patients with advanced or metastatic adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction and stomach.

Introduction: This is a single-arm study (NCT01956149) to determine the prolonged (≥ 4 months) disease control rate with cabazitaxel administered in second-(or later) setting for patients with advanced or metastatic adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction (EGJ) and stomach.

Methods: 65 patients with advanced EGJ and stomach cancer were treated with 20 mg/m cabazitaxel every 3 weeks for a maximum of six cycles. The main objective of the study is a prolonged disease control rate (pDCR: CR, PR or SD lasting at least 4 months).

The utilization of multidisciplinary tumor boards (MDT) in clinical routine: results of a health care research study focusing on patients with metastasized colorectal cancer.

Purpose: Multidisciplinary tumor boards (MDT) have been advocated as standard of care in modern oncology. German guidelines for metastasized colorectal cancer (mCRC) recommend MDT discussion of colon cancer patients after completion of primary tumor therapy but stage IV colon cancer as well as rectal cancer patients prior to any therapy. In this health care research study, we evaluated application and decisional consequences of this approach in clinical routine.