Use of hypofractionated post-mastectomy radiotherapy reduces health costs by over $2000 per patient: An Australian perspective.

Introduction: The most recent clinical practice guidelines released by Cancer Australia draw attention to unanswered questions concerning the health economic considerations associated with hypofractionated radiotherapy. This study aimed to quantify and compare the healthcare costs at a regional Australian radiotherapy institute with respect to conventionally fractionated post-mastectomy radiotherapy (Cf-PMRT) versus hypofractionated post-mastectomy radiotherapy (Hf-PMRT) administration.

Methods: Medical records of 196 patients treated with post-mastectomy radiotherapy at the NSW North Coast Cancer Institute from February 2008 to June 2014 were retrospectively reviewed.

Occupational Characteristics and Patterns as Risk Factors for Parkinson's Disease: A Case Control Study.

Background: Associations have been reported between the risk of Parkinson's disease (PD) and employment in certain fields. Most studies have focused on toxic exposures as potential causal explanations. However, PD also has been associated with personality characteristics that may influence occupational choices and patterns.

The Transition to Adulthood: Life Course Structures and Subjective Perceptions.

We examine the relationships between objective life course structures and the subjective sense of timing of adult roles and acquisition of adult identity. Hierarchical latent class analysis is applied to longitudinal data from the Youth Development Study, describing roles related to school, work, family formation, and living arrangements from age 17 to 30. The transition to adulthood in this cohort is well-represented by five pathways probabilistically mapping the timing and sequencing of these roles and their configurations.

SERPINA1 is a direct estrogen receptor target gene and a predictor of survival in breast cancer patients.

Of all breast cancer patients, about 70% are ER+ and 10% are ER+/HER2+. The ER+/HER2+ patients have a worse outcome compared to ER+/HER2- patients. Currently there is a lack of effective prognosis biomarkers for the prediction of outcome in ER+/HER2+ patients.

Breast Cancer Risk Reduction, Version 2.2015.

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed malignancy in women in the United States and is second only to lung cancer as a cause of cancer death. To assist women who are at increased risk of developing breast cancer and their physicians in the application of individualized strategies to reduce breast cancer risk, NCCN has developed these guidelines for breast cancer risk reduction.

Glycan complexity dictates microbial resource allocation in the large intestine.

The structure of the human gut microbiota is controlled primarily through the degradation of complex dietary carbohydrates, but the extent to which carbohydrate breakdown products are shared between members of the microbiota is unclear. We show here, using xylan as a model, that sharing the breakdown products of complex carbohydrates by key members of the microbiota, such as Bacteroides ovatus, is dependent on the complexity of the target glycan. Characterization of the extensive xylan degrading apparatus expressed by B.

Inflammatory Biomarkers, Comorbidity, and Neurocognition in Women With Newly Diagnosed Breast Cancer.

Background: Neurocognitive dysfunction is reported in women with breast cancer even prior to receipt of adjuvant therapy; however, there is little understanding of underlying mechanisms. We tested the hypothesis that pretreatment neurocognitive dysfunction in newly diagnosed patients is related to immunological activation, as indexed by pro-inflammatory cytokines.

Methods: One hundred seventy-four postmenopausal patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer underwent a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation (assessment of cognitive function, mood, and fatigue) and measurement of key cytokine levels prior to surgery.

An unusual xylan in Arabidopsis primary cell walls is synthesised by GUX3, IRX9L, IRX10L and IRX14.

Xylan is a crucial component of many plant primary and secondary cell walls. However, the structure and function of xylan in the dicotyledon primary cell wall is not well understood. Here, we characterized a xylan that is specific to tissues enriched in Arabidopsis primary cell walls.

From bench to bedside: What do we know about hormone receptor-positive and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive breast cancer?

Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease. Thanks to extensive efforts from research scientists and clinicians, treatment for breast cancer has advanced into the era of targeted medicine. With the use of several well-established biomarkers, such as hormone receptors (HRs) (i.

Practice gaps and barriers to optimal care of hematologic malignancies in the United States.

Background: Treating patients with hematologic malignancies can be challenging for physicians because of the rapidly evolving standards of care and relatively low incidence of these diseases.

Objective: To identify clinical challenges among hematologists and medical oncologists regarding the provision of care to patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), or B-cell lymphomas. Methods Hematologists and medical oncologists in active practice in the United States and who have a case load of ≥ 1 patient a year with CML, ALL, or B-cell lymphoma were recruited.

Probing the molecular architecture of Arabidopsis thaliana secondary cell walls using two- and three-dimensional (13)C solid state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

The plant secondary cell wall is a thickened polysaccharide and phenolic structure, providing mechanical strength to cells, particularly in woody tissues. It is the main feedstock for the developing bioenergy and green chemistry industries. Despite the role that molecular architecture (the arrangement of biopolymers relative to each other, and their conformations) plays in dictating biomass properties, such as recalcitrance to breakdown, it is poorly understood.

Impact of an Interactive On-line Tool on Therapeutic Decision-Making for Patients with Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer.

Background: Treatment guidelines provide recommendations but cannot account for the wide variability in patient-tumor characteristics in individual patients. We developed an on-line interactive decision tool to provide expert recommendations for specific patient scenarios in the first-line and maintenance settings for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. We sought to determine how providing expert feedback would influence clinical decision-making.

Age-related changes in nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics: influence of chronological versus functional age.

Purpose: This study evaluated age-related changes in pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic parameters of nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel (nab-paclitaxel) in patients with metastatic breast cancer.

Methods: Forty patients received nab-paclitaxel (100 mg/m(2) weekly for 3 weeks followed by a 1-week break) as first- or second-line chemotherapy. Blood samples were collected for analysis, and response was assessed every two cycles.

Genes related to emphysema are enriched for ubiquitination pathways.

Background: Increased small airway resistance and decreased lung elasticity contribute to the airflow limitation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The lesion that corresponds to loss of lung elasticity is emphysema; the small airway obstruction is due to inflammatory narrowing and obliteration. Despite their convergence in altered physiology, different mechanisms contribute to these processes.

A phase 1 study of 131I-CLR1404 in patients with relapsed or refractory advanced solid tumors: dosimetry, biodistribution, pharmacokinetics, and safety.

Introduction: (131)I-CLR1404 is a small molecule that combines a tumor-targeting moiety with a therapeutic radioisotope. The primary aim of this phase 1 study was to determine the administered radioactivity expected to deliver 400 mSv to the bone marrow. The secondary aims were to determine the pharmacokinetic (PK) and safety profiles of (131)I-CLR1404.

Skin/nail infections with the addition of pertuzumab to trastuzumab-based chemotherapy.

We report a series of breast cancer patients with invasive skin and nail infections with Staphylococcus species that we attribute to the addition of pertuzumab to trastuzumab-based therapy. With the suspicion of an increased incidence of cutaneous infection in patients treated with pertuzumab and trastuzumab-based chemotherapy, treating medical oncologists identified patients receiving therapy who experienced infection. Between March and October 2014, 18 patients treated with pertuzumab and trastuzumab-based chemotherapy were found to have 21 separate skin/nail infections.

The Shanghai Aging Study: study design, baseline characteristics, and prevalence of dementia.

Background: To establish a prospective cohort to enumerate the prevalence, incidence and risk factors for dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) among residents aged ≥60 in an urban community of Shanghai, China.

Methods: Participants received clinical evaluations including physical measurements, demographic and lifestyle questionnaires, physical and neurologic examinations, and neuropsychological testing. Urine and blood samples were collected, aliquoted, and stored.

Socioeconomic and clinical factors are key to uncovering disparity in accrual onto therapeutic trials for breast cancer.

To monitor and address disparity in accrual, patient participation in cancer clinical trials is routinely summarized by race/ethnicity. To investigate whether confounding obscures racial/ethnic disparity in participation, all women with breast cancer treated by medical oncologists at City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center from 2004 through 2009 were classified by birthplace and self-reported race/ethnicity, and followed for accrual onto therapeutic trials through 2010. Undetectable on univariate analysis, significantly reduced participation by subjects of African, Asian, Eastern European, Latin American, and Middle Eastern ancestries was revealed after accounting for age, socioeconomic factors, tumor and oncologist characteristics, and intrapractice clustering of patients.

Phase I study of the halichondrin B analogue eribulin mesylate in combination with cisplatin in advanced solid tumors.

Background: Eribulin mesylate is a synthetic macrocyclic ketone analogue of Halichondrin B that has demonstrated high antitumor activity in preclinical and clinical settings. This phase I study aimed to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD), dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs), and pharmacokinetics in combination with cisplatin (CP) in patients with advanced solid tumours.

Methods: Thirty-six patients with advanced solid tumours received eribulin mesylate 0.

The effect of formulation and food consumption on the bioavailability of dovitinib (TKI258) in patients with advanced solid tumors.

Purpose: This 2-arm, phase 1, crossover study compared the relative bioavailability of two dovitinib (TKI258) capsule formulations [anhydrate clinical service form (CSF) and monohydrate final market image (FMI); Arm 1] and determined the effect of food on dovitinib exposure (Arm 2).

Methods: Patients with advanced solid tumors were enrolled in one of the 2 arms. Arm 1 randomized patients to a single 500-mg dose of either CSF or FMI followed by 7 days of rest and 500 mg of the other formulation.

Impact of guideline changes on use or omission of radiation in the elderly with early breast cancer: practice patterns at National Comprehensive Cancer Network institutions.

Background: Breast radiation therapy (RT) is a care standard after breast-conservation surgery that improves local control and survival in women. In 2004, a phase III trial demonstrated radiation after breast-conservation surgery provided no survival and limited local control benefit to women aged 70 years and older with stage I, estrogen receptor-positive cancers who receive endocrine therapy. This led to breast-conservation surgery and endocrine therapy alone being incorporated as a category I option in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Guidelines for older women in 2004.

Validation and feasibility of a caloric expenditure measuring device in women with early-stage breast cancer.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to validate the Bodybugg (BB), a caloric expenditure measuring device, in breast cancer patients undergoing adjuvant and neoadjuvant chemotherapy for early-stage breast cancer.

Methods: Twenty-five women with stages I-III breast cancer who were to receive adjuvant dose-dense doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide were recruited. Participants were asked to wear the BB and record activity logs for seven pretreatment days (prior to commencing chemotherapy) and seven posttreatment days (upon completing cycle 4 of chemotherapy).