Do Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) processes influence survival in patients with colorectal cancer? A population-based experience.

Background: MDT (multidisciplinary team) meetings are considered an essential component of care for patients with cancer. However there is remarkably little direct evidence that such meetings improve outcomes. We assessed whether or not MDT (multidisciplinary team) processes influenced survival in a cohort of patients with colorectal cancer.

The role of palliative radiotherapy for haemostasis in unresectable gastric cancer: a single-institution experience.

Purpose: To evaluate the outcomes of patients with gastric cancer bleeding who had been treated with palliative radiotherapy with haemostatic intent.

Methods And Materials: Fifty-two gastric cancer patients aged 52-92 years (median 78 years) with active bleeding or anaemia resulting from inoperable gastric cancer were treated with short-course radiotherapy. Responses to radiotherapy treatment were evaluated based on the changes of haemoglobin level, number of transfusions received before and after radiotherapy, and overall median survival.

Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma: expression profile of targets for therapy offers new insights for disease treatment.

Background: Anaplastic thyroid cancer is an endocrine malignancy. Its rare and rapidly lethal disease course has made it challenging to study. Little is known regarding the expression by anaplastic tumors of molecular targets for new human anticancer agents that have been studied in the preclinical or clinical setting.

Derangement of the E-cadherin/catenin complex is involved in transformation of differentiated to anaplastic thyroid carcinoma.

Background: Anaplastic thyroid cancer arises, or transforms, from pre-existing differentiated thyroid cancer. E-cadherin functions as a cell-cell adhesion molecule that complexes with catenin proteins for function. The objective of this study was to evaluate the change in E-cadherin/beta-catenin expression in the transformation of differentiated to anaplastic thyroid carcinoma.

Rising prostate-specific antigen values during neoadjuvant androgen deprivation therapy: The importance of monitoring.

Purpose: To assess the impact of a rising prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level in patients receiving neoadjuvant androgen deprivation therapy (N-ADT) before external beam radiotherapy for prostate cancer.

Methods And Materials: From prospectively collected data, we identified 182 patients who received between 3 and 12 months of N-ADT before definitive external beam radiotherapy and who had at least three PSA readings during the neoadjuvant period. One hundred fifty patients had PSA values that continued to fall (Non-Rise group), but 32 had a PSA value that started to rise (Rise group).