Six-month outcomes after individualized nutritional support during the hospital stay in medical patients at nutritional risk: Secondary analysis of a prospective randomized trial.

Background: Among medical inpatients at risk of malnutrition, the use of individualized nutritional support during the hospital stay was found to reduce complications and improve mortality at short-term. We evaluated clinical outcomes at 6-months follow-up.

Methods: We randomly assigned 2028 patients to receive protocol-guided individualized nutritional support to reach protein and energy goals (intervention group) or hospital food as usual (control group) during the hospital stay.

Individualised nutritional support in medical inpatients at nutritional risk: a randomised clinical trial.

Background: Guidelines recommend the use of nutritional support during hospital stays for medical patients (patients not critically ill and not undergoing surgical procedures) at risk of malnutrition. However, the supporting evidence for this recommendation is insufficient, and there is growing concern about the possible negative effects of nutritional therapy during acute illness on recovery and clinical outcomes. Our aim was thus to test the hypothesis that protocol-guided individualised nutritional support to reach protein and caloric goals reduces the risk of adverse clinical outcomes in medical inpatients at nutritional risk.

Capecitabine and vinorelbine as first-line treatment in elderly patients (> or =65 years) with metastatic breast cancer. A phase II trial (SAKK 25/99).

Background: We evaluated previously established regimens of capecitabine plus vinorelbine in older patients with advanced breast cancer stratified for presence versus absence of bone metastases.

Patients And Methods: Patients > or =65 years who had received no prior chemotherapy for advanced breast cancer received up to six 21-day cycles of vinorelbine 20 mg/m(2) i.v.

Hereditary persistence of alpha-fetoprotein. Case report and review of the literature.

Persistently elevated alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels of 24 to 30 micrograms/ml (normal < 10 micrograms/ml) were found in a 38-year-old healthy man. Subsequently, AFP was found to be elevated in another five out of 13 family members within three generations. The pedigree is consistent with an autosomal dominant inheritance pattern.

[Emergencies in oncology].

Emergencies in oncologic patients are common and diverse. Almost every cancer patient will develop at least one emergency situation at the beginning or in the further course of his disease. The cancer itself or cancer treatment typically give rise to otherwise rare emergency development.