Adenocarcinomas of the upper third of the rectum and the rectosigmoid junction seem to have similar prognosis as colon cancers even without radiotherapy, SAKK 40/87.

Purpose: To investigate the prognosis of adenocarcinomas of the upper third of the rectum and the rectosigmoid-junction without radiotherapy.

Methods: Patients from a multicenter randomized controlled trial from 1987-1993 on adjuvant chemotherapy for R0-resected colorectal cancers with stage I-III disease were retrospectively allocated: cancers of the lower two-thirds of the rectum (11 cm or less from anal-verge, Group A, n = 205), of the upper-third of the rectum and rectosigmoid-junction (>11-20 cm from anal-verge, Group B, n = 142), and of the colon (>20 cm from anal-verge, Group C, n = 378). The total mesorectal excision (TME) technique had not been introduced yet.

Efficacy of tamoxifen following anastrozole ('Arimidex') compared with anastrozole following tamoxifen as first-line treatment for advanced breast cancer in postmenopausal women.

Anastrozole ('Arimidex') is indicated for the treatment of advanced breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Combined analysis of two international randomised, double-blind trials (n=1021) showed that in patients with hormone receptor-positive tumours, first-line treatment with anastrozole significantly prolonged the time to progression (TTP) compared with tamoxifen (median TTP: 10.7 versus 6.