Epiregulin gene expression as a biomarker of benefit from cetuximab in the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer.

Background: Anti-EGFR antibody, cetuximab, improves overall survival (OS) in K-ras wild-type chemotherapy-refractory colorectal cancer. Epidermal growth factor receptor ligand epiregulin (EREG) gene expression may further predict cetuximab benefit.

Methods: Tumour samples from a phase III clinical trial of cetuximab plus best supportive care (BSC) vs BSC alone (CO.

Hope, quality of life, and benefit from treatment in women having chemotherapy for platinum-resistant/refractory recurrent ovarian cancer: the gynecologic cancer intergroup symptom benefit study.

Chemotherapy for platinum-resistant/refractory ovarian cancer is motivated by the hope of benefit. We sought to determine the relationships between: (a) trait hope, expectation of symptom benefit from chemotherapy, and anxiety and depression; (b) hope and perceived efficacy of chemotherapy; and (c) unfulfilled hope (where expectations for benefit are not fulfilled) and depression. Methods.

The median informs the message: accuracy of individualized scenarios for survival time based on oncologists' estimates.

Purpose: To determine the accuracy and usefulness of oncologists' estimates of survival time in individual patients with advanced cancer.

Patients And Methods: Twenty-one oncologists estimated the "median survival of a group of identical patients" for each of 114 patients with advanced cancer. Accuracy was defined by the proportions of patients with an observed survival time bounded by prespecified multiples of their estimated survival time.

Is body fat percentage a better measure of undernutrition in newborns than birth weight percentiles?

Background: Undernutrition in neonates increases the risk of serious morbidities. The objective of this study was to describe neonatal morbidity associated with low body fat percentage (BF%) and measure the number of undernourished neonates defined by BF% and compare this with birth weight percentiles (<10th).

Methods: Eligibility included term (≥37 wk) neonates.

Neuro-oncology practices in Australia: a Cooperative Group for Neuro-Oncology patterns of care study.

Aims: To provide data on the patterns of care in neuro-oncology practices at Australian cancer centres over the previous 12-month period.

Methods: A 5-page questionnaire was sent to Cooperative Trials Group for Neuro-Oncology members at 28 Australia cancer centres. The questions included access to neuro-oncology services; treatment protocols and patterns of supportive care.

Primary surgical management with tailored adjuvant radiation for stage IB2 cervical cancer.

Objective: To examine the outcome for patients with stage IB2 cervical cancer treated primarily with radical hysterectomy, and to determine the need for adjuvant therapy, the sites of recurrence, and the morbidity of the treatment.

Methods: We reviewed our experience with 93 patients with stage IB2 cervical cancer treated with primary surgery at the Royal Hospital for Women in Sydney from 1988 to 2008. All patients underwent radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy.

Impact of EGFR inhibitor in non-small cell lung cancer on progression-free and overall survival: a meta-analysis.

Background: The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling pathway is crucial for regulating tumorigenesis and cell survival and may be important in the development and progression of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We examined the impact of EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) on progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in advanced NSCLC patients with and without EGFR mutations.

Methods: Randomized trials that compared EGFR-TKIs monotherapy or combination EGFR-TKIs-chemotherapy with chemotherapy or placebo were included.

Intravesical chemotherapy plus bacille Calmette-Guérin in non-muscle invasive bladder cancer: a systematic review with meta-analysis.

Unlabelled: WHAT'S KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT? AND WHAT DOES THE STUDY ADD?: Non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer has a significant recurrence and progression rate despite transurethral resection. The current standard of care to lower the risk of recurrence and progression is adjuvant BCG followed by maintenance BCG. Despite this, a significant number of patients experience recurrence and progress to invasive cancer.

Incidence of metastatic breast cancer in an Australian population-based cohort of women with non-metastatic breast cancer at diagnosis.

Objectives: To estimate the incidence of metastatic breast cancer (MBC) in Australian women with an initial diagnosis of non-metastatic breast cancer.

Design, Setting And Participants: A population-based cohort study of all women with non-metastatic breast cancer registered on the New South Wales Central Cancer Register (CCR) in 2001 and 2002 who received care in a NSW hospital.

Main Outcome Measures: 5-year cumulative incidence of MBC; prognostic factors for MBC.

Estimating typical, best-case and worst-case life expectancy scenarios for patients starting chemotherapy for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: a systematic review of contemporary randomized trials.

Introduction: We sought to estimate life expectancy scenarios for patients starting chemotherapy for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods: We searched for randomized first-line chemotherapy trials published from January 2000 to April 2008. We recorded median time to progression (TTP) and median overall survival (OS) and extracted the following percentiles (represented scenario) from each OS curve: 90th (worst-case), 75th (lower-typical), 25th (upper-typical) and 10th (best-case).

Health-related quality of life in recurrent platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer--results from the CALYPSO trial.

Background: In the CALYPSO trial, carboplatin-pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (CD) demonstrated superior therapeutic index versus carboplatin-paclitaxel (CP) in patients with recurrent ovarian cancer. This paper reports the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) findings.

Materials And Methods: HRQoL was measured with the EORTC QoL-QC30 questionnaire and OV28 ovarian cancer module.

Need for global partnership in cancer care: perceptions of cancer care researchers attending the 2010 australia and Asia pacific clinical oncology research development workshop.

Purpose: To understand the diversity of issues and the breadth of growing clinical care, professional education, and clinical research needs of developing countries, not typically represented in Western or European surveys of cancer care and research.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted of the attendees at the 2010 Australia and Asia Pacific Clinical Oncology Research Development workshop (Queensland, Australia) about the most important health care questions facing the participant's home countries, especially concerning cancer.

Results: Early-career oncologists and advanced oncology trainees from a region of the world containing significant low- and middle-income countries reported that cancer is an emerging health priority as a result of aging of the population, the impact of diet and lifestyle, and environmental pollution.

Benefits and safety of long-term fenofibrate therapy in people with type 2 diabetes and renal impairment: the FIELD Study.

Objective: Diabetic patients with moderate renal impairment (estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] 30-59 mL/min/1.73 m(2)) are at particular cardiovascular risk. Fenofibrate's safety in these patients is an issue because it may elevate plasma creatinine.

Identification of infants with major cognitive delay using parental report.

Aim: The collection of data on longer-term neurodevelopmental outcomes within large neonatal randomized controlled trials by trained assessors can greatly increase costs and present many operational difficulties. The aim of this study was to develop a more practical alternative for identifying major cognitive delay in infants at the age of 24 months, based on parental reports.

Method: A sample of 476 infants (206 female, 270 male) previously diagnosed with neonatal sepsis (mean birthweight 1329g [SD 865g], mean gestational age at birth 28.

Capecitabine versus classical cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and fluorouracil as first-line chemotherapy for advanced breast cancer.

Purpose: We compared oral capecitabine, administered intermittently or continuously, versus classical cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and fluorouracil (CMF) as first-line chemotherapy for women with advanced breast cancer unsuited to more intensive regimens.

Patients And Methods: Three hundred twenty-three eligible women were randomly assigned to capecitabine administered intermittently (1,000 mg/m(2) twice daily for 14 of every 21 days; n = 107) or continuously (650 mg/m(2) twice daily for 21 of every 21 days; n = 107), or to classical CMF (oral cyclophosphamide 100 mg/m(2) days 1 to 14 with intravenous methotrexate 40 mg/m(2) and fluorouracil 600 mg/m(2) on days 1 and 8 every 28 days; n = 109). The primary end point was quality-adjusted progression-free survival (PFS); secondary end points included PFS, overall survival (OS), objective tumor response, and adverse events.

Inhaled nitric oxide in preterm infants: an individual-patient data meta-analysis of randomized trials.

Background: Inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) is an effective therapy for pulmonary hypertension and hypoxic respiratory failure in term infants. Fourteen randomized controlled trials (n = 3430 infants) have been conducted on preterm infants at risk for chronic lung disease (CLD). The study results seem contradictory.

Relative risk regression: reliable and flexible methods for log-binomial models.

Relative risks (RRs) are generally considered preferable to odds ratios in prospective studies. However, unlike logistic regression for odds ratios, the standard log-binomial model for RR regression does not respect the natural parameter constraints and is therefore often subject to numerical instability. In this paper, we develop a reliable and flexible method for fitting log-binomial models.

Quality of life and targeted treatment for metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

The results of quality of life analyses from a randomized, placebo-controlled phase III trial of everolimus for metastatic renal cell carcinoma patients progressing after treatment with sunitinib or sorafenib are reviewed.

Survival after neoadjuvant chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy for resectable oesophageal carcinoma: an updated meta-analysis.

Background: In a previous meta-analysis, we identified a survival benefit from neoadjuvant chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy before surgery in patients with resectable oesophageal carcinoma. We updated this meta-analysis with results from new or updated randomised trials presented in the past 3 years. We also compared the benefits of preoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy compared with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy.

Ovarian cancer in elderly patients: carboplatin and pegylated liposomal doxorubicin versus carboplatin and paclitaxel in late relapse: a Gynecologic Cancer Intergroup (GCIG) CALYPSO sub-study.

Background: CALYPSO (CAeLYx in Platinum Sensitive Ovarian) patients compared carboplatin-pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (C-PLD) with carboplatin-paclitaxel (C-P) in patients with late-relapsing recurrent ovarian cancer (ROC). We analyzed outcomes in patients ≥70 years.

Patients And Methods: Nine hundred and seventy-six patients with taxane-pretreated ROC relapsing >6 months after first- or second-line platinum-based therapy were randomly assigned to 4-weekly C area under the curve (AUC) 5 plus PLD 30 mg/m(2) or 3-weekly C AUC 5 plus P 175 mg/m(2) for six or more cycles.

How long have I got? Estimating typical, best-case, and worst-case scenarios for patients starting first-line chemotherapy for metastatic breast cancer: a systematic review of recent randomized trials.

Purpose: To estimate scenarios for survival for women with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) who are starting chemotherapy.

Patients And Methods: We sought randomized, first-line chemotherapy trials for MBC published from 1999 to 2009. We recorded median progression-free survival (PFS) and median overall survival (OS) and extracted the following percentiles (represented scenario) from each OS curve: 90th (worst-case), 75th (lower-typical), 25th (upper-typical), and 10th (best-case).

A novel method to adjust efficacy estimates for uptake of other active treatments in long-term clinical trials.

Background: When rates of uptake of other drugs differ between treatment arms in long-term trials, the true benefit or harm of the treatment may be underestimated. Methods to allow for such contamination have often been limited by failing to preserve the randomization comparisons. In the Fenofibrate Intervention and Event Lowering in Diabetes (FIELD) study, patients were randomized to fenofibrate or placebo, but during the trial many started additional drugs, particularly statins, more so in the placebo group.