Reviews on Recent Clinical Trials - Volume 4, Issue 2, 2009

The Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) has conducted multiple trials related to neoplasms of the uterine corpus. Recently, several of these trials have been presented and/or published. Areas of focus included the feasibility of laparoscopic staging for endometrial cancer, the adjuvant management of locally advanced endometrial cancer, whole abdominal irradiation in maximally resected advanced endometrial carcino Read More

The potential for angiotensin II (AII) to promote tumor growth has been suspected based on its known hormonal actions and its vasoconstrictor effect. It has been suggested that angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors may offer protection against cancer and may prevent carcinogenesis. Several studies report that AII can induce neovascularization in experimental systems by way of the AII type 1 receptor ( Read More

Flawed evaluation of clinical trial quality allows flawed trials to thrive (get funded, obtain IRB approval, get published, serve as the basis of regulatory approval, and set policy). A reasonable evaluation of clinical trial quality must recognize that any one of a large number of potential biases could by itself completely invalidate the trial results. In addition, clever new ways to distort trial results toward a favored outcome Read More

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an inflammatory disease of the lungs in which airways inflammation related mainly to smoking causes progressive airflow obstruction and chronic respiratory symptoms such as dyspnea or cough. COPD therapy in stable state is mainly inhalatory with bronchodilators and inhaled corticosteroids and the regimen depends on disease severity. Inhaled bronchodilators are th Read More

Bisphosphonate osteonecrosis (BON) is a relatively recent adverse drug event that affects the oral cavity almost exclusively. It has been reported in individuals with metastatic breast, prostate, and lung cancer as well as in multiple myeloma. It has also been reported in a small subset of individuals who have been treated with bisphosphonate therapy for osteoporosis and Paget's disease of bone. Published studies to date Read More

Chemoradiation is the major treatment option in unresectable, locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer. Many clinical trials have evaluated the efficacy of different combinations of chemotherapy and radiotherapy in this heterogeneous patient population. Early clinical trials showed a survival advantage of sequential chemo-RT compared to radiation alone. Subsequent trials demonstrated that concurrent chemo-RT improved s Read More

Oral bisphosphonate dosing schedules have evolved from the original daily regimens to weekly (alendronate and risedronate) and monthly (risedronate and ibandronate) regimens. Intravenous (i.v.) bisphosphonates are administered less frequently—quarterly ibandronate injection and yearly zoledronic acid i.v. infusion. Comparative fracture efficacy among BP options is increasingly a focus of debate. The approved daily Read More

Management of hematological malignancies (HM) during pregnancy remains unsolved. Presence of adverse events in mother and child: spontaneous abortion, stillborn, premature, low-weight and congenital abnormalities have been attributed to the use of chemotherapy, especially during first trimester. We reviewed the English and Spanish literature of reports which documented the use of chemotherapy for HM dur Read More