NCI Clinical Trial Results

Genetic Abnormality Predicts Treatment Benefit for Patients with Rare Brain Tumor

2012-02-09 00:00:00.0

The addition of chemotherapy to radiation therapy doubled the median survival time for certain patients with an aggressive form of oligodendroglioma, a rare brain tumor.

Exemestane Following Tamoxifen Reduces Breast Cancer Recurrences and Prolongs Survival

2012-02-01 00:00:00.0

Long-term follow-up data from a large international phase III trial shows that postmenopausal women with early-stage hormone receptor-positive breast cancer who received 2 to 3 years of tamoxifen and then switched to the drug exemestane (Aromasin®) for a total of 5 years of adjuvant hormone therapy experienced a delay in disease recurrence and a survival advantage, compared with women who took tamoxifen for 5 years.

Late Effects May Not Warrant Using Radiation to Treat Early-Stage Hodgkin Lymphoma

2011-12-22 00:00:00.0

Patients with early-stage Hodgkin lymphoma who were treated with multidrug chemotherapy alone were more likely to be alive 12 years later than patients who received treatment that included radiation therapy, according to findings from a phase III clinical trial.

Combination Therapy Shows Promise for Treating Advanced Breast Cancer

2011-12-21 00:00:00.0

Adding the drug everolimus (Afinitor®) to exemestane helped postmenopausal women whose advanced breast cancer had stopped responding to hormonal therapy live about 4 months longer without the disease progressing than women who received exemestane alone.

Two Drugs that Hit One Target Show Efficacy against Metastastic Breast Cancer

2011-12-21 00:00:00.0

Combining two drugs that target the HER2 protein, trastuzumab (Herceptin®) and the investigational agent pertuzumab, with chemotherapy may be a new treatment option for women with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, according to results from a large clinical trial.

Study Confirms Letrozole Prevents More Breast Cancer Recurrences than Tamoxifen

2011-12-02 00:00:00.0

After a median of 8 years of follow-up from a large randomized trial, women with estrogen-receptor positive breast cancer who received 5 years of treatment with letrozole were less likely to have their cancer recur or to die during follow-up than women who had 5 years of treatment with tamoxifen.

Study Suggests Smaller Melanoma Excision Margins May Be Option for Some Patients

2011-12-02 00:00:00.0

A randomized controlled trial of patients with stage IIA–C cutaneous melanoma thicker than 2-mm found that a 2-cm surgical resection margin is sufficient and is as safe for patients as a 4-cm margin in terms of overall survival, according to a report published online October 21 in The Lancet.

Annual Screening with Chest X-Ray Does Not Reduce Lung Cancer Deaths

2011-12-02 00:00:00.0

Annual screening for lung cancer using a standard chest x-ray does not reduce the risk of dying from lung cancer when compared with no annual screening, according to findings from the NCI-led Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) screening trial.

Targeted Therapy Shows Benefit in Rare Type of Thyroid Cancer

2011-12-02 00:00:00.0

Treatment with the multitargeted agent vandetanib (Caprelsa) improved progression-free survival in patients with medullary thyroid cancer (MTC), according to findings from a randomized clinical trial.

Radiation Therapy after Breast-Conserving Surgery Improves Survival

2011-12-02 00:00:00.0

Radiation therapy after breast-conserving surgery substantially reduces the risk of cancer recurring in the breast and moderately reduces the risk of death from the disease, according to updated results from a meta-analysis by the Early Breast Cancer Trialists' Collaborative Group.