PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Receiving chemotherapy following removal of type of cancer near pancreas may improve survival

2012-07-11
(Press-News.org) Patients who had surgery for periampullary cancer (a variety of types of cancer that are located in and near the head of the pancreas, including an area called the ampulla where the bile duct joins up with the pancreatic duct to empty their secretions into the upper small intestine) and received chemotherapy had a statistically significant survival benefit, compared to patients who did not receive chemotherapy, after adjusting for prognostic variables, according to a study in the July 11 issue of JAMA.

Periampullary carcinomas arise from the head of the pancreas. "The clinical presentation is similar to that of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, and together they represent a major cause of death. Around 80 percent of periampullary adenocarcinomas are resectable and thus comprise around 30 percent to 40 percent of all resections for cancers in the head of the pancreas," according to background information in the article. Although chemotherapy after surgery has been shown to have a survival benefit for pancreatic cancer, there have been no randomized trials for periampullary adenocarcinomas.

John P. Neoptolemos, M.D., of the University of Liverpool, England, and colleagues conducted a study to determine whether adjuvant chemotherapy (fluorouracil or gemcitabine) provides improved overall survival following resection. The randomized controlled trial (July 2000-May 2008) was conducted in 100 centers in Europe, Australia, Japan, and Canada. Of the 428 patients included in the primary analysis, 297 had ampullary, 96 had bile duct, and 35 had other cancers. One hundred forty-four patients were assigned to the observation group, 143 patients to receive folinic acid via intravenous bolus injection followed by fluorouracil via intravenous bolus injection administered 1 to 5 days every 28 days, and 141 patients to receive intravenous infusion of gemcitabine once a week for 3 of every 4 weeks for 6 months.

Two hundred forty-four patients (57 percent) had died at the time of analysis, 88 (61 percent) in the observation group, 83 (58 percent) in the fluorouracil plus folinic acid group, and 73 (52 percent) in the gemcitabine group. For the primary analysis, in the observation group, the median (midpoint) survival was 35.2 months and in the chemotherapy group 43.1 months.

The unadjusted primary analysis of the primary outcome of survival did not demonstrate a significant benefit for adjuvant chemotherapy. "Multivariate analysis, correcting for prognostic variables, found a statistically significant survival benefit to chemotherapy and specifically for gemcitabine compared with observation, notwithstanding the better safety profile compared with fluorouracil plus folinic acid, but these results should be considered hypothesis generating. There were different survival outcomes by tumor type, although age, poorly differentiated tumor grade, and lymph node involvement were also independent survival factors," the authors write.

"Although this study found support for the use adjuvant chemotherapy to improve survival in patients with periampullary cancers, this effect was modest, indicating a need for further improvements and warranting the testing of combination chemotherapies."

###

(JAMA. 2012;308[2]:147-156. Available pre-embargo to the media at http://media.jamanetwork.com)

Editor's Note: All authors have completed and submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest and none were reported. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, funding and support, etc.

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Evidence for emergency obstetric referral interventions in developing countries is limited

2012-07-11
In this week's PLoS Medicine, Julia Hussein from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland and colleagues assess the evidence for the effectiveness of interventions that aim to help pregnant women reach health facilities during an emergency in developing country settings. In a systematic review of the literature they found that the level of evidence for emergency obstetric referral interventions was poor and that limitations in the design of individual studies made determining the effect of referral interventions on outcomes difficult. The authors note, "[d]espite the wealth ...

Mental health concerns should be integrated with development in LMICs

2012-07-11
In a new article published this week that forms part of the PLoS Medicine series on Global Mental Health Practice, Shoba Raja and colleagues report their case study of implementing the "BasicNeeds" model of mental health and development in Nepal, which emphasizes user empowerment, community development, strengthening of health systems, and policy influencing. The authors say their model works in partnership with governments to provide the "great push" that is required to set up services where mental health and development have not yet been a priority. The authors report ...

More sustainable integrated vector management strategies are needed for malaria control

2012-07-11
Insecticide resistance is threatening the effectiveness of insecticide-treated bed nets and indoor insecticide sprays to control adult mosquito vectors, and so more sustainable integrated management strategies that use optimal suites of control tactics are needed. These are the arguments of Willem Takken from the Wageningen University and Research Centre in The Netherlands and colleagues in this week's PLoS Medicine. Experience in agriculture suggests that such integrated approaches can provide more effective and durable pest management, say the authors, which will require ...

Drug fails to curb heart bypass complications, but surgery gets safer

2012-07-11
DURHAM, N.C. – A drug designed to shield the heart from injury during bypass surgery failed to reduce deaths, strokes and other serious events among patients at high risk of complications, according to a large, prospective study lead by researchers at Duke University Medical Center. But the international study also produced a surprising silver lining. As reported in the July 11 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, the researchers discovered that complications among bypass surgery patients were far less frequent than previously reported. "We expected ...

NIH study shows the deaf brain processes touch differently

2012-07-11
People who are born deaf process the sense of touch differently than people who are born with normal hearing, according to research funded by the National Institutes of Health. The finding reveals how the early loss of a sense— in this case hearing—affects brain development. It adds to a growing list of discoveries that confirm the impact of experiences and outside influences in molding the developing brain. The study is published in the July 11 online issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. The researchers, Christina M. Karns, Ph.D., a postdoctoral research associate in ...

Metastatic breast cancer: Bevacizumab slows progression, but has no impact on survival

2012-07-11
The cancer drug bevacizumab (Avastin®) offers only a modest benefit in delaying disease progression in patients with advanced stage breast cancer, according to a systematic review by Cochrane researchers. The researchers assessed the efficacy of bevacizumab in combination with chemotherapy, an established cancer treatment in this indication, and found no overall survival benefit when adding bevacizumab to chemotherapy. Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer death among women. If it spreads to other parts of the body it is referred to as "metastatic" and the ...

Fewer iron supplements during pregnancy work just as well for preventing anemia

2012-07-11
Taking iron supplements one to three times a week instead of every day is just as effective at preventing anaemia in pregnant women, according to the findings of a new Cochrane systematic review. The authors of the review also showed that women experienced fewer side effects when taking iron supplements intermittently rather than daily. Lack of iron can cause anaemia in pregnant women, potentially increasing the risk of complications at delivery. It may also be harmful to their babies, through increased risk of low birth weight and even delayed growth and development ...

Drugs used to treat HIV also reduce risk of HIV infection

2012-07-11
People at high risk of HIV infection can reduce their risk of acquiring the disease by taking antiretroviral drugs, according to Cochrane researchers. In an update of a systematic review first published in 2009, the researchers found that uninfected people in relationships with HIV-infected partners, men who have sex with men and those in other high risk groups are at a lower risk of becoming infected with the virus if they regularly take drugs that are normally prescribed to treat people with HIV. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is the standard drug treatment for HIV in ...

Cyberwarfare, conservation and disease prevention could benefit from MU researcher's network model

2012-07-11
COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Computer networks are the battlefields in cyberwarfare, as exemplified by the United States' recent use of computer viruses to attack Iran's nuclear program. A computer model developed at the University of Missouri could help military strategists devise the most damaging cyber attacks as well as guard America's critical infrastructure. The model also could benefit other projects involving interconnected groups, such as restoring ecosystems, halting disease epidemics and stopping smugglers. "Our model allows users to identify the best or worst possible ...

Potential cause of HIV-associated dementia revealed

2012-07-11
WASHINGTON — Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center appear to have solved the mystery of why some patients infected with HIV, who are using antiretroviral therapy and show no signs of AIDS, develop serious depression as well as profound problems with memory, learning, and motor function. The finding might also provide a way to test people with HIV to determine their risk for developing dementia. They say the answer, published in the July 11 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, may ultimately lead to a therapeutic solution that helps these patients as well ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Thirty-year mystery of dissonance in the “ringing” of black holes explained

Less intensive works best for agricultural soil

Arctic rivers project receives “national champion” designation from frontiers foundation

Computational biology paves the way for new ALS tests

Study offers new hope for babies born with opioid withdrawal syndrome

UT, Volkswagen Group of America celebrate research partnership

New Medicare program could dramatically improve affordability for cancer drugs – if patients enroll

Are ‘zombie’ skin cells harmful or helpful? The answer may be in their shapes

University of Cincinnati Cancer Center presents research at AACR 2025

Head and neck, breast, lung and survivorship studies headline Dana-Farber research at AACR Annual Meeting 2025

AACR: Researchers share promising results from MD Anderson clinical trials

New research explains why our waistlines expand in middle age

Advancements in muon detection: Taishan Antineutrino Observatory's innovative top veto tracker

Chips off the old block

Microvascular decompression combined with nerve combing for atypical trigeminal neuralgia

Cutting the complexity from digital carpentry

Lung immune cell type “quietly” controls inflammation in COVID-19

Fiscal impact of expanded Medicare coverage for GLP-1 receptor agonists to treat obesity

State and sociodemographic trends in US cigarette smoking with future projections

Young adults drive historic decline in smoking

NFCR congratulates Dr. Robert C. Bast, Jr. on receiving the AACR-Daniel D. Von Hoff Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education and Training in Cancer Research

Chimpanzee stem cells offer new insights into early embryonic development

This injected protein-like polymer helps tissues heal after a heart attack

FlexTech inaugural issue launches, pioneering interdisciplinary innovation in flexible technology

In Down syndrome mice, 40Hz light and sound improve cognition, neurogenesis, connectivity

Methyl eugenol: potential to inhibit oxidative stress, address related diseases, and its toxicological effects

A vascularized multilayer chip reveals shear stress-induced angiogenesis in diverse fluid conditions

AI helps unravel a cause of Alzheimer's disease and identify a therapeutic candidate

Coalition of Autism Scientists critiques US Department of Health and Human Services Autism Research Initiative

Structure dictates effectiveness, safety in nanomedicine

[Press-News.org] Receiving chemotherapy following removal of type of cancer near pancreas may improve survival