Scientific Advances

Trastuzumab Combined with Chemotherapy Improves Disease-Free Survival for Patients with Early-Stage Breast Cancer

Results from two large trials testing, as adjuvant therapy, a trastuzumab/chemotherapy combination against chemotherapy alone in women with invasive, early stage, Her2-positive breast cancer. More…

Oncotype DX® Test Predicts Breast Cancer Recurrence Risk and Chemotherapy Benefit

Oncotype DX®, which analyzes tumor specimens fixed in paraffin, uses a 21-gene panel to forecast chemotherapy benefit for women with estrogen-dependent, lymph-node negative breast cancer. More…

Relapse Related to Pharmacogenetics of Tamoxifen in Breast Cancer

This study suggests that genetic variation of an enzyme is an important determinant of tamoxifen effect and that lower or absent activity may increase the risk of tamoxifen treatment failure. More…

Normalization of Tumor Vasculature

This research suggests that certain antiangiogenic agents improve delivery of drugs and oxygen to targeted cancer cells by transiently improving blood flow to tumors. More…

Paclitaxel-Carboplatin-Bevacizumab Represents New Treatment Standard for Metastatic Non-Squamous Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

A CTEP-sponsored phase III study in patients with advanced non-squamous, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) showed that adding bevacizumab to standard chemotherapy for patients with NSCLC provides a statistically and clinically significant survival advantage with tolerable toxicity. More…

Digital Mammograms May Benefit Some Women: Results from the Digital Mammographic Imaging Screening Trial

Women with dense breasts, who are pre- or perimenopausal, or who are younger than age 50 may benefit from having a digital rather than a film mammogram. More…

Adding Bevacizumab to Oxaliplatin-Based Chemotherapy Prolongs Survival for Previously Treated Patients with Advanced Colorectal Cancer

A recent phase III study examined high-dose bevacizumab given either alone or in combination with FOLFOX4, an oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy regimen, compared to FOLFOX4 alone, in patients with previously treated advanced colorectal cancer. More…

Oxaliplatin in Combination with a Bolus 5-Fluorouracil/Leucovorin Regimen Reduces Recurrence in Early Stage Colon Cancer

The addition of oxaliplatin to weekly bolus 5-FU/LV significantly improved three-year disease-free survival in patients with stage II and III colon cancer. More…

Laparoscopic Colectomy Is an Acceptable Alternative to Open Colectomy for Colon Cancer

In a DCTD-sponsored study comparing traditional open and laparoscopically-assisted colectomy, patients with curable colon cancer in both groups had similar rates of tumor recurrence and overall survival. More…

NCI Issues Clinical Announcement for Preferred Method of Treatment for Advanced Ovarian Cancer

In 2006, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) released a clinical announcement encouraging doctors to follow surgery for advanced ovarian cancer with a combination of two drug-delivery methods: intravenous (by vein) and intraperitoneal (directly into the abdomen). More…

Groundbreaking Melanoma Research Suggests Distinct Genetic Pathways for Cancer Resulting from Sun Damage

DCTD-sponsored investigators have provided experimental evidence for the existence of distinct genetic pathways in development of melanoma depending on the anatomical site of origin and levels of sun exposure. More…

Sentinel Nodes Predict Survival for Melanoma Patients

Patients treated with lymphatic mapping and sentinel-node biopsy were 26 percent less likely to have a recurrence of melanoma after five years than those treated with the watch-and-wait approach. More…

Reporting Recommendations for Tumor Marker Prognostic Studies

This seminal article describing tumor marker reporting guidelines was published simultaneously in five high-impact journals. More…

Monitoring Radiation Therapy of Prostate Cancer by MRSI

Imaging procedures, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) may help doctors predict a patient’s response to treatment and help plan the best treatment. More…