Patient Care Hematology & Oncology - October 2007 - (Page 1)

Research Digest A quick summary of recent reports from leading medical journals High-fat diet associated with colon cancer recurrence A Western-style diet that is rich in meat, fat, refined grains, and desserts is associated with a substantially higher risk of recurrence and mortality among patients being treated for stage III colon cancer. Investigators at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Mass, followed 1009 patients enrolled in an adjuvant chemotherapy trial. After answering a questionnaire, patients were grouped according to their tendency to consume either a Westernstyle diet or a “prudent” diet of fish, poultry, fruits, and vegetables. After a median follow-up period of 5.3 years, 324 subjects experienced a recurrence of the disease and 223 died. Patients in the highest quintile of the Western dietary pattern were 2.9 times more likely to have a recurrence than patients in the lowest quintile. The Western diet was also associated with higher mortality overall. The prudent dietary pattern was not significantly related to either outcome. Meyerhardt JA, Niedzwiecki D, Hollis D, et al. Association of dietary patterns with cancer recurrence and survival in patients with stage III colon cancer. JAMA. 2007;298(7):754-764. Rofecoxib increases cardiovascular events in cancer patients The cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor rofecoxib (Vioxx) increases the risk of adverse cardiovascular events within 2 weeks of treatment in patients with colorectal cancer. Investigators in the United Kingdom examined the frequency of adverse cardiovascular events in 2434 patients with stage II or III colorectal cancer who had been randomized to either placebo or rofecoxib, 25 mg/d. The researchers found that after a median treatment of 7.4 months, there were 23 confirmed cardiovascular thrombotic events. Of these, 16 occurred in the rofecoxib group within 14 days of treatment (estimated relative risk [RR], 2.66). Four rofecoxib patients and 2 placebo patients died from thrombotic causes within 14 days of treatment. There were 14 additional cardiovascular thrombotic events, 6 of which were in the rofecoxib group, in the 2 years after trial closure (unadjusted RR, 1.50), though this was not statistically significant. “Rofecoxib therapy was associated with an increased frequency of adverse cardiovascular events among patients with a median study treatment of 7.4 months’ duration,” the investigators conclude. Kerr DJ, Dun JA, Langman MJ, et al. Rofecoxib and cardiovascular adverse events in adjuvant treatment of colorectal cancer. N Engl J Med. 2007; 357(4):360-369. Chemotherapy, stem cells beneficial in testicular cancer Metastatic testicular germ cell tumors may be curable with high-dose chemotherapy plus hematopoietic stem cell rescue. Researchers at the Indiana University Cancer Center, Indianapolis, examined the efficacy of high-dose chemotherapy plus hematopoietic stem cell rescue in 184 patients with cisplatin-resistant, progressively growing testicular cancer. Of these patients, 173 For more medical news that matters to primary care, please see Medicine in the News, page 5, and Clinical Clips, page 26. Research Digest is prepared by the editors of Patient Care and HealthDay’s Physician’s Briefing (http://www.physiciansbriefing.com). Continued on page 6 OCTOBER 2007 PATIENT CARE HEMATOLOGY & ONCOLOGY 1 http://www.physiciansbriefing.com

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Patient Care - Hematology & Oncology - October 2007 Research Digest Contents Information for Authors Medicine in the News Strategies for Bridge Anticoagulation Therapy How to Integrate the New Cervical Cancer Guidelines into Practice Dermatology Case Challenge Clinical Clips Classified Advertising

Patient Care Hematology & Oncology - October 2007

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