[Correspondence] Adoption of robotic surgery: driven by market competition or a desire to improve patient care? – Authors' reply
In our paper,1 we describe how competitive forces have strongly influenced the configuration of prostate cancer services, leading to the closure of one in four of the centres providing prostate cancer surgery in the National Health Service (NHS) in England. (Source: The Lancet Oncology)
Source: The Lancet Oncology - February 1, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Ajay Aggarwal, Daniel Lewis, Malcolm Mason, Arnie Purushotham, Richard Sullivan, Jan van der Meulen Tags: Correspondence Source Type: research
[Correspondence] Adoption of robotic surgery: driven by market competition or a desire to improve patient care?
Ajay Aggarwal and colleagues1 should be commended for conducting a methodologically rigorous study on the effect of hospital competition and patient choice on the landscape of cancer surgery centres. Their finding that established robotic centres were more likely to be in competitive markets and to have experienced a net gain of patients is certainly thought-provoking. However, we disagree with their assertion that these outcomes were driven largely by competition in the absence of evidence of improved quality of care conferred by robotic surgery. (Source: The Lancet Oncology)
Source: The Lancet Oncology - February 1, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Sean A Fletcher, Alexander P Cole, Sebastian Berg, Daniel Pucheril, Quoc-Dien Trinh Tags: Correspondence Source Type: research
[Editorial] Generic drugs: are they the future for affordable medicine?
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries —the largest manufacturer of generic drugs in the world—is in trouble. This multinational company, which produces a large portfolio of generics—including several widely used oncology agents such as cisplatin, docetaxel, letrozole, and gemcitabine—has announced it will be cutting 14 000 jobs (almost a quarter of its global workforce) in attempts to salvage its ailing business. The move is a drastic response to Teva's financial woes: in 2017, the company lost more than US$20 billion from its market value, its US profits tumbled by 60%, and it is currently saddled with debts of $35 billi...
Source: The Lancet Oncology - February 1, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: The Lancet Oncology Tags: Editorial Source Type: research
[Articles] Pembrolizumab in patients with thymic carcinoma: a single-arm, single-centre, phase 2 study
Pembrolizumab is a promising treatment option in patients with thymic carcinoma. Because severe autoimmune disorders are more frequent in thymic carcinoma than in other tumour types, careful monitoring is essential. (Source: The Lancet Oncology)
Source: The Lancet Oncology - January 25, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Giuseppe Giaccone, Chul Kim, Jillian Thompson, Colleen McGuire, Bhaskar Kallakury, Joeffrey J Chahine, Maria Manning, Robin Mogg, Wendy M Blumenschein, Ming T Tan, Deepa S Subramaniam, Stephen V Liu, Ian M Kaplan, Justine N McCutcheon Tags: Articles Source Type: research
[News] New cancer blood test developed
An international team of researchers has developed a blood test that can identify the presence of eight different types of cancer. (Source: The Lancet Oncology)
Source: The Lancet Oncology - January 25, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Talha Khan Burki Tags: News Source Type: research
[News] Nivolumab plus ipilimumab in metastatic colorectal cancer
Patients with DNA mismatch repair-deficient/microsatellite instability-high metastatic colorectal cancer might benefit from combined nivolumab and ipilimumab immunotherapy, according to results from a recent study. (Source: The Lancet Oncology)
Source: The Lancet Oncology - January 25, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Elizabeth Gourd Tags: News Source Type: research
[News] HIPEC improves survival in stage III epithelial ovarian cancer
The addition of hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) to interval cytoreductive surgery improves outcomes in patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy for stage III epithelial ovarian cancer, according to a recent study. (Source: The Lancet Oncology)
Source: The Lancet Oncology - January 25, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Robert Stirrups Tags: News Source Type: research
[Comment] Immune checkpoint inhibitors: the next step for thymic carcinomas
Thymic carcinoma is a rare cancer with few available treatment options. Over the past few years, chemotherapy for thymic malignancies, comprising thymic carcinomas and thymomas, has achieved minimal success. Therefore, a more promising, targeted approach is required.1 (Source: The Lancet Oncology)
Source: The Lancet Oncology - January 25, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Yusuke Okuma Tags: Comment Source Type: research
[Articles] Oncological management and obstetric and neonatal outcomes for women diagnosed with cancer during pregnancy: a 20-year international cohort study of 1170 patients
Over the years, the proportion of patients with cancer during pregnancy who received antenatal treatment increased, especially treatment with chemotherapy. Our data indicate that babies exposed to antenatal chemotherapy might be more likely to develop complications, specifically small for gestational age and NICU admission, than babies not exposed. We therefore recommend involving hospitals with obstetric high-care units in the management of these patients. (Source: The Lancet Oncology)
Source: The Lancet Oncology - January 24, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Jorine de Haan, Magali Verheecke, Kristel Van Calsteren, Ben Van Calster, Roman G Shmakov, Mina Mhallem Gziri, Michael J Halaska, Robert Fruscio, Christianne A R Lok, Ingrid A Boere, Paolo Zola, Petronella B Ottevanger, Christianne J M de Groot, Fedro A P Tags: Articles Source Type: research
[Comment] Cancer in pregnancy: evidence, or still empiricism?
Taking responsibility for a pregnant woman diagnosed with cancer and her unborn child is challenging for every physician. Therefore, an expert interdisciplinary team involving gynaecologists, medical oncologists, neonatologists, obstetricians, pathologists, psychologists, and radiotherapists is necessary to achieve the best oncological result for the woman and avoid morbidity for the fetus. (Source: The Lancet Oncology)
Source: The Lancet Oncology - January 24, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Christhardt K öhler, Simone Marnitz Tags: Comment Source Type: research
[Articles] Nivolumab with or without ipilimumab treatment for metastatic sarcoma (Alliance A091401): two open-label, non-comparative, randomised, phase 2 trials
Nivolumab alone does not warrant further study in an unselected sarcoma population given the limited efficacy. Nivolumab combined with ipilimumab demonstrated promising efficacy in certain sarcoma subtypes, with a manageable safety profile comparable to current available treatment options. The combination therapy met its predefined primary study endpoint; further evaluation of nivolumab plus ipilimumab in a randomised study is warranted. (Source: The Lancet Oncology)
Source: The Lancet Oncology - January 19, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Sandra P D'Angelo, Michelle R Mahoney, Brian A Van Tine, James Atkins, Mohammed M Milhem, Balkrishna N Jahagirdar, Cristina R Antonescu, Elise Horvath, William D Tap, Gary K Schwartz, Howard Streicher Tags: Articles Source Type: research
[Comment] A start towards immunotherapy in sarcomas?
Few data are available on the immunological aspects of soft tissue and bone sarcomas compared with other types of cancer, such as malignant melanoma. In 2013, Rusakiewicz and colleagues1 investigated the immune infiltrates of gastrointestinal stromal tumours and found that CD3-positive tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes were highly activated and particularly present in areas of tumour tissue that conserved class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC) expression despite imatinib therapy. Subsequently, Tawbi and colleagues2 treated 86 patients who had advanced bone and soft tissue sarcomas with pembrolizumab in a phase 2 stud...
Source: The Lancet Oncology - January 19, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Peter Hohenberger Tags: Comment Source Type: research
[News] Cervical cancer vaccine controversy in India
India could prevent 70 000 deaths in women due to cervical cancer every year by introducing the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in public health programmes, according to a media report. (Source: The Lancet Oncology)
Source: The Lancet Oncology - January 18, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Manjulika Das Tags: News Source Type: research
[News] International access to major US cancer database halted
The US Government has halted access of non-US researchers to an important cancer database, The Lancet Oncology has confirmed. (Source: The Lancet Oncology)
Source: The Lancet Oncology - January 18, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Bryant Furlow Tags: News Source Type: research
[Articles] Patients with melanoma treated with an anti-PD-1 antibody beyond RECIST progression: a US Food and Drug Administration pooled analysis
Continuation of treatment beyond progression in the product labelling of these immunotherapies has not been recommended because the clinical benefit remains to be proven. Treatment beyond progression with anti-PD-1 antibody therapy might be appropriate for selected patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma, identified by specific criteria at the time of progression, based on the potential for late responses in the setting of the known toxicity profile. (Source: The Lancet Oncology)
Source: The Lancet Oncology - January 17, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Julia A Beaver, Maitreyee Hazarika, Flora Mulkey, Sirisha Mushti, Huanyu Chen, Kun He, Rajeshwari Sridhara, Kirsten B Goldberg, Meredith K Chuk, Dow-Chung Chi, Jennie Chang, Amy Barone, Sanjeeve Balasubramaniam, Gideon M Blumenthal, Patricia Keegan, Richa Tags: Articles Source Type: research
