Conference Correspondent

A pooled analysis of the EIN-STEIN-DVT and EINSTEIN-PE studies showed rivaroxaban to be as effective in preventing recurrences of venous thromboembolism as enoxaparin followed by a vitamin-K antagonist, with perhaps less risk for bleeding. Read More ›

A 500-mg dose of fulvestrant improved survival compared with a 250-mg dose in women with estrogen receptor–positive (ER+) metastatic breast cancer with no increase in toxicity, according to an update of the Comparison of Faslodex in Recurrent or Metastatic Breast Cancer (CONFIRM) trial. Read More ›

Extending tamoxifen treatment for 10 years reduced the risk of dying by 29% compared with the standard 5 years of tamoxifen for estrogen receptor–positive (ER+) breast cancer, but these benefits of longer-duration tamoxifen did not emerge until the second decade after diagnosis, according to results of the international Adjuvant Tamoxifen—Longer Against Shorter (ATLAS) study. Read More ›

Two years of trastuzumab provide no benefit over the standard of 1 year of trastuzumab therapy for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2–positive (HER2+) breast cancer, according to an 8-year follow-up of the Herceptin Adjuvant (HERA) trial reported by Martine Piccart, MD, president of the European Society for Medical Oncology and chair of the Breast International Group, Institut Jules Bordet, Brussels, Belgium. Read More ›

A 10-year follow-up of the 2-part UK Standardisation of Breast Radiotherapy Trial (START) supports the 5-year findings, which demonstrated that a shorter course of adjuvant radiation therapy is equivalent to a 5-week course of radiation for women with invasive breast cancer. Read More ›

Cognitive changes identified in patients undergoing chemotherapy are common and referred to as “chemo brain.” Read More ›

The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) 54th Annual Meeting, held in Boston, Massachusetts, coincided with Superstorm Sandy. Despite the havoc wreaked by the storm, Boston was largely spared, although ASTRO canceled Monday afternoon’s Plenary Session when public transportation was shut down. Read More ›

Sildenafil is often used by men treated with radiation or radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer to achieve an erection sufficient for sexual intercourse, and it is effective to varying degrees when used on an as-needed basis. Read More ›

Doxepin, a tricyclic antidepressant approved for the treatment of depression and anxiety, as well as moderate pruritus, significantly improved oral mucositis pain in patients treated with radiation therapy for head and neck cancer in a phase 3 trial. Read More ›

Radiation therapy extends life in older women with early breast cancer, according to 2 different studies presented at the ASTRO 54th Annual Meeting. Read More ›