TOP - October 2014, Vol 7, No 4

My philosophy has always been to cherish each educational opportunity or experience not only for professional development but also for personal growth. Adhering to this principle, I took advantage of every available chance to learn and grow as a pharmacy student. While in high school, I had the opportunity to transition from a grocery store cashier to a pharmacy technician after waiting for a position within the company to become available. Read More ›

In breast cancer patients with bone metastasis, less frequent infusion of zoledronic acid was as effective as the standard monthly dose, the randomized OPTIMIZE-2 study showed. Read More ›

It may be possible to preserve sexual function in men with prostate cancer undergoing curative radiation therapy (RT) by using a vessel-sparing radiation technique, according to a 5-year follow-up of a group of men who underwent vessel-sparing radiation therapy in this setting. Read More ›

Radiation therapy (RT) does not increase the risk of lymphedema in patients with node-negative breast cancer beyond that of surgery, according to a secondary analysis of the NSABP (National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project) B-32 trial. Read More ›

Patients who are diagnosed with lung cancer but continue to smoke are at much higher risk of developing a secondary primary lung cancer (SPLC) compared with never smokers as well as those who have quit smoking, according to the largest analysis of its kind. Read More ›

Researchers reported that results of a simple blood test measuring VEGF-A and TGF-²1 can be used as predictive markers for response to treatment in patients with squamous cell esophageal cancer undergoing concurrent chemotherapy and radiation therapy (CCRT) followed by esophagectomy, or removal of part of the esophagus. Read More ›

A study based on patient-reported outcomes in a broad sample of cancer patients with bone metastases showed that single fraction radiation therapy (SFRT) was as effective as multiple fraction radiation therapy (MFRT) for alleviating pain and improving function and quality of life (QOL). Read More ›

Controversies in treatment-induced alopecia and hair adverse events were brought to the attention of the medical community in a presentation by Mario Lacouture, MD, at the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer/International Society of Oral Oncology 2014 annual meeting. Read More ›