Effects Defined of Alcohol and Smoking on Development of Esophageal and Gastric Cancer(1/20/2010) Researchers from the Netherlands have reported that alcohol consumption increases the risk of squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus, while smoking increases the risk of squamous cell and adenocarcinoma of the esophagus, gastric cardia adenocarcinoma, and gastric non-cardia adenocarcinoma. The details of this study appeared in the January, 2010 issue of Gut.
Aspirin Usage Decreases Risk of Developing Distal Gastric Adenocarcinoma(8/26/2009) Researchers affiliated with the Multiethnic Cohort (Hawaii and Los Angeles, California) have reported that the regular use of aspirin is associated with a 27% reduction in the risk of developing distal gastric adenocarcinoma. The details of this study were published in the August 2009 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.
Meat Intake Linked with Stomach Cancer(4/18/2006) A large European study has determined that a high intake of red or processed meats is associated with an increased risk of developing noncardia gastric cancer.
Long-Term Low-Dose Aspirin Does Not Prevent Cancer(7/6/2005) Researchers affiliated with the Women’s Health Study have reported that long-term low-dose aspirin use does not lower the risk of breast, colorectal, or other cancers.
Laparoscopy-assisted Surgery Produces Good Results for Early Gastric Cancer(6/24/2009) Researchers from Korea have reported that laparoscopy-assisted surgery for early gastric cancer results in a 98.8% three-year overall survival in patients with early gastric cancer. The details of this study appeared in the June 2009 issue of the Archives of Surgery.
Laparoscopic Surgery Results in Fewer Complications for Patients with Stomach Cancer(5/11/2009) Researchers from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center have reported that laparoscopic surgery produces a similar rate of recurrence-free survival as traditional open surgery in patients with gastric cancer with fewer complications and shorter hospital stays. The details of this study appeared in the June 2009 issue of the Annals of Surgical Oncology.
Removal of More Lymph Nodes May Improve Survival in Gastric and Pancreatic Cancers(8/4/2008) Researchers affiliated with the Cancer Programs, American College of Surgeons, recommend that at least 15 lymph nodes be removed and examined in patients with early gastric or pancreatic cancers. The results of this study were published in the July 2008 issue of the Archives of Surgery.
Chlorhexidine or Oral Cooling Decrease Chemotherapy-induced Mucositis(3/31/2008) Researchers from Denmark have reported that chlorhexidine mouth washes or oral cooling decreases the incidence and severity of oral mucositis associated with 5 FU and leucovorin-based chemotherapy for gastrointestinal cancer. The details of this randomized study appeared in an early online publication in Cancer on February 15, 2008.
Avastin Fails to Prolong Survival in Stomach Cancer(3/5/2010) Avastin® (bevacizumab) in combination with chemotherapy does not extend overall survival in patients with inoperable, advanced, or metastatic stomach cancer, according to the results of a Phase III trial released by Roche.
Addition of Herceptin® to Chemotherapy Does Not Compromise Quality of Life in HER2+ Gastric Cancer(2/26/2010) Researchers involved in an international randomized Phase III clinical trial have reported that treatment with Herceptin® (trastuzumab) improves survival without compromising quality of life (QoL) in patients with HER2-positive, advanced and inoperable gastric and gastroesophageal (GE) junction cancer.
Oral S-1 Can Substitute for 5-FU for Treatment of Metastatic Gastric Cancer(10/16/2009) Researchers from Japan involved in a multicenter clinical trial have reported that oral S-1 is non-inferior to 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) or Camptosar® (irinotecan) and Platinol® (cisplatin) for treatment of metastatic gastric cancer. The details of this randomized study were published early on-line in Lancet Oncology on October 8, 2009.
Herceptin Improves Outcome of HER2-positive Stomach Cancer(10/1/2009) Researchers involved in an international randomized Phase III clinical trial have reported that treatment with Herceptin® (trastuzumab) improves survival among patients with HER2-positive, advanced and inoperable stomach cancer. These results were presented at the Joint ECCO 15 – 34th ESMO Multidisciplinary Congress in Berlin, September 20-24, 2009.
Gastric Cancer in Young Individuals Is Aggressive and Lethal(6/24/2009) Researchers from the University of California at Irvine have reported that patients with gastric cancer who are 35 years of age or younger have more aggressive disease than older patients with gastric cancer. The details of this study appeared in the June 2009 issue of the Archives of Surgery.
Herceptin® Improves Survival with HER2-positive Gastric Cancer(6/3/2009) Researchers from Korea have reported that treatment with a combination of chemotherapy and the targeted agent Herceptin® (trastuzumab) results in better survival than chemotherapy alone among patients with advanced, HER2-positive gastric cancer. The results of this Phase III clinical trial were presented at the 2009 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology on June 1 in Orlando, Florida.
Sutent® Effective for Gleevec®-Resistant Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor(10/16/2006) An international randomized trail has determined that Sutent (sunitinib malate, SU11248) improves disease control and survival in patients with Gleevec® (imatinib mesylate) resistant gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST).
Xeloda® and Eloxatin® May Replace 5-FU and Platinol® for Treatment of Esophagogastric Cancer(7/3/2006) Researchers affiliated with the REAL 2 Trial have concluded that Xeloda (capecitabine) can replace 5-FU (5-fluorouracil) and Eloxatin (oxaliplatin) can replace Platinol® (cisplatin) for the treatment of cancers of the esophagus, esophageal junction or stomach. The details of this randomized phase III study were presented at the June 2006 meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Atlanta.
Large Clinical Trial Confirms Activity of Gleevec® For Treatment of Patients With Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors(8/16/2002) Gastrointestinal stromal tumors are relatively rare cancers that originate in mesenchymal tissue. This tumor is associated with the expression of the KIT proto-oncogene and the production of tyrosine kinase, which leads to uncontrolled growth and suppression of apoptosis. Until the development of Gleevec®, there was no effective systemic treatment for this tumor and the prognosis for patients with recurrent local disease or metastatic disease was poor. Early clinical trials in a limited number of patients showed remarkable responses of gastrointestinal stromal tumors to Gleevec®. Gleevec® is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor that is used to treat chronic myeloid leukemia. The results of a multicenter trial were reported in the August 15, 2002 issue of
The New England Journal of Medicine.