Author Interviews, Cancer Research, JAMA / 07.09.2017
Inotuzumab Plus Low-Intensity Chemo Effective in Resistant ALL
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
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Dr. Jabbour[/caption]
Elias Jabbour, MD
Associate Professor
Leukemia Department
MD Anderson Cancer Center
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Inotuzumab is active in relapsed or refractory (R/R) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (R/R ALL). The addition of low intensity chemotherapy may further improve outcome.
ORR around 80%. Median survival 11 months. Better results obtained in Savage 1. Superior outcome when compared to historical cohort treated with inotuzumab monotherapy
Dr. Jabbour[/caption]
Elias Jabbour, MD
Associate Professor
Leukemia Department
MD Anderson Cancer Center
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Inotuzumab is active in relapsed or refractory (R/R) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (R/R ALL). The addition of low intensity chemotherapy may further improve outcome.
ORR around 80%. Median survival 11 months. Better results obtained in Savage 1. Superior outcome when compared to historical cohort treated with inotuzumab monotherapy
Rebecca Siegel[/caption]
Rebecca Siegel, MPH
Strategic Director, Surveillance Information Services
American Cancer Society, Inc.
250 Williams St.
Atlanta, GA 30303
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence rates have been increasing in people under 55 since at least the mid-1990s, despite rapid declines in older age groups. We analyzed mortality data covering over 99% of the US population and found that death rates for CRC in adults under 55 have been increasing over the past decade of data (2004-2014) by 1% per year, in contrast to rapid declines in previous years. This indicates that the increase in incidence is not solely increased detection due to more colonoscopy use, but a true increase in disease occurrence that is of sufficient magnitude to outweigh improvements in survival because of better treatment for colorectal cancer.
The second major finding was that the rise in death rates was confined to whites, among whom death rates rose by 1.4% per year, for an overall increase of 14%. In 
Dr.Enderling[/caption]
Heiko Enderling, Ph.D.
Associate Member & Director for Education and Outreach
Dept. of Integrated Mathematical Oncology
Dept. of Radiation Oncology
H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute
Tampa, FL 33612
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Although radiation therapy after breast-conserving surgery for early-stage breast cancer has significantly improved patient prognosis, many patients will face a second cancer diagnosis within 20 years of primary treatment. Experimental and clinical studies have shown that local radiation therapy can activate an immune response that can propagate systemically to attack distant untreated metastases. However, current radiotherapy practice has not specifically focused on enhancing immune responses.
We asked the question if pre-operative irradiation, when applied to the bulk of disease, could have potentially higher immune stimulatory effects. To study this, we analyzed historic outcomes of breast cancer patients treated with either adjuvant (radiation after surgery) or neoadjuvant (radiation before surgery) radiotherapies.
Our analysis showed that the risk of developing a second tumor after neoadjuvant compared with adjuvant RT was significantly lower, especially for estrogen receptor-positive women who underwent
Dr. Jacobs[/caption]
Dr. Lisa K. Jacobs MD
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Baltimore, Maryland
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Breast preservation is the preferred treatment for many women diagnosed with breast cancer. The most common question that a patient will ask after the surgery is, “Did you get it all?” In the ideal case, this is accomplished in a single outpatient surgery with very good cosmetic results. In our study, Beyond the Margins-Economic Costs and Complications Associated with Repeated Breast-Conserving Surgeries we evaluated the detrimental effects of an unsuccessful initial surgery due to positive surgical margins. Using private insurance claims data, we found that 16% of patients planning breast preservation required a second breast-conserving surgery and an additional 7% converted to mastectomy. Of those patients that required additional surgery there was a 56% ($16,072) increase in cost and a 48% increase in complications. Those complications include infection, hematoma, seroma, and fat necrosis. This study demonstrates that repeated surgery has not only cosmetic consequences, but also has financial implications and increased risk.
Dr. Wactawski-Wende[/caption]
Jean Wactawski-Wende, PhD
Dean, SUNY Distinguished Professor
Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health
School of Public Health and Health Professions
University of Buffalo
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: There has been a growing interest in the role of periodontal disease in system chronic diseases, including cancer. We explored the association of periodontal disease history and incident cancer in the women's health initiative study of postmenopausal women. We found that women reporting periodontal disease history were at increased risk of developing cancer overall. In addition they were found to have significant increased risk of specific cancers including cancers of the lung, breast, esophagus, gallbladder and melanoma. The risk persisted after control for many other factors. In addition, the risk was seen in women regardless of their smoking history. Both ever smokers and never smokers were found to have increased risk of cancer associated with periodontal disease history.
