1. No Clear Winner in Comparative Review of Effectiveness and Harms of Treatments for Localized Prostate Cancer
About 197,000 men will be diagnosed with clinically localized prostate cancer (cancer confined to the prostate gland) in 2008. Common treatments include watchful waiting, surgery to remove the prostate gland, radiotherapy, and androgen deprivation.
A review of these treatments concluded, Accurately assessing comparative effectiveness and harms of localized prostate cancer treatments is difficult due to limitations in the evidence. All treatments result in adverse events, primarily to urinary, bowel and sexual function, that occur soon after therapy, though the frequency, duration and severity may vary between treatments.
Note: This systematic review is being released early online at the Web site of Annals of Internal Medicine www.annals.org. It will appear in the March 18, 2008, print edition of the journal.
2. Gene Expression Tests for Breast Cancer Are Promising But Limited
A review of three commercial gene expression-based prognostic breast cancer tests finds they have potential for improving prognostic and therapeutic prediction, but more data are needed about the amount of improvement, which women will benefit, and how to use the test in decision making about current breast cancer treatment.
Note: This systematic review is being released early online at the Web site of Annals of Internal Medicine www.annals.org. It will appear in the March 18, 2008, print edition of the journal.
3. New Study Refines Thinking on Best Time to Begin HIV Treatment
Debate about the optimal time to begin HIV treatment continues, partly because current mathematical models that weigh harms and benefits over long horizons do not consider drug toxicity and side effects and
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| Contact: Susan Anderson sanderson@acponline.org 215-351-2653 American College of Physicians Source:Eurekalert |