Many older patients with breast cancer have significant comorbidities, increasing the challenges of treatment. These challenges are compounded by the fact that elderly patients with multiple comorbidities are frequently excluded from participating in clinical trials, resulting in a lack of treatment data for this population. Nina Tamirisa, MD, and colleagues recently published a study in JAMA Oncology reporting that in older patients with multiple comorbidities and estrogen receptor–positive, no...

In older patients with multiple comorbidities and estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, node-positive breast cancer, chemotherapy improves survival, according to a study published today in JAMA Oncology. "Breast cancer risk and the incidence of comorbidities increase with age. Treatment of elderly patients with significant comorbidities is challenging," write the investigators, led by first author Nina Tamirisa, MD, Assistant Professor of Breast Surgical Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderso...

A preplanned post-hoc analysis of the AVERT trial, a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial of apixaban for the prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE), reveals that among ambulatory patients with cancer initiating chemotherapy, characteristics of both the patient and the cancer in question impact the efficacy of apixaban for VTE prophylaxis. "Patients with active cancer have an increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) complications which is associated with morbidit...

For small node-negative, hormone receptor (HR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer, the tumor size matters down to the millimeter when it comes to the benefit of adding chemotherapy to endocrine therapy, according to results of an observational cohort study now published in JAMA Network Open. Node-negative, HR-positive, HER2-positive tumors that are under 1 cm in size have a broad range of outcomes, with five-year recurrence rates that vary from under...

Upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) is a rare malignancy with a mortality rate of over 50% for locally advanced disease. However, few clinical trials have been conducted due to its low incidence rate. Nephroureterectomy—a surgical procedure in which the renal pelvis, kidney, ureter, and bladder cuff are removed—is considered the standard treatment approach for patients with UTUC, but little research had been conducted regarding the optimal treatment after surgery. In the phase 3 PO...