Clinical Trials

ACC 2018: COMPASS Trial Finds Combination of Rivaroxaban & Aspirin Significantly Lowers Major Adverse Limb Events in Patients With PAD

COMPASS trial finds that a combination of rivaroxaban and aspirin are more effective for PAD patients than aspirin alone.

Phase II Study Results Find Rituximab & Chemotherapy Combination Treatment Prolongs Survival in Patients With PCNSL

A new study finds that this standard combo therapy is safer and more beneficial than the latest pharmaceutical agents.

FDA Approves TRISENOX Injection for First Line Treatment of Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of the intravenous drug TRISENOX (Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.) in combination with tretinoin for first line treatment of adult patients who have been newly-diagnosed with low-risk APL.

FDA Approves GammaPod for Breast Cancer Treatment

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new breast cancer treatment machine that uses gamma rays to target tumors without harming healthy tissue.

NCCN Updates Clinical Practice Guidelines for Hodgkin Lymphoma

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network has issued updated guidelines for Hodgkin lymphoma, which focus on the management of HL using existing treatments and the need for long-term follow-up after treatment completion.

Roche Receives FDA Approval for Alecensa

Things are looking up for ALK-positive NSCLC patients, thanks to the recent FDA approval of Alecensa (alectinib), a highly selective ALK inhibitor that was shown to reduce the risk of disease worsening or death by 47% compared with crizotinib.

Managing Atrial Fibrillation and Preventing Stroke

Patients with atrial fibrillation are seen with increasing frequency by clinicians. Can it be cured? How must it be managed? How can clinicians prevent stroke in patients with a-fib? Dr. Wazni addresses these questions in our latest video.

Let the Patient Decide: Postoperative A-Fib Rhythm and Rate Strategies Are Equivalent

New multinational study of more than 500 patients found no clear superiority of either strategy.
The incidence of serious thromboembolic events was low, 2%, and did not differ between the arms.
More patients in the rate control arm met protocol-specified indications for anticoagulation compared with the rhythm control arm.

Having social connections improves peoples’ odds of survival by 50% on average.
Living alone increased the likelihood of mortality the most, 32%, while social isolation raised the risk by 29% and loneliness by 26%.
Simply living with someone else increased survival by nearly 20%.
Extensive social integration nearly doubled the odds of survival.

Mobile Apps Found to Improve Management of Chronic Conditions

Systematic review of randomized, controlled trials finds that mobile apps can benefit patients with chronic diseases.
Review included 9 RCTs.
Disease states included diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, and chronic lung diseases.
Interventions ranged from automatic text messages to enhanced clinician contact.

Popular Commercial Sports Drinks Are a Scam

The hugely popular commercial sports drinks have no effect on performance or muscle cramping.
The only potential performance benefit of drinks like Powerade or Gatorade may be the sugars they contain.
There are no scientific data to support the efficacy of low-dose electrolytes in boosting performance.
No data exist to support the notion that electrolytes (at the dosages in the commercial drinks) prevent muscle cramping.
Evidence appears to support the “altered neuromuscular control” hypothesis as well as other causes and solutions.

Data on Two New Therapies Offer Hope for Myelofibrosis Therapy

Data from ASH and ASCO offer new hope for patients with myelofibrosis.
Two new oral multikinase inhibitors mark significant advances.
Pacritinib and ruxolitinib demonstrated ability to reduce spleen volume by >35%.
Data from PERSIST and COMFORT trials are promising.

Study Compares 4 Adjuvant Chemotherapies for Resected NSCLC

Researchers treated all patients with cisplatin with or without vinorelbine, docetaxel, gemcitabine or pemetrexed.
Study examined effects of therapy in patients previously treated with bevacizumab.
All patients had non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer.
Study was not randomized.