Letrozole was significantly superior to tamoxifen in TTP, TTF, ORR, and clinical benefit rate. Our results support its use as first-line endocrine therapy in postmenopausal women with advanced breast cancer.

This study documents the superiority of letrozole over tamoxifen in first-line endocrine therapy in postmenopausal women with advanced breast cancer.

In NSCLC, a single, early, posttreatment PET scan is a better predictor of survival than CT response, stage, or pretreatment performance status.

The combination of IFNalpha2a plus VLB is superior to VLB alone in the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic renal cell carcinoma. This is the first study to demonstrate that survival can be prolonged by using IFNalpha2a for these patients.

A placebo-controlled double-blind study was conducted on the efficacy of Lactobacillus GG in preventing travellers' diarrhoea. Altogether 820 persons travelling on holiday to southern Turkey to two destinations were randomized into two groups receiving either Lactobacillus GG or placebo in identical sachets. On the return flight each participant completed a questionnaire indicating the incidence of diarrhoea and related symptoms during the trip. Of the original group 756 (92%) subjects completed the study acceptably. The overall incidence of diarrhoea was 43.8% (331 cases). The total incidence of diarrhoea in the placebo group was 46.5% and in the Lactobacillus GG 41.0% indicating an overall protection of 11.8%. Protection rates varied between two different destinations with the maximum protection rate reported as 39.5%. Among older age groups there was significantly less diarrhoea when compared to younger travellers. Lactobacillus GG appeared to be effective in reducing the occurrence of travellers' diarrhoea in one of the two destinations with no side effects.

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Androgen deprivation (AD) is commonly used in neoadjuvant and adjuvant setting with prostate cancer (PC) radiotherapy. This prospective study assessed whether cognitive functioning is impaired during 12 months of AD therapy. Longitudinal testing of 25 patients treated with AD and curative radiotherapy was undertaken at baseline, and at 6 and 12 months. CogniSpeed r software was used for measuring attentional performances. Other cognitive performances were evaluated using verbal, visuomotor and memory tests. The Beck depression inventory was employed to evaluate depressive mood and EORTC QLQ-C30 for quality of life (QoL). During longitudinal testing of the AD group, no impairment in cognitive performances was found. Instead, improvement was observed in object recall (immediate, P ¼ 0.035; delayed, Po0.001), and in semantic memory (P ¼ 0.037). In QoL, impairment in physical function was observed. Androgen deprivation of 12 months appears to be associated with preserved cognitive functioning, although physical impairment occurs. These results have implications for counseling and psychosocial support of patients in the context of treatment options in PC.