PurposeThe phase III ToGA trial established cisplatin, fluoropyrimidine and trastuzumab as the standard treatment in HER2-positive advanced gastric cancer (AGC). However, as demonstrated in HER2-negative AGC, oxaliplatin-based regimens could improve tolerance remaining effective. The aim of this trial was to explore the potential activity and safety of capecitabine, oxaliplatin (XELOX) and trastuzumab in patients with HER-2 positive advanced gastric cancer.MethodsWe conducted a multicentre, prospective, non-randomised, non-controlled, open-label and national (Spanish) phase II study. Patients with HER2-positive advanced gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction (EGJ) cancer received XELOX and trastuzumab as first-line treatment. Primary endpoint was objective tumour response rate (ORR).Results45 patients from ten hospitals in Spain were included from September 2011 to December 2013. Median age was 65 years, 82.2% were male, 69% had gastric cancer and 31% had EGJ tumours. At a median follow-up of 13.7 months (7.1–20.9), the estimated median progression-free survival and overall survival were 7.1 (95% CI 5.5–8.7) and 13.8 months (95% CI 10.1–17.4), respectively, with 8.9%, 37.8% and 31.1% of patients achieving complete response, partial response and stable disease. Regarding safety, 44.4% of the patients had grade 3 or greater adverse events, being the most frequent diarrhoea (26.6%), fatigue (15.5%), nausea (20%) and vomiting (13.3%). Only two patients (4.4%) developed asymptomatic grade 2 left ventricle ejection fraction reduction.ConclusionsXELOX-trastuzumab is a promising and effective therapy as first-line treatment for patients with HER2-positive AGC, with comparable results to the ones obtained with other “platinum-based” regimens. This scheme is feasible and tolerable with a low incidence of cardiac toxicity.

Quality of life (QoL) is a complex, ordinal endpoint with multiple conditioning factors. A predictive model of QoL after adjuvant chemotherapy can support decision making or the communication of information about the range of treatment options available. Patients with localized breast cancer (n = 219) were prospectively recruited at 17 centers. Participants completed the EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire. The primary aim was to predict health status upon completion of adjuvant chemotherapy adjusted for multiple covariates. We developed a Bayesian model with six covariates (chemotherapy regimen, TNM stage, axillary lymph node dissection, perceived risk of recurrence, age, type of surgery, and baseline EORTC scores). This model allows both prediction and causal inference. The patients with mastectomy reported a discrete decline on all QoL scores. The effect of surgery depended on the interaction with age. Women with ages on either end of the range displayed worse scores, especially with mastectomy. The perceived risk of recurrence had a striking effect on health status. In conclusion, we have developed a predictive model of health status in patients with early breast cancer based on the individual’s profile.

With the limitations of a retrospective study that examines a heterogeneous set of chemotherapy regimens, we found that triplets are feasible in daily practice and are associated with a discreet benefit in efficacy at the expense of a moderate increase in toxicity.

In this AGC registry, the use of chemotherapy with schedules adapted to patients ≥70 years provided efficacy that was not inferior to that seen in younger cases, with comparable adverse effects.

La universidad es un contexto de aprendizaje, en el que el alumnado es el responsable de tomar sus propias decisiones, controlar su propio proceso de aprendizaje y las interacciones que intervienen en él. En los grados como el de Educación Primaria, el progreso del aprendizaje no depende sólo de un individuo, sino del esfuerzo conjunto de un grupo de iguales, cuyo desempeño se ve reflejado en el aprendizaje individual. Así, los objetivos del presente trabajo han sido establecer cómo se desarrolla el concepto de trabajo en grupo y las estrategias que ponen en marcha para llevarlo a cabo en función de su satisfacción. Los participantes de esta investigación han sido 523 estudiantes del Grado de Educación Primaria de las Universidades de Murcia y de Jaén. Para ello se ha utilizado un cuestionario tipo Likert con cuyos resultados se ha establecido una comparación entre el alumnado que inicia el grado en Educación Primaria y aquellos que ya tienen varios años de experiencia en el ambiente universitario. Destacar como principales resultados y conclusiones que el alumnado desarrolla un concepto del trabajo en grupo que se mantiene estable en el tiempo. Sin embargo, la utilidad que creen que les reporta el trabajo en grupo sí puede cambiar, influenciados por las exigencias del contexto. Así mismo, cuando el alumnado está satisfecho con el trabajo de su grupo confían más en sus propias habilidades y capacidades para construir su conocimiento. The university is a learning context, where the students are responsible for making their own decisions and controlling their own learning process and the interactions that intervene in it. Not only that, in degrees such as Primary Education, the progress of learning does not depend only on an individual, but on the joint effort of a peer group, whose performance is reflected in the individual learning. Thus, the objectives of this paper have been to establish how the concept of group work is developed and the strategies that are put in place to carry it out according to their satisfaction. The participants of this research have been 523 students of the Degree of Primary Education of the University of Murcia and the University of Jaen. To this end, a Likert questionnaire has been used, with the results of which a comparison has been established between the students who start the degree in Primary Education and those who already have several years of experience in the university environment. The main results and conclusions confirm that the students develop a concept of group work that remains stable over time. However, the usefulness that they believe that group work brings can change, influenced by the demands of the context. Additionally, when students are satisfied with the work of their group, they rely more on their own skills and abilities to build their knowledge.