125 research outputs found
Improving care and reducing costs in oncology.
No full textThe costs of healthcare are a cause of concern throughout the world. Medical oncology is one of the disciplines where expenses are most obvious, even if doctors do not generally notice the price tag on the drugs they prescribe. It will be important for doctors to request fewer radiological tests (including ultrasound scans) which will not only save money but will shorten waiting lists – an issue that, in Italy, is one of the most commonly criticised aspects of the healthcare syste
Is biopsy for unresectable pancreatic cancer always necessary ?
No full textConsidering the difficulty in obtaining an informative biopsy from a pancreatic mass and the refusal of some patients to undergo a non necessary procedure I think it may be reasonable, in some cases, to treat patients even in the absenc of a formal histological diagnosis
Treatment of brain metastases in ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer
No full textBrain metastases are quite frequent in patients with ALK-translocated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): they are often not amenable to surgical resection and are generally treated with radiotherapy (RT). This however causes severe late toxic side effects that may become invalidating considering the relatively long survival provided by recent medical treatment with target therapies. Several clinical trials have demonstrated that ALK-inhibitors (crizotinib, alectinib, brigatinib) show excellent activity also against brain metastases. It is therefore reasonable, in asymptomatic patients, to start treatment with specific inhibitors: RT will be used at the time of tumor progression or when symptoms appear. This sequence provides the best quality of life for patients
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