Study: Let’s Revisit Extended Antibiotic Prophylaxis in Joint Replacement
SAN FRANCISCO — Routinely giving antibiotic prophylaxis for 10 days in arthroplasty patients apparently did nothing beyond what was achieved with shorter protocols to prevent prosthetic joint infections (PJIs) at one major medical center. PJI rates at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville were no lower after a policy was implemented in 2020 to provide […]
Another Prostate Cancer Screening Candidate Outperforms Standard PSA Testing
SAN FRANCISCO — A multiparametric blood test for prostate cancer showed potential to avoid more than half of unnecessary biopsies without sacrificing accuracy, a large prospective study showed. In a comparison against the current PSA testing standard of ≥4 ng/mL, the Stockholm3 biomarker, which incorporates a PSA cutoff of 15 ng/mL with other proteins and […]
A Win and A Loss for Adjuvant ICIs in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma
SAN FRANCISCO — The use of adjuvant pembrolizumab (Keytruda) boosted overall survival (OS) in post-surgical patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC) at risk for recurrence, according to KEYNOTE-564 findings. Patients treated with the immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) had a 38% reduced risk of death compared to patients on placebo, reported Tony Choueiri, MD, […]
Cabozantinib Plus Atezolizumab Delays Progression in mCRPC
SAN FRANCISCO — In patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) whose disease progressed on a novel hormonal therapy, the combination of cabozantinib (Cabometyx) plus atezolizumab (Tecentriq) improved radiographic progression-free survival (rPFS) versus a switch to a second hormonal agent, a phase III trial showed. The so-called CONTACT-02 study included patients with extrapelvic nodal or […]
Liquid Biopsy Has Mixed Performance for Predicting Colon Cancer Outcomes
SAN FRANCISCO — In separate studies, liquid biopsy produced mixed results for guiding colon cancer treatment. Adjuvant chemotherapy guided by postoperative circulating tumor (ct) DNA did not lead to higher rates of DNA clearance as compared with patients who did not get chemotherapy. However, ctDNA did show promise for identifying patients with molecular residual disease […]
New Standard for Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma?
SAN FRANCISCO — After more than 20 years of trying, systemic therapy for unresectable liver cancer has improved outcomes with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), a randomized trial showed. Patients who received durvalumab (Imfinzi) plus bevacizumab (Avastin) in addition to TACE had a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 15.0 months as compared with 8.2 months for TACE […]
HAIP Chemo Offers OS Advantage in Advanced Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma
SAN FRANCISCO — Hepatic arterial infusion pump (HAIP) chemotherapy with floxuridine significantly improved overall survival (OS) in patients with advanced intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA), according to results from a phase II study. Patients treated with HAIP chemotherapy combined with systemic chemotherapy achieved a 1-year OS of 80% compared with 47% in the historical cohort treated with […]
Amulet vs Watchman Comparison Still Muddy Any Which Way LAA Leaks Are Defined
SAN FRANCISCO — Two mainstream devices for percutaneous left atrial appendage (LAA) closure continued to lead to similar clinical outcomes in the SWISS-APERO trial. Among patients randomized to the Amplatzer Amulet and the Watchman 2.5/FLX, the incidence of patent LAAs at 13 months reached 53.6% and 48.8%, respectively, on coronary CT angiography (risk ratio [RR] […]
‘Yellow’ Blood Products Come With VTE Risk, Study Finds
SAN FRANCISCO — Surgeons should be extremely judicious in ordering fresh frozen plasma (FFP) as part of perioperative blood transfusions, suggested a nationwide analysis reported here. Post-operative rates of both venous thromboembolism (VTE) and mortality were significantly higher in patients receiving FFP along with red blood cells, relative to those transfused only with red cells, […]
Yes, It Matters Who Manages Sedation During Interventional Radiology Procedures
SAN FRANCISCO — Following interventional radiology procedures such as coronary angioplasty, patients were more likely to be discharged home, rather than to a nursing or long-term care facility, when sedation was provided by trained anesthesia specialists, a researcher said. Odds of an “adverse discharge” were lower by 32% (OR 0.68, 95% CI 0.57-0.81) when anesthesia […]