The studies performed by Patchell, et al that is cited in the paper Joe has presented (thanks Joe), measured tumor recurrence and not long-term survival. Patchell's studies convincingly showed there was no survival benefit or prolonged independence in patients who received postoperative whole brain radiation therapy. It never mentioned the incidence of dementia, alopecia, nausea, fatigue or any other numerous side effects associated with whole brain radiation.
The most interesting part of his studies were the patients who lived the longest. Patients in the observation group who avoided neurologic deaths had an improvement in survival, justifying the recommendation that whole brain radiation therapy is not indicated following surgical resection or SRS of a solitary brain metastasis.
Editiorials to the studies by Mintz and Cairncross describe the morbidity associated with whole brain radiation and emphasized the importance of individualized treatment decisions and quality-of-life outcomes. Patients do not remain functionally independent longer, nor do they live longer than those that have surgery or SRS alone.
Also in the paper above, it mentions lapatinib (Tykerb). Antivascular activity of Tykerb (and Avastin) in primary microcluster clutures of breast cancer and other human neoplasms in a "real-world" study was presented at the recent Breast Cancer Symposium. While the other clinically-available 'nib' drugs have been shown to have anti-vascular activity, anti-vascular activity of Tykerb has not been previously reported.
http://her2support.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=35512
http://cancerfocus.net/forum/showthr...1c7cb1e5&t=648
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