Showing papers by "Charles D. Blanke published in 2004"

Disease-Free Survival Versus Overall Survival As a Primary End Point for Adjuvant Colon Cancer Studies: Individual Patient Data From 20,898 Patients on 18 Randomized Trials

Abstract: Purpose A traditional end point for colon adjuvant clinical trials is overall survival (OS), with 5 years demonstrating adequate follow-up. A shorter-term end point providing convincing evidence to allow treatment comparisons could significantly speed the translation of advances into practice. Methods Individual patient data were pooled from 18 randomized phase III colon cancer adjuvant clinical trials. Trials included 43 arms, with a pooled sample size of 20,898 patients. The primary hypothesis was that disease-free survival (DFS), with 3 years of follow-up, is an appropriate primary end point to replace OS with 5 years of follow-up. Results The recurrence rates for years 1 through 5 were 12%, 14%, 8%, 5%, and 3%, respectively. Median time from recurrence to death was 12 months. Eighty percent of recurrences were in the first 3 years; 91% of patients with recurrence by 3 years died before 5 years. Correlation between 3-year DFS and 5-year OS was 0.89. Comparing control versus experimental arms within eac...

NCCN Task Force Report : Optimal management of patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST)-expansion and update of NCCN clinical practice guidelines

Abstract: NCCN's Sarcoma Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology include a subsection regarding treatment recommendations on gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs). GIST is one area of medicine where the standard of practice has been affected rapidly and dramatically by the introduction of effective molecularly targeted therapy for this disease. There are few examples in modern medicine in which the implementation of new technologies into practice has so radically and rapidly affected clinical diagnostic strategies and treatments with significant implications for the care of patients. Because of these recent changes, NCCN organized a broad multidisciplinary panel composed of experts in the fields of diagnostic radiology, pathology, molecular diagnostics, surgery, medical oncology, and radiation oncology to discuss the optimal approach for the care of patients with GIST at all stages of the disease. The GIST task force is composed of NCCN faculty and other key experts from North America, comprising the United States and Canada. The purpose of this meeting was to expand on the existing NCCN clinical practice guidelines for gastrointestinal sarcomas and to identify areas of future research to optimize our understanding and treatment of this disease.