Trending News Today: NCCN Publishes First Treatment Guidelines for Small Bowel Adenocarcinoma

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network has published the first set of guidelines for the treatment of small bowel adenocarcinoma (SBA), a rare type of cancer, The American Journal of Managed Care reported. According to the article, the recommendations emphasize incorporating taxanes into SBA treatment while avoiding the use of epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors that do not demonstrate a clear benefit. Additionally, the guidelines also highlight developments in genetic testing for hereditary cancer syndromes, the article reported.

A new study indicates that aspirin use could help improve liver function in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) following transarterial chemoembolization or transarterial embolization (TAE), MD Magazine reported. According to the article, the researchers assessed 304 patients with HCC who were treated with TAE to determine the mechanism that explains how aspirin therapy improves survival. Overall, the median survival period after the initial embolization was longer for patients taking aspirin; however, aspirin use was not found to be associated with differences in response or time to progression, the article reported.

Patients from poorer countries are less likely to get their blood pressure controlled, even when participating in a clinical trial with free access to medication and physician visits, Reuters reported. According to the article, the study authors focused on data from 27,862 participants of the Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial. The study showed that individuals from the poorest countries were half as likely to achieve blood pressure control compared with patients from the wealthiest countries during the 6-year clinical trial, the article reported.