0000000000149809
AUTHOR
Maurizio Koch
Pegylated interferon α plus ribavirin for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C: A multicentre independent study supported by the Italian Drug Agency
a b s t r a c t Background: Data on the efficacy of Peg-interferon/ribavirin therapy for chronic hepatitis C are mostly derived from treatment of selected patients enrolled in clinical trials. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of Peg-interferon/ribavirin therapy in “real world” chronic hepatitis C patients in Italy. Methods: Independent observational multicentre study including consecutive patients receiving Peginterferon/ribavirin in the 18 months before (retrospective phase) and after (prospective phase) the start of the study. Results: 4176 patients were eligible. The final study population consisted of 2051 patients in the retrospective and 2073 in the prospective phase. Sust…
Neoadjuvant Chemo-Radiotherapy for Patients with Borderline Resectable Pancreatic Cancer: A Meta-Analytical Evaluation of Prospective Studies
Context For patients with borderline resectable pancreatic cancer, the benefit of neoadjuvant therapy remains to be defined. Objective We did a systematic search of the literature on this topic. Methods Prospective studies, where chemotherapy, irrespective of regimen, in combination with radiotherapy was given before surgery to patients with borderline resectable cancer, were analyzed by a meta-analytical method. Primary outcome was tumor response; surgical exploration rate, resection rate, therapy-induced toxicity, and survival were secondary outcomes. Data were expressed as weighted pooled proportions with 95% confidence interval (95% CI). Results Eleven studies with 247 participants were…