Thoracic Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma — Improve the Treatment of Thoracic Esophageal Cancer
Citation(s)
Desoize B, Madoulet C Particular aspects of platinum compounds used at present in cancer treatment. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol. 2002 Jun;42(3):317-25. Review.
Isono K, Sato H, Nakayama K Results of a nationwide study on the three-field lymph node dissection of esophageal cancer. Oncology. 1991;48(5):411-20.
Nishihira T, Hirayama K, Mori S A prospective randomized trial of extended cervical and superior mediastinal lymphadenectomy for carcinoma of the thoracic esophagus. Am J Surg. 1998 Jan;175(1):47-51.
Parkin DM, Bray FI, Devesa SS Cancer burden in the year 2000. The global picture. Eur J Cancer. 2001 Oct;37 Suppl 8:S4-66. Review.
Urschel JD, Vasan H, Blewett CJ A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials that compared neoadjuvant chemotherapy and surgery to surgery alone for resectable esophageal cancer. Am J Surg. 2002 Mar;183(3):274-9.
Watanabe H [Necessity of cervical lymph node dissection by retrospective analysis of submucosal cancer in mid-thoracic esophagus]. Nihon Geka Gakkai Zasshi. 1997 Sep;98(9):733-6. Review. Japanese.
Interventional studies are often prospective and are specifically tailored to evaluate direct impacts of treatment or preventive measures on disease.
Observational studies are often retrospective and are used to assess potential causation in exposure-outcome relationships and therefore influence preventive methods.
Expanded access is a means by which manufacturers make investigational new drugs available, under certain circumstances, to treat a patient(s) with a serious disease or condition who cannot participate in a controlled clinical trial.
Clinical trials are conducted in a series of steps, called phases - each phase is designed to answer a separate research question.
Phase 1: Researchers test a new drug or treatment in a small group of people for the first time to evaluate its safety, determine a safe dosage range, and identify side effects.
Phase 2: The drug or treatment is given to a larger group of people to see if it is effective and to further evaluate its safety.
Phase 3: The drug or treatment is given to large groups of people to confirm its effectiveness, monitor side effects, compare it to commonly used treatments, and collect information that will allow the drug or treatment to be used safely.
Phase 4: Studies are done after the drug or treatment has been marketed to gather information on the drug's effect in various populations and any side effects associated with long-term use.
