Browse Hematology/Oncology Articles by Topic

Clinical Practice Guidelines for Platelet Transfusion

The American Association of Blood Banks has six recommendations of varying strengths based on the availability of quality evidence.

Use of Cervical Length and Fetal Fibronectin in Preterm Labor

SYNOPSIS: A large 10-center study has validated the concept of screening all patients who are presenting with preterm contractions in the third trimester with cervical length examinations by transvaginal sonography and using fetal fibronectin selectively only in those with cervical lengths between 1.5 and 3.0 cm.

Does Single or Double Insemination During Ovulation Induction Cycle Increase Pregnancy Rates?

Synopsis: Performing intrauterine insemination with the use of donor sperm twice during a natural or stimulated ovulation induction cycle did not increase pregnancy rates over a single insemination.

Swedish Case-control Study Sees Increase in DVT Risk with DMPA: Is This Real?

Synopsis: A large case-control study done in Sweden that evaluated thromboembolic complications in users of hormonal contraception found an increased risk in users of depomedroxyprogesterone acetate and the combined pill. Desogestrel-containing oral contraceptives showed an increase in risk relative to levonorgestrel pills.

Preventing Pertussis: Are Your Patients and Their Families Cocooning

SYNOPSIS: Prior vaccination of both parents with Tdap (¡°cocooning¡±) protects newborn infants from contracting pertussis.

Occurrence of Second Malignancies after Treatment for Hodgkin's Lymphoma: Who's at Fault?

Capitalizing on a large cohort of British patients followed after treatment for Hodgkin's lymphoma, the risk of occurrence of second malignancy was assessed in the context of treatment with chemotherapy alone vs treatment with combined chemotherapy and radiation.

Incidental Splenic Mass

A 61-year-old female was evaluated for intermittent upper abdominal discomfort. A non-contrast enhanced CT revealed 5x3x4 cm lesion in the spleen that appeared to be cystic.

Allergy and Brain Tumors: Something to Sneeze At!

There have been reports over the past decade of an interesting inverse association between allergy and glioma. In the current report pooling data from four large cohorts, investigators examined (prediagnostic) immunoglobulin E levels in 169 individuals who were to develop glioma and compared these with levels in 520 matched controls.

Reduced CNS Metastases in TKI-Treated Renal Cell Carcinoma: Data from a Retrospective Analysis

In an analysis of outcomes for patients treated at M.D. Anderson for metastatic renal cell carcinoma before and since the advent of treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI), the development of brain metastases was shown to be significantly reduced. The authors speculate that TKI treatment is altering the natural history of renal carcinoma.

Clinical Briefs in Primary Care Supplement