My Author of The Month (February 2012)

Title: How Proust Can Change Your Life
Author: Alain de Botton
I read "How Proust Can Change Your Life": Another great book by swiss Alain de Botton way back in February. It's an exceptional talent that makes the most difficult issues understandable for the reader. The book introduces several dimensions of Proust's works and life; a blend of literary biography and psychology manual Focusing on some simple facts in his life. I understand the author has opted superficiality at times to underline some particular themes, it might affect some die hard fans of Proust but i presume this direction is wisely chosen by de Botton. Actually the book can be the optimum choice as an intro to Proust's world. 

Cochrane Review Advises Chemo+RT For Early Hodgkin's

Chemotherapy followed by radiation therapy (RT) is the standard treatment for patients with early-stage Hodgkin's lymphoma, and it should remain so, according to a review published February 16 by the Cochrane Collaboration of Oxford, U.K.

A review of the outcomes of 1,245 patients who participated in five randomized clinical trials, published in the Cochrane Library, sought to answer the question of whether radiation therapy, with its risk of causing secondary cancers from radiation exposure, could be eliminated. The conclusion of the multi-institutional team from Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland was that from a short-term perspective, patients who received both treatments were less likely to die or have local recurrence compared to those who only received chemotherapy.

The clinical trials took place from the 1970s to 2004 and used a variety of chemotherapy agents, as well as diverse doses and types of radiation therapy. Initial responses by patients to treatments were equally effective in eliminating cancer in large part or entirely, according to lead author Christine Herbst, MD, of the department of internal medicine of the University Hospital of Cologne in Germany.
However, data from the meta-analysis identified differences in outcomes when patients were followed between two and 11.4 years. Patients who received the combined treatment were 40% as likely to die compared to those who had chemotherapy alone, and the hazard ratio for tumor control was similar, at 41%. Complete response rates were similar between the treatment groups.
Although adding radiation therapy increased five-year tumor control and overall survival, patients were exposed to radiation doses that could cause secondary cancers 10 to 30 years following treatment, the authors noted. The meta-analysis performed did not evaluate long-term risks.
by : Cynthia E. Keen