Combinations in multimodality treatments and clinical outcomes during cancer
Authors: Pei-Ying Zhang
Xiao-Ying Zhang
Journal: Oncology Letters (2016)
Discipline: CLINICAL MEDICINE
Keywords: cancer therapeutics; combinations; multimodal treatments.
Affiliations: Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Information Institute, Nanjing, Jiangsu 221009, P.R. China., Department of Cardiology, Xuzhou Central Hospital, The Affiliated Xuzhou Hospital of Medical College of Southeast University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221009, P.R. China.

Abstract:  Combination approach could be easily considered as the future of therapeutics in all pathological states including cancer. Scientists are trying different combinations in order to determine synergism among different therapeutics which ultimately helps in the improved and more efficient management of the affected patients. Combination of multi-chemotherapeutic agents, or multi-drug therapy, may be the most commonly used strategy for cancer treatment. Monotherapy causes drug resistance and loses its response in patients after several cycles of treatment. While combining different anticancer drugs together for cancer treatment, as in the case of the cocktail therapy for HIV, not only overcomes the drug resistance but also leads to a synergistic effect, therefore showing prolonged survival for patients. The present review article is focused on different combinations in use for better efficiency of therapeutics against cancer. We searched the electronic database PubMed for pre-clinical as well as clinical controlled trials reporting diagnostic as well as therapeutic advances of various combinations in cancer. It was observed clearly that combination approach is better in various aspects including increase in efficacy, specificity and decline in the unwanted side effects. 

Retracted: Yes

PubPeer comments:
 This review paper appears to be unexpectedly similar to a 2013 PhD thesis by Mi Yu at the National University of Singapore called  Vitamin E TPGS Based Nanomedicine For Multimodality Treatment Of Cancer . That thesis can be found here: https: core.ac.uk download pdf 48732403.pdf Here is a marked-up version of the text by Zhang and Zhang 2016, with highlighted text showing similarities to the Mi Yu 2013 thesis. Generated in SimTexter : ![file] ![file] , 
 Retracted [4 September 2020] -------------------------------------- Following the publication of this article, an interested reader drew to our attention that the flow of the text, and the wording of numerous passages of text within the article, bore striking and unexpected similarities to the wording employed in a PhD thesis by Salam Khan at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm in 2015 entitled u201cTargeting Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia cells using Anti-ROR1 Monoclonal Antibodies and Small Molecule Inhibitorsu201d. After having conducted an internal investigation, the Editor of Oncology Letters has determined beyond all reasonable doubt that the review submitted to the Journal shared an unacceptable level of identity with the PhD thesis by Salam Khan. The authors were contacted about these apparent similarities between their review and the thesis, and they agree to this retraction. The Editor of Oncology Letters deeply regrets that this article was not intercepted by our own checks for plagiarism prior to the publication of the review, and sincerely apologizes to the author of the PhD thesis and the readership for the inconvenience caused. We also thank the reader for bringing this matter to our attention. ,