The authors treated 676 patients with metastatic melanoma with an antibody to CTLA-4 (ipilimumab), the antibody plus a gp100 vaccine, or the vaccine alone. Patients who received ipilimumab with or without gp100 vaccine survived nearly 4 months longer than did those who received the gp100 vaccine alone. Adverse immune-related events were noted and some were severe, but most were reversible with appropriate treatment.

This retrospective study linking two databases shows that both black and Hispanic living kidney donors had a higher relative risk of hypertension, drug-treated diabetes mellitus, and chronic kidney disease after donation than did white donors, similar to the risks in the general U.S. population. Increased attention to health outcomes among demographically diverse living kidney donors is indicated.

The authors randomly assigned patients with metastatic lung cancer to receive either standard oncologic care or early palliative care, focused on symptom control and psychosocial support for patients and families, together with standard oncologic care. Patients receiving early palliative care had lower rates of depression, a better quality of life, and better mood scores. They also received less aggressive care at the end of life, but surprisingly, had significantly longer survival than did patients receiving standard care alone.

In this 12-week, single-blind, randomized, controlled trial, classic Yang-style tai chi was compared with a control intervention (wellness education and stretching) in 66 patients with fibromyalgia. Patients in the tai chi group had significantly greater improvement than those in the control group, with no adverse events.