S Cascinu

..This review highlights recent findings in the treatment of pancreatic cancer by using these novel therapeutic approaches...

..The aim of this study was to assess the activity and feasibility of a combination of cetuximab with gemcitabine and cisplatin compared with use of gemcitabine and cisplatin alone for the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer...

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..We performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to assess the efficacy of glutathione (GSH) in the prevention of oxaliplatin-induced neurotoxicity...

..It is feasible and warrants further research, which would ideally take the form of a randomized comparison of P-CHOP and CHOP, possibly with the addition of rituximab in both arms...

..In our experience, lipiodol TACE showed a better OS and TTP over pTACE, without difference in toxicity profile and RR. Among the staging systems analyzed only the Okuda stage seemed able to reliably predict patients outcome...

..Based on these findings we investigated the correlation between both FISH and CISH EGFR GCN and clinical outcome in K-RAS wild-type colorectal cancer treated with irinotecan-cetuximab...

..According to this hypothesis, we investigated the p53 and the DCC proteins expression in different stages of gastric carcinomas...

..Available data are promising, but most of them arise from retrospective and small studies. Well designed, prospective trials are warranted to change the target approach from a general to an individual treatment strategy...

..In gastrointestinal tumors, the traditional end point of medical treatment was represented mainly by survival. In the last few years, however, there has been an increasing awareness about the role of quality of life...

..The combined analysis of SPF/VEGF was studied for predictivity of recurrent disease, the TS quantitation was related to the efficacy of fluorouracil-based adjuvant chemotherapy...

..Because of its low cost it may be suggested for patients not enrolled into clinical trials...

..In this study, vascular endothelial growth factor and p53 expressions correlated with recurrent disease, pattern of relapse and poor event-free survival...

..To evaluate the safety and efficacy of the novel raltitrexed/oxaliplatin combination (TOMOX) as first-line chemotherapy for patients with advanced colorectal cancer...

..Evidence is supported that the VEGF expression may be different between colon cancer metastatic sites. The efficacy of anti-VEGF treatments may depend on the VEGF expression status, and this finding deserves further investigation...

..With the aim to maintain efficacy while reducing toxicity, we compared the activity and safety of a combination of 5-FU, cisplatin and pegylated liposomal doxorubicin with a combination of 5-FU, cisplatin and mitomycin-C...

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..We investigated the role of COX-2 and NF-KB expression in relation to the use of a COX-2 inhibitor (celecoxib) associated to gemcitabine and oxaliplatin in pancreatic cancer...

..Furthermore, while NF-kB activation seems to predict resistance to chemotherapy as demonstrated 'in vitro' models, gefitinib does not overcome this mechanism of resistance, as reported for cetuximab...

..The median and 4-year survival for the whole group was 17 months and 31%, respectively. The median survival was 12 months for inoperable patients and it was not reached in resected patients...

..This review will focus on the several treatment modalities available for gastric cancer patients: surgery, adjuvant, neoadjuvant and palliative chemotherapy as well as new target agents...

..The aim of this prospective study was to assess the quality of pain management hospitalized cancer patients...

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..We assessed the hypothesis that a compromised p53 function could account for the non response of colon cancer patients with low thymidylate synthase (TS) expression receiving a bolus 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) leucovorin (LV) combination...

..Laboratory evidences suggest the possibility that an infusion rate of 10 mg/m2/min may be more effective than the standard 30-min infusion of Gemcitabine (GEM)...

..Resection-line involvement has been suggested as an important prognostic factor for gastric cancer...

..66 +/- 0.17; P = 0.0001). VEGF may be used in a clinical setting to identify patients at high risk for relapse who may benefit from adjuvant treatment including new therapeutic strategies such as monoclonal antibody neutralizing VEGF...

..Furthermore, this study suggests the need for extreme caution in the interpretation and publication of studies on chemoprotectants in colon cancer without a control group...

..We determined the maximum tolerable dose of docetaxel combined with a weekly fixed dose of gemcitabine and assessed the activity of this combination in advanced pancreatic cancer...

..The sequential application of docetaxel after PELF chemotherapy gained major objective responses with manageable toxicity. This strategy is worth of further investigation in the setting of palliative or neoadjuvant chemotherapy...

..7%) and of thrombocytopenia in 3 out of 188 cycles (1.5%). Median survival of all patients was 6 months. The outcome of this intensive chemotherapy regimen does not support its use in pancreatic cancer...

..04). CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that reintroduction of 5-FU could increase irinotecan and oxaliplatin activity in patients progressing during a 5-FU-based first-line chemotherapy...

..This weekly intensive regimen enabled resection in half of previously inoperable tumours with a moderate toxicity. It can be offered to patients with locally advanced unresectable gastric cancer to obtain curative resection...

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..These data, together with recent results in advanced disease, make this approach of interest for the development of new programs of adjuvant therapy in this setting...

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..We conclude that salvage chemotherapy is not recommended in colorectal cancer after 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin treatment even in patients with generally considered favorable characteristics for response to chemotherapy...

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..An inadequate lymph nodes resection can affect survival and result in a higher incidence of local relapse, making the latter group of patients optimal candidates for adjuvant chemoradiation...

..The purpose of this phase II study was to evaluate the activity and safety of cetuximab combined with cisplatin and docetaxel as a first-line treatment for advanced gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction adenocarcinoma...

..The secondary objective was to measure the time to disease progression and the survival time...

..The advantage of this combination, in terms of recurrence rate and survival with respect to 5FU/radiotherapy alone, will have to be evaluated in randomized trials...

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..High-risk patients could be the target for future adjuvant chemotherapy trials and one or more of these markers may identify prognostic subgroups with the same TNM stage category...

..We explored the role of pre-treatment LDH serum levels in colorectal cancer patients receiving first-line bevacizumab...

..The expression of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system has never been studied in gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs)...

..The primary aim of our study was to verify a possible correlation between EGFR gene promoter methylation and clinical outcome in metastatic colorectal cancer patients receiving chemotherapy with irinotecan and cetuximab...

..Because of this we think that this regimen cannot be recommended for the treatment of elderly advanced gastric cancer patients...

..Furthermore, in an analysis of data from the literature we did not find any difference in response rate in relation to dose intensity in the 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin combination...

..CONCLUSIONS: This regimen appears feasible also in elderly gastric cancer patients and, because of its activity, suitable for further studies...

..In conclusion, concomitant radiochemotherapy 5FU based is safe in rectal cancer patients aged > or = 70 with a good tumour downstaging (61% of patients) and excellent feasibility. No treatment related death was observed...

..The purpose of this phase II study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of cetuximab combined with FOLFIRI as a first-line treatment of advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma...

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..Preclinical studies suggested that integrins are relevant for gastric cancer diffusion. We investigated integrins polymorphisms role in determining peritoneal carcinosis or hematogenous metastases in radically resected gastric cancer...

..These data make this approach interesting for the development of new programs of adjuvant therapy of high-risk gastric cancer...

..In advanced disease, major improvements of the last years are represented by the introduction of oral fluoropyrimidines and drugs such as docetaxel or irinotecan and the demonstration of efficacy of the anti-HER2 agent trastuzumab...

..EGFR downstream signalling pathway can be overactivated even in the absence of EGFR expression in a considerable proportion of patients...

..Haemoglobin increases occurred despite continuation of cisplatin chemotherapy. In conclusion subcutaneous low dose of erythropoietin seems to be effective and safe in the treatment of cisplatin-induced anaemia...

..The aim of the present study was to analyze the tolerability and activity of chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil plus oxaliplatin or CPT-11 in elderly patients with advanced colorectal cancer...

..In conclusion, our results seem to confirm the utility of higher doses of pamidronate in patients with painful bone metastases, because of the faster symptom relief achieved...

..The prognostic significance of KIT or platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRalpha) mutations in gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) is still controversial...

..Additional studies will be needed to confirm these results and to clarify other questions about dose and schedule of octreotide...

..The results are far from conclusive, and only partially satisfying but they represent a step forward...

..The primary objective is disease-free survival...

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..CONCLUSIONS: The combination of capecitabine and mitomycin C could represent an effective and manageable treatment option for colorectal cancer patients failing previous chemotherapy regimens...

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..The aim of our analysis was to investigate a correlation between NF-kB expression, response rate, time to progression, and survival in advanced colorectal cancer patients receiving cetuximab and irinotecan...

..031) and 10 months versus 9 months for hMSH2 (p=0.8330). Both the difference in response rate and in median survival observed according to MMR status seem to confirm what has been suggested by preclinical studies...

..CONCLUSIONS: Further studies are warranted to identify more satisfactory strategies as well as to identify patients who are more likely to benefit from an adjuvant treatment...

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..To determine the importance of downstaging of locally advanced rectal cancer after neoadjuvant treatment...

..Data are limited regarding bone metastases from colorectal cancer (CRC). The objective of this study was to survey the natural history of bone metastasis in CRC...

..Results indicate that our temozolomide -FTM combined schedule is not effective, although well tolerated, in non responsive patients with GBM. Further strategies are required to improve the outcome of these patients...

..However, the optimal schedule for administration of the two drugs has not yet been determined. In this study we evaluated the activity and toxicity of a weekly gemcitabine and cisplatin schedule...

..Although preliminary results appear promising, only future clinical and translational data will clarify the best clinical setting and treatment combinations for the optimal use of dalotuzumab in clinical practice...

..To evaluate the feasibility in clinical practice of alternating chemo-radiotherapy in locally advanced head and neck cancer patients...

..The aims of this phase II study were to evaluate the response rate and toxicity of the gemcitabine-oxaliplatin combination in patients with advanced NSCLC and poor prognosis...

..Combined IGF-1 and K-RAS analysis may represent an effective strategy for a better selection of responding colorectal cancer patients...

..New treatment strategies and a more careful evaluation of innovative therapies are clearly needed for this disease. In this review we will focus on treatment strategies both in resectable and advanced pancreatic cancer...

..The addition of Lev to 5FU does not seem to be relevant for the clinical activity of this adjuvant regimen, whereas toxicity related to Lev should be considered when an adjuvant treatment for stage III colon cancer patients is proposed...

..Moreover, the biological selection of colorectal tumors more likely to benefit from this treatment approach is still to be defined...

..The aim of this study was to evaluate downstaging as primary end point, and progression-free survival and overall survival as secondary end points, in rectal adenocarcinoma patients treated with preoperative chemoradiation...

..This review discusses all the main paraneoplastic syndromes, focusing mainly on their clinical aspect and reminding the most commonly associated cancers...

..Our results suggested that anemia could represent an important prognostic factor in resected NSCLC and correction of anemia in the perioperative setting does not reduce the risk of relapse...

..The objective of this article is to review the present literature available on major Phase II - III clinical trials, in which patients suffering from advanced gastric cancer were treated with cytotoxic chemotherapy...

..We extensively reviewed the published scientific literature on this topic in order to investigate the clinical and genetic profiling underlying lung cancer in women and to use this information as a tool for medical therapy...

..This systematic review will analyse available data about these factors with the aim to constitute a starting point for future research...

..Along with new effective therapeutic opportunities, better clinical and molecularly driven patient selection will represent the cornerstone of the global care for these patients...

..The present review analyzes the new molecular targets that could be involved in predicting response and prognosis...

..The aim of this paper is to review the results of the main studies regarding the relationship between the cost of chemotherapy and its effectiveness in advanced gastric and gastrointestinal cancer patients...

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..To evaluate the clinical features of breast cancer patients with genetic susceptibility to this disease and to investigate the contribution of BRCA1 germline mutations to the phenotype of these tumors...

..Moreover, the biological selection of colorectal tumours most likely to benefit from this treatment approach is still to be defined...

..In our opinion, this schedule cannot be recommended for routine use...

..This review discusses the role of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy regimens used in the standard combined modality treatment programs for rectal cancer and focuses on the ongoing research to improve these regimens...