Her2-Positive Cancers and Antibody-Based Treatment: State of the Art and Future Developments.

HER2 positive breast cancer represent about 20% of all breast cancer subtypes and it was considered the subtype with the worst prognosis until the discovery of therapies directed against the HER2 protein. The determination of the status of the HER2 must be very precise and well managed to identify this subtype, and there are very specific and updated guides that allow its characterization to be adjusted. Treatment in local disease has been considerably improved with less aggressive and highly effective approaches and very high cure rates.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and cytokeratin 19 (CK19) mRNA as prognostic factors in heavily pretreated patients with metastatic breast cancer.

Introduction: Circulating tumor cell (CTC) count and cytokeratin 19 (CK19) mRNA expression have a prognostic value for patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC), but their clinical utility remains controversial. We studied CTC count and CK19 mRNA expression in the peripheral blood samples from heavily pretreated patients with MBC and their correlations with prognosis and response to the subsequent line of therapy.

Methods: This prospective observational study included 67 consecutive patients with MBC who were on progression to systemic therapy, and criteria for a new line of systemic treatment were proposed outside a clinical trial.

Identification of MEK162 as a Radiosensitizer for the Treatment of Glioblastoma.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a highly aggressive and lethal brain cancer type. PI3K and MAPK inhibitors have been studied preclinically in GBM as monotherapy, but not in combination with radiotherapy, which is a key component of the current standard treatment of GBM. In our study, GBM cell lines and patient representative primary cultures were grown as multicellular spheroids.

Clinical features and survival of lung cancer patients with pleural effusions.

Background And Objective: The clinical relevance of pleural effusions in lung cancer has seldom been approached systematically. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence, causes and natural history of lung cancer-associated pleural effusions, as well as their influence on survival.

Methods: Retrospective review of clinical records and imaging of 556 consecutive patients with a newly diagnosed lung cancer over a 4-year period at our institution.

Incidence and risk factors of peripheral arterial occlusive disease in a prospective cohort of 700 adult elderly men followed for 5 years.

Objective: This study was designed to assess the incidence of peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) in a population-based cohort of men aged 55-74 years and to establish a predictive function based on risk factors for the disease.

Methods: This was a prospective study of 699 men representative of an urban population. Cardiovascular risk factors, history of cardiovascular events, and ankle-brachial index (ABI) at baseline and at 5 years were measured.