Phase II study of biweekly cetuximab plus mFOLFOX6 or mFOLFIRI as second-line treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer and exploratory analysis of associations between DNA methylation status and the efficacy of the anti-EGFR antibody: T-CORE1201.

Background: Little is known about the biweekly combined use of cetuximab and chemotherapy as second-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Recently, DNA methylation status has been reported to be a new possible predictor of the efficacy from the anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) antibody treatment. The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy and safety of biweekly cetuximab plus mFOLFOX6 or mFOLFIRI as a second-line treatment for exon 2 wild-type mCRC.

Altered gene expression due to aberrant DNA methylation correlates with responsiveness to anti-EGFR antibody treatment.

The cetuximab gene expression signature and DNA methylation status of colorectal cancer (CRC) are predictive of the therapeutic effects of anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) antibody therapy. As DNA methylation is a means of regulating gene expression, it may play an important role in the expression of cetuximab signature genes. This study aims to determine the effects of aberrant DNA methylation on the regulation of cetuximab signature gene expression.

Cisplatin Plus Capecitabine After Adjuvant S-1 in Metastatic Gastric Cancer: A Phase II T-CORE1102 Trial.

Background/aim: This phase II study assessed the efficacy of capecitabine plus cisplatin in patients with advanced gastric cancer refractory to adjuvant S-1.

Patients And Methods: This single-arm, open-label, multicenter, phase II study was conducted by Tohoku Clinical Oncology Research and Education Society (T-CORE) in Japan. Patients aged ≥20 years with advanced HER2-negative gastric cancer that was refractory to S-1 were enrolled.

Advanced colorectal cancer subtypes (aCRCS) help select oxaliplatin-based or irinotecan-based therapy for colorectal cancer.

Oxaliplatin (OX) and irinotecan (IRI) are used as key drugs for the first-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). However, no biomarkers have been identified to decide which of the drugs is initially used. In this translational research (TR) of the TRICOLORE trial, the advanced colorectal cancer subtype (aCRCS) was analyzed as a potential biomarker for the selection of OX or IRI.

Antibiotic therapy augments the efficacy of gemcitabine-containing regimens for advanced cancer: a retrospective study.

Background: The addition of antibiotics reportedly augments the efficacy of gemcitabine (GEM) in tumor-bearing mice. However, whether this phenomenon is also observed in cancer patients remains unclear. In the present study, we aimed to assess whether antibiotics for treatment or prevention of infection augments treatment efficacies of GEM-containing regimens in patients with any type of cancer.

Efficacy and Safety of Trastuzumab in Combination with S-1 and Cisplatin Therapy for Japanese Patients with HER2-Positive Advanced Gastric Cancer: Retrospective Analysis.

The combinations of oral fluoropyrimidines and cisplatin such as capecitabine and cisplatin (XP) or S-1 and cisplatin (SP) are regarded as a standard therapy against unresectable, recurrent, or advanced gastric cancer (AGC). Especially, SP is the most common regimen against AGC in Japan. For patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 (HER2)-positive AGC, trastuzumab, a monoclonal antibody targeting HER2 antibody, is additionally used in combination.

Consensus molecular subtypes classification of colorectal cancer as a predictive factor for chemotherapeutic efficacy against metastatic colorectal cancer.

The consensus molecular subtypes (CMS) classification is one of the most robust colorectal cancer (CRC) classifications based on comprehensive gene expression profiles. This study aimed to clarify whether the CMS is a predictive factor for therapeutic effects of standard chemotherapies for metastatic CRC (mCRC). We retrospectively enrolled 193 patients with mCRCs, and using comprehensive gene expression data, classified them into 4 subtypes: CMS1-CMS4.

Retrospective analysis on the clinical outcomes of recombinant human soluble thrombomodulin for disseminated intravascular coagulation syndrome associated with solid tumors.

Background: Recombinant human soluble thrombomodulin (rTM) has been established and introduced in the clinic as a standard treatment for disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). However, the efficacy and safety of rTM for DIC associated with solid tumors (DIC-STs) have not been fully established. Here, we performed a retrospective analysis of the clinical outcomes of rTM for DIC-STs and considered a treatment strategy with rTM for DIC-STs.

The G8 screening tool enhances prognostic value to ECOG performance status in elderly cancer patients: A retrospective, single institutional study.

Background: Some elderly cancer patients, even with good Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG-PS), have poor survival outcomes and cannot tolerate standard therapy. Few studies have detailed the associations between the G8 screening tool, ECOG-PS, and overall survival (OS) in such patients.

Methods: Cancer patients, aged 70 years or older, were assessed for G8 and classified into three groups according to their G8 score: <11 as the low score group, 11-14 as the intermediate score group, and >14 as the high score group.

Efficacy and Safety Assessment of Paclitaxel in Patients with Docetaxel-Resistant Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Background: Incomplete cross-resistances between paclitaxel (PTX) and docetaxel (DTX) has been demonstrated in several types of cancer. The objective of the present study was to assess the existence of cross-resistance between PTX and DTX in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Methods: Patients in the PTX group received PTX without DTX pretreatment, patients in the prior DTX (Pr-DTX) group received PTX after the development of resistance to DTX, and patients in the DTX group received DTX without subsequent PTX treatment.

Efficacy and Safety of Carboplatin and Etoposide Combination Chemotherapy for Extrapulmonary Neuroendocrine Carcinoma: A Retrospective Case Series.

Background: Neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC) is a rare tumor type, and a standard therapy for NEC has not yet been established. From 2008 to 2013, carboplatin-etoposide combination therapy has been used to treat almost all NEC patients in our department, and the objective of the present study was to investigate the therapeutic effects of carboplatin-etoposide combination therapy in NEC.

Methods: This retrospective study was conducted based on medical records from 2008 to 2013.