Docetaxel and irinotecan as second-line therapy for advanced oesophagogastric cancer.

Introduction: Systemic chemotherapy improves survival in oesophagogastric cancer however no standard second-line regimen exists due to a paucity of randomised data. Docetaxel combined with irinotecan (DI) provides a suitable option due to the lack of cross-reactivity with first-line therapeutics and a tolerable toxicity profile.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed a cohort of patients with advanced oesophagogastric cancer in two institutions treated with the combination of docetaxel 35 mg/m(2) plus irinotecan 60 mg/m(2) day 1 and day 8 every 21 days, following progression with first-line platinum-based therapy.

Intramedullary spinal cord metastasis in a patient with colon cancer: a case report.

Introduction: Intramedullary spinal cord metastasis (ISCM) is both a rare and devastating event, since it is clinically evident in 0.1-0.9% of cancer patients and the mortality rate at 3-4 months is 80%.

The role of postoperative radiotherapy in the management of patients with thymic tumors -- a retrospective study.

Background: Thymomas are the most common tumor arising in the anterior mediastinum. Surgery is the cornerstone for the management of these tumors. The role of postoperative radiotherapy in Masaoka stage II thymomas remains controversial, but it is well established in the advanced stages.

Potential value of PTEN in predicting cetuximab response in colorectal cancer: an exploratory study.

Background: The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is over-expressed in 70-75% of colorectal adenocarcinomas (CRC). The anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody cetuximab has been approved for the treatment of metastatic CRC, however tumor response to cetuximab has not been found to be associated with EGFR over-expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC). The aim of this study was to explore EGFR and the downstream effector phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) as potential predictors of response to cetuximab.