Variations in the activity of the enzyme dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) are associated with toxicity to fluoropyrimidine-containing chemotherapy. Testing of DPD deficiency either by targeted genotyping of the corresponding gene or by quantification of plasma concentration of uracil and dihydrouracil (phenotyping approach) are the two main methods capable of predicting reduced enzymatic activity in order to reduce adverse reactions after fluoropyrimidine treatment. In this paper, we describe a patient with locally advanced colon carcinoma with severe toxicity following capecitabine therapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Currently, nanoliposomal irinotecan (nal-IRI) + 5-fluorouracil/folinic acid (5-FU/LV) is the only approved second-line treatment for patients suffering from metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (mPDAC). However, also other chemotherapeutic regimens are used in this setting and due to the lack of clear real-world data on the efficacy of the different regimens, there is no consensus on the optimal treatment sequence for mPDAC patients.
Objectives: To provide information on the safe and efficacious use of nal-IRI + 5-FU/LV in clinical practice in Belgium, which is needed for healthcare professionals to estimate the risk-benefit ratio of the intervention.
Background And Purpose: Oral capecitabine and intravenous 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) are both used as a radiosensitizer in chemoradiotherapy (CRT). A capecitabine-based regimen is more convenient for both patients and healthcare professionals. Since large comparative studies are lacking, we compared toxicity, overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) between both CRT-regimens in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPituitary adenoma is the main cause of hyperprolactinaemia; however, physicians should be aware that the pituitary is not always to blame. There are many other physiological and pathological causes for hyperprolactinaemia, and the contribution of stress, medication and the presence of macroprolactin should not be overlooked. We describe three patients - a 19-year-old female, a 28-year-old female and a 20-year-old male - in whom hyperprolactinaemia was due to medication use, physical stimulation of the nipple and a combination of macroprolactianaemia with a microadenoma, respectively.
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