A phase II study of carboplatin and paclitaxel as first line chemotherapy in elderly patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Introduction: Lung cancer is the leading cause of tumour-related deaths in the elderly population but the optimal management of advanced NSCLC in older patients has not been defined to date. The present phase II study was planned to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of the combination of carboplatin and paclitaxel in elderly patients with advanced NSCLC.

Patients And Methods: Patients (>70 years old) who had pathologically been proven to have a NSCLC and measurable lesions were treated with paclitaxel (175 mg/m2 for 3h) and carboplatin [area under the concentration-time curve (AUC=5)] on day 1 every 3 weeks.

Oral temozolomide in heavily pre-treated brain metastases from non-small cell lung cancer: phase II study.

Introduction: The primary tumour type most likely to metastasize to the brain is lung cancer. In heavily pre-treated patients, limited therapeutic option is available and the results of availability therapies reported in literature are disappointing. The present phase II study was designed to assess the efficacy and safety of temozolomide (TMZ) as palliative treatment for brain metastases (BrM) in NSCLC patients pre-treated with WBRT and at least one line of chemotherapy for metastatic brain disease.

Fludarabine, mitoxantrone and dexamethasone as front-line therapy in elderly patients affected by newly-diagnosed, low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphomas with unfavorable prognostic factors: results of a phase II study.

About one-third of the cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas occur in patients aged 60 years or more. Nevertheless, there are very few data in the literature regarding the optimal therapeutic approach for both aggressive and indolent histologies. Fludarabine-based combination regimens are an effective choice for younger patients affected by low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, but there is a lack of information about their tolerability and efficacy in older patients.