Induction therapy for early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer.

Data from adjuvant trials clearly indicate that one of the most important problems in patients with resected non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is compliance to chemotherapy. In the postoperative setting, significant comorbidities and incomplete recovery after surgery often make it difficult for patients to tolerate or comply with systemic therapy. Therefore, it may be preferable to deliver chemotherapy before surgery as "neoadjuvant" or "induction" chemotherapy.

Akt phosphorylation and gefitinib efficacy in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.

Background: Gefitinib, a specific epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor, has activity against approximately 10% of unselected non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase (PI3K)/Akt and Ras/Raf/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), the two main EGFR-signaling pathways, mediate EGFR effects on proliferation and survival. Because activation of these pathways is dependent on the phosphorylation status of the components, we evaluated the association between phosphorylation status of Akt (P-Akt) and MAPK (P-MAPK) and gefitinib activity in patients with advanced NSCLC.

Phase II study of gemcitabine-cisplatin-paclitaxel triplet as induction chemotherapy in inoperable, locally-advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Purpose: Our objective was to determine the activity in terms of response rate, surgical resectability, and the tolerability of the new three-drug combination gemcitabine-cisplatin-paclitaxel (GCP) in unresectable stage IIIA(N2) and IIIB non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Patient And Methods: Forty-two chemo-naive patients with stage IIIA(N2)-IIIB NSCLC, median age of 59 years, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 or 1, and the ability to tolerate pneumectomy, received gemcitabine (Gem) 1000 mg/m(2) IV days 1 and 8, cisplatin (CDDP) 50 mg/m(2) IV days 1 and 8, paclitaxel 125 mg/m(2) 1h infusion IV days 1 and 8, every 21 days for 3 cycles. After induction chemotherapy, patients were evaluated for surgery or definitive radiotherapy.

Epidermal growth factor receptor targeted therapy by ZD 1839 (Iressa) in patients with brain metastases from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Purpose: We report four cases of Brain Metastases (BM) from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) responding to ZD 1839 therapy after standard therapy failure.

Patients And Methods: Four patients with BM from NSCLC, pretreated with two or more lines of chemotherapy, received ZD 1839 (Iressa), on a compassionate use basis, at the daily dose of 250 mg until disease progression. Three patients received Iressa after whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) failure.

Gefitinib in pretreated non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC): analysis of efficacy and correlation with HER2 and epidermal growth factor receptor expression in locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC.

Purpose: To evaluate the correlation between HER2 expression and gefitinib (ZD 1839, Iressa; AstraZeneca, London, United Kingdom) efficacy in terms of response rate, time to progression (TTP), and overall survival (OS) time.

Patients And Methods: Patients with pretreated advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) received gefitinib at a daily dose of 250 mg until disease progression. Tumor tissue specimens obtained at the time of primary diagnosis were collected to determine HER2/epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) status by immunohistochemistry.

Gemzar platinum combinations: phase III trials in non-small cell lung cancer.

Lung cancer accounts for about 28% of all cancer-related deaths. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) constitutes 80% of all lung cancer cases, and in 70% of patients, the disease is diagnosed when it is locally advanced or metastatic. In these situations, chemotherapy has played only a minor role in modifying the natural history according to a 1995 meta-analysis.