Sorafenib use in elderly patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: caution about use of platelet aggregation inhibitors.

Purpose: Sorafenib is the standard of care for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The peak incidence of HCC is around 70 years. We aimed to evaluate safety and efficacy of sorafenib in the elderly population.

[Retrospective analysis of 24 recurrent glioblastoma after chemoradiation and treated with nitrosoureas or irinotecan and bevacizumab].

Despite progress in the initial management of glioblastoma (GB), the vast majority of patients will experience recurrence within 2-3 years. The medical treatment of these recurrences is being modified by the use of antiangiogenic therapies. Twenty-four patients, who relapsed from GB after chemoradiation followed by adjuvant temozolomide in Rennes, were treated by conventional chemotherapy (nitrosourea) or by the combination of irinotecan and bevacizumab.

Usefulness of chemotherapy beyond the second line for metastatic breast cancer: a therapeutic challenge.

Purpose: Several lines of chemotherapy can be proposed for patients with metastatic breast cancer, but beyond the second line, agreement is lacking concerning the most appropriate therapeutic strategy.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of the files of 162 patients, who had received at least 3 lines of chemotherapy (CT3) for metastatic breast cancer during a 5-year period (2000-2004), in order to analyze management practices and search for factors affecting survival from CT3 and predictive factors of non-progressive disease (NPD) after CT3.

Results: Multivariate analysis identified seven factors which had a positive influence on survival from CT3 (SBR grade I, absence of adjuvant hormone therapy, free interval >or=2 years, absence of cerebromeningeal metastasis before CT, unique focus at initiation of CT3, use of polychemotherapy for CT2, and complete response to CT1 or CT2) and two predictive factors of NPD (histology and drug group used for CT3).

Topotecan in combination with radiotherapy in unresectable glioblastoma: a phase 2 study.

Improving glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) treatment with radio-chemotherapy remains a challenge. Topotecan is an attractive option as it exhibits growth inhibition of human glioma as well as brain penetration. The present study assessed the combination of radiotherapy (60 Gy/30 fractions/40 days) and topotecan (0.