Erlotinib for frontline treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer: a phase II study.

Purpose: Erlotinib has proven activity in pretreated patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We evaluated erlotinib in the frontline treatment of advanced NSCLC and assessed biological predictors of outcome.

Experimental Design: In this phase II study, chemotherapy-naive patients with stage IIIB/IV NSCLC received oral erlotinib (150 mg/d) until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity occurred.

Irinotecan combined with bolus 5-fluorouracil and folinic acid Nordic schedule as first-line therapy in advanced colorectal cancer.

Background: This multicentre phase II study evaluated the efficacy and safety of irinotecan combined with the Nordic schedule of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and folinic acid (FA) as first-line therapy in patients with advanced colorectal cancer.

Patients And Methods: Seventy-four patients with measurable disease and a WHO performance status of 2 or less were treated with irinotecan 210 mg/m(2) as a 30-90 min intravenous infusion on day 1, followed by 5-FU 500 mg/m(2) and FA 60 mg/m(2) bolus on days 1 and 2, every 2 weeks, until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. The primary end point was the objective response rate.

A phase II study of docetaxel in patients with metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

This study was designed to evaluate the activity, safety and tolerance of docetaxel (D) in a selected population with metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). Twenty-four patients with no prior palliative therapy were enrolled and received D 100 mg m(-2) by 1 h of infusion, every 3 weeks. All but two patients had been evaluated for efficacy on lung metastatic sites.

[A retrospective study of 53 cases of resectable primary bronchopulmonary cancers associated with Pierre Marie syndrome].

The prognosis of primary lung cancer associated with hypertrophic osteopulmonary arthropathy is not well known. Between July 1973 adn August 1995, we cared for 53 consecutive patients with resectable non-small-cell lung cancer associated with osteoplumonary arthropathy. There were 51 men and 2 women, mean age 56 years.

The pathophysiological mechanism of fluid retention in advanced cancer patients treated with docetaxel, but not receiving corticosteroid comedication.

Aims: Fluid retention is a phenomenon associated with taxoids. The principal objective of this study was to investigate the pathophysiological mechanism of docetaxel-induced fluid retention in advanced cancer patients.

Methods: Docetaxel was administered as a 1 h intravenous infusion every 3 weeks, for at least 4-6 consecutive cycles, to patients with advanced breast (n = 21) or ovarian (n = 3) carcinoma, who had received previous chemotherapy, 21 for advanced disease.