How We Treat Recurrent Glioblastoma Today and Current Evidence.

Purpose Of Review: Recurrent glioblastoma (rGBM) has no standard treatment. Despite a better molecular knowledge, few therapies have brought changes in clinical practice so far. Here we will review the current data evaluating the re-radiation, re-resection, bevacizumab, and cytotoxic chemotherapy agents in this setting.

Next-generation Sequencing-based genomic profiling: Fostering innovation in cancer care?

Objectives: With the development of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies, DNA sequencing has been increasingly utilized in clinical practice. Our goal was to investigate the impact of genomic evaluation on treatment decisions for heavily pretreated patients with metastatic cancer.

Methods: We analyzed metastatic cancer patients from a single institution whose cancers had progressed after all available standard-of-care therapies and whose tumors underwent next-generation sequencing analysis.

The effects of palliative chemotherapy in metastatic colorectal cancer patients with an ECOG performance status of 3 and 4.

Background: Although chemotherapy is standard for patients with mCRC and ECOG PS of 0/1, the real benefit for patients with ECOG PS > 2 remains uncertain, because they are generally excluded from clinical trials. Our objectives were to compare the survival and safety of ECOG PS 3/4 patients who were administered chemotherapy with those who received BSC only.

Patients And Methods: We retrospectively analyzed all consecutive mCRC patients who started first-line chemotherapy at our institution in a 4-year period.

Malignant paratesticular mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis (MTVT) is a rare tumor that usually affects patients after the sixth decade of life. Exposure to asbestos is a known risk factor. Enlargement of the scrotal volume is the most common initial clinical manifestation, and about 15% of cases present metastasis at diagnosis.

Percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage in patients with advanced solid malignancies: prognostic factors and clinical outcomes.

Purpose: Obstructive jaundice (OJ) is a cumbersome complication in late-stage malignancies, and percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) is often used to relieve symptoms and allow chemotherapy (CT).

Methods: From July 2008 to August 2011, 71 patients (pts) with OJ due to solid malignancies underwent PTBD in our institution. Baseline characteristics, procedure complications, and outcomes were retrospectively collected.