Effectiveness and safety of monoclonal antibodies for metastatic colorectal cancer treatment: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The effectiveness of chemotherapy (CT) for select cases of metastatic colorectal cancer (MCRC) has been well established in the literature, however, it provides limited benefits and in many cases constitutes a treatment with high toxicity. The use of specific molecular biological treatments with monoclonal antibodies (MA) has been shown to be relevant, particularly for its potential for increasing the response rate of the host to the tumour, as these have molecular targets present in the cancerous cells and their microenvironment thereby blocking their development. The combination of MA and CT can bring a significant increase in the rate of resectability of metastases, the progression-free survival (PFS), and the global survival (GS) in MCRC patients.

Colon and rectum neuroendocrine tumors: experience of the National Cancer Institute in Brazil.

Background: Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are rare, comprising nearly 0.49% of all malignancies. The majority occurs in the gastrointestinal tract.

Prognostic significance of p53 protein expression in early gastric cancer.

Mutations of the p53 tumor suppressor gene have been associated with abnormalities in cell cycle regulation, DNA repair and synthesis, apoptosis, and it has been implicated in the prognosis of advanced gastric cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of p53 gene mutation and its possible prognostic implications in early gastric cancer. In a retrospective study, we studied 80 patients with early gastric cancer treated surgically between 1982 and 2001.

[Transhiatal versus transthoracic esophagectomy: experience of the Brazilian National Cancer Institute].

Objective: Analyses of morbidity, mortality and overall survival after transhiatal (TH) or transthoracic (TT) esophagectomy.

Methods: Retrospective non randomized study of 68 patients with esophagus neoplasia operated in the Brazilian National Cancer Institute between 1997 and 2005. We divided in two groups: Group 1--TH (33 patients); and Group 2--TT (35 patients).

Compartment surgery in treatment strategies for retroperitoneal sarcomas: a single-center experience.

Background: Retroperitoneal sarcomas (RPS) are rare tumors and radical surgery is still the only curative treatment. We aim to estimate postoperative morbidity and mortality and identify significant prognostic factors for survival of patients with RPS and then evaluate the effect of en bloc resection on survival.

Methods: This was a retrospective follow-up study of 91 patients with RPS who underwent surgery at the Section of Abdominopelvic Surgery of the National Cancer Institute-Brazil (INCA) between June 1992 and January 2008.

What is the prognostic significance of metastatic lymph nodes in GIST?

Background/aims: So many variables have been identified as prognostic factors influencing survival after curative resection in gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), but the role of lymph node metastasis remains uncertain.

Methodology: Twenty-nine patients with c-Kit positive gastric GIST who underwent surgical resection at the Brazilian National Cancer Institute between 1983 and 2004 were reviewed retrospectively. The prognostic significance of lymph node metastasis was investigated.