Biomarker Analysis in a Phase II Study of Sunitinib in Patients with Advanced Melanoma.

Aim: To investigate the efficacy of sunitinib in patients with advanced melanoma and to correlate angiogenic biomarkers with response and survival.

Patients And Methods: We performed a phase II study in patients with advanced pre-treated melanoma. The primary endpoint was tumor response.

Phase II study of a triple combination of oral vinorelbine, capecitabine and trastuzumab as first-line treatment in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer.

Unlabelled: Chemotherapy plus trastuzumab is the standard first-line treatment for Human Epidermal Receptor 2-positive (HER2-positive) metastatic breast cancer. The aim of this international phase II trial was to determine the efficacy and safety profile of an oral chemotherapy doublet, oral vinorelbine plus capecitabine, and trastuzumab in this setting.

Patients And Methods: In this single-arm, multicenter, open-label phase II study, in the first-line metastatic setting, patients received 3-weekly cycles of oral vinorelbine at 80 mg/m(2) (first cycle dose 60 mg/m(2)) day 1 and day 8, plus capecitabine at 1000 (750 if ≥ 65 years) mg/m(2) twice daily on days 1-14, plus trastuzumab at 4 mg/kg intravenously (i.

Feasibility of percutaneous radiofrequency ablation for pulmonary malignancies in the hands of the surgeon.

Aim: To assess the feasibility of percutaneous pulmonary radiofrequency ablation (RFA) executed by a single surgeon.

Materials And Methods: Between 2007 and 2010, 15 procedures were performed in 11 patients during 13 sessions. Sex, age, pulmonary localisation and tumor diameter are discussed.

All-oral combination of oral vinorelbine and capecitabine as first-line chemotherapy in HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer: an International Phase II Trial.

Background: This multicentre, international phase II trial evaluated the efficacy and safety profile of a first-line combination of oral vinorelbine plus capecitabine for women with metastatic breast cancer (MBC).

Methods: Patients with measurable, HER2-negative disease received, as a first line in metastatic setting, 3-weekly cycles of oral vinorelbine 80 mg m(-2) (after a first cycle at 60) on day 1 and day 8, plus capecitabine 1000 mg m(-2) (750 if >or=65 years of age) twice daily, on days 1-14. Treatment was continued until progression or unacceptable toxicity.

Phosphorylated HER-2 tyrosine kinase and Her-2/neu gene amplification as predictive factors of response to trastuzumab in patients with HER-2 overexpressing metastatic breast cancer (MBC).

Aim: Trastuzumab (T), a humanised monoclonal antibody against HER-2, is active in HER-2-positive MBC patients. However, nearly 60% of the patients do not benefit from T, stressing the need for additional predictive markers. The following markers could be implicated in response to T: (1) the magnitude of Her-2 gene amplification; (2) the co-expression of the other HER family receptors, possibly responsible for HER-2 trans-activation; (3) the activated status of HER-2; (4) the activated status of downstream effectors as mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), p38 and p27.