Health related quality of life in older or frail patients with advanced colorectal cancer treated with dose reduced capecitabine.

Objectives: Palliative chemotherapy's role is to prolong survival while minimizing treatment toxicities to preserve or improve quality of life. We have recently published a phase II trial of dose reduced capecitabine in older or frail patients with advanced colorectal cancer (aCRC). We herein provide a robust analysis of the health related quality of life (HRQoL) data from our trial.

Phase II trial of capecitabine plus erlotinib versus capecitabine alone in patients with advanced colorectal cancer.

Unlabelled: Aim & methods: Capecitabine monotherapy as palliation for advanced colorectal cancer (CRC) is generally well tolerated. Adding erlotinib, an EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor, might improve efficacy versus capecitabine alone. 82 patients received capecitabine alone (Arm 1) or capecitabine with erlotinib (Arm 2).

High-dose-rate interstitial brachytherapy for the treatment of high-volume locally recurrent endometrial carcinoma.

Purpose: Limited therapeutic options are available for the treatment of locally recurrent endometrial carcinoma. Our objective was to report an institutional experience using interstitial brachytherapy (IBT) to treat significant recurrent endometrial carcinoma, including previously irradiated disease.

Methods And Materials: Between December 2004 and September 2012, 40 patients with high-volume locally recurrent endometrial cancer were treated by high-dose-rate IBT (± external beam radiation therapy EBRT).

Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy Versus 3D Conformal Radiotherapy for Postoperative Gynecologic Cancer: Are They Covering the Same Planning Target Volume?

Background And Purpose: This study compares dosimetric parameters of planning target volume (PTV) coverage and organs at risk (OAR) sparing when postoperative radiotherapy for gynecologic cancers is delivered using volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) versus a four-field (4FLD) box technique.

Material And Methods: From July to December 2012, women requiring postoperative radiation for gynecologic cancers were treated with a standardized VMAT protocol. Two sets of optimized 4FLD plans were retrospectively generated: one based on standard anatomical borders (4FLD) and one based on the clinical target volume (CTV) created for VMAT with a 2 cm expansion guiding field border placement (4FLD+2).

ECF chemotherapy for liver metastases due to castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Introduction: Most men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) have biochemical response to docetaxel, but the objective response rate is low. Liver metastases are uncommon with CRPC and associated with shorter survival. More active treatment might benefit these patients.

CT-based interstitial brachytherapy in advanced gynecologic malignancies: outcomes from a single institution experience.

Purpose: To evaluate the clinical outcomes of women receiving a "short" course of high-dose-rate gynecologic interstitial brachytherapy (HDR-ISBT) boost with CT-based 3D planning.

Methods And Materials: Forty-seven women with no prior radiation received HDR-ISBT from August 2004 to February 2012. The mean external beam radiotherapy dose was 45 Gy.

Adjuvant paclitaxel and carboplatin chemotherapy with involved field radiation in advanced endometrial cancer: a sequential approach.

Purpose: To determine the feasibility of adjuvant paclitaxel and carboplatin chemotherapy interposed with involved field radiotherapy for women with advanced endometrial cancer.

Methods And Materials: This was a prospective cohort study of women with Stage III and IV endometrial cancer. Adjuvant therapy consisted of 4 cycles of paclitaxel (175 mg/m(2)) and carboplatin (350 mg/m(2)) every 3 weeks, followed sequentially by external beam radiotherapy (RT) to the pelvis (45 Gy), followed by an additional two cycles of chemotherapy.

Does sex influence the impact that smoking, treatment interruption and impaired pulmonary function have on outcomes in limited stage small cell lung cancer treatment?

Purpose: To look for survival differences between men and women with limited stage small cell lung cancer (LS-SCLC) by examining stratified variables that impair treatment efficacy.

Methods: A retrospective review of 215 LS-SCLC patients treated from 1989 to 1999 with concurrent chemotherapy-radiotherapy modelled on the 'early-start' thoracic radiotherapy arm of a National Cancer Institute of Canada randomized trial.

Results: Of 215 LS-SCLC patients, 126 (58.

Impaired diffusion capacity predicts for decreased treatment tolerance and survival in limited stage small cell lung cancer patients treated with concurrent chemoradiation.

Purpose: To determine if stratification of limited stage small cell lung cancer (LSCLC) patients by pre-treatment pulmonary function test (PFT) prognostic indicators predicts for treatment-related toxicity risks and survival following concurrent chemoradiation.

Materials And Methods: From 1989 to 1999, 215 LSCLC patients received six cycles of alternating cyclophosphamide/doxorubicin/vincristine and etoposide/cisplatin (EP). Thoracic radiation (RT) was initiated only with EP and at cycle 2 or 3.

Toxicity analysis of the 5-day bolus 5-fluorouracil/folinic acid regimen for the treatment of colorectal carcinoma from 2 randomized controlled trials: a concern about dose.

The goal of this study was to ascertain the first cycle intolerability rate of the standard Mayo Clinic regimen, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) 425 mg/m2 with low-dose folinic acid (FA) 20 mg/m2, as a rapid bolus intravenous injection (5-FU/FA) for 5 days every 4-5 weeks for advanced colorectal cancer chemotherapy. The 5-FU/FA arms of 2 large, randomized, controlled trials of 5-FU/FA versus raltitrexed, performed in Europe and North America, were analyzed for intolerability. Two hundred and twelve European patients and 200 North American patients with locally advanced or distant metastatic colorectal cancer were assigned to the Mayo Clinic regimen.