Eribulin in cutaneous breast cancer metastasis treatment: clinical activity and symptom control.

Aim: This observational study evaluated the behavior and outcome of cutaneous breast cancer metastasis treated with eribulin.

Patients & Methods: From November 2012 to January 2013, oncologists completed a database with patient, tumor and treatment characteristics from 14 Italian cancer centers. Skin lesions were assessed by Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors and cutaneous symptoms by present/absent criteria.

Prostate-specific antigen growth rate constant after first-line cytotoxic chemotherapy in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer: a monoinstitutional experience.

Objective: Validation in clinical practice, after first-line chemotherapy (CT) of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (PC), of prostate-specific antigen growth rate constant logarithm (PSA-G), calculated by a formula developed by Stein et al. in comparison with PSA decrease (PSA-D), calculated as recommended by PCWG2.

Patients And Methods: This study is a retrospective monoinstitutional assessment of PSA-G and PSA-D after 12 weeks from the beginning of first-line cytotoxic CT in 49 patients with metastatic castration-resistant PC treated from 2006 to 2011, and whose pre-CT PSA and post-CT PSA determinations have been measured at specific time points.

CA125-related measures of tumor kinetics and outcome of patients with recurrent ovarian cancer receiving chemotherapy: a retrospective evaluation.

Objective: Defining the reliability of cancer antigen-125-related kinetics criteria versus Gynecologic Cancer Inter Group criteria in predicting the tumor outcome after chemotherapy in patients with recurrent ovarian cancer.

Methods: A retrospective monoinstitutional assessment of CA125-related versus Gynecologic Cancer Inter Group-related parameters was performed after cytotoxic chemotherapy in patients with metastatic ovarian cancer treated from 2006 to 2011. A correlation analysis between the response and progression measurements has been performed, and the outcome has been reported.

Docetaxel for metastatic breast cancer: two consecutive phase II trials.

Background: Docetaxel is the most active agent for metastatic breast cancer, but the optimal treatment regimen as a single agent has yet to be defined.

Patients And Methods: Two consecutive monocentric phase II trials of docetaxel in metastatic breast cancer were carried out. In Trial I, 36 patients received docetaxel 35 mg/m2 weekly for 6 weeks every 8 weeks and in Trial II, 29 patients received docetaxel 100 mg/m2 day 1 every 21 days.

Decrease in length of hospitalization before death of cancer patients in the Italian province of Imperia.

Although the overall cure rates for cancer in Italy are comparable to those of other developed countries, these results are the product of very heterogeneous facilities. In order to assess the possible impact of improved acute cancer care services on the last phase of life, a retrospective study was carried out which included 4238 patients registered at the Division of Medical Oncology of Imperia Province from January 1995 to December 2002. In 1998 the Province of Imperia, with a population of 217,000, had only two doctors and five day-hospital beds.