Systemic recurrence of endometrial cancer more than 10 years after hysterectomy: a report of two cases and a brief review of the literature.

Background: Endometrial carcinoma is one of the most common female cancers in developed countries. Disease stage is associated with the risk of disease relapse after radical treatment. Typically, the risk of disease relapse peaks at 3 years from local radical treatment and then diminishes over time, so that late relapses (i.

Long-term disease control in a metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity treated with maintenance metronomic capecitabine.

Recurrent or metastatic disease occurs in two-thirds of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas and it is associated with poor prognosis. Systemic treatment with platinum-based chemotherapy in combination with the epidermal growth factor receptor-targeting monoclonal antibody cetuximab represents a preferred option for these patients. Upon the achievement of tumor response by combined treatment, maintenance with single-agent cetuximab is usually administered with the aim of prolonging disease control at the price of reasonable toxicity.

Long term control of luteinized thecoma with sclerosing peritonitis with leuprorelin and tamoxifen treatment.

Background: Luteinized thecoma with sclerosing peritonitis (LTSP) is a very rare condition, and its clinical management is not evidence-based. Here we describe a case of long-term disease control achieved with leuprorelin and tamoxifen therapy.

Case Presentation: A 18-year-old woman with acute abdomen underwent surgical removal of an ovarian mass and received diagnosis of LTSP.

Variation in gynecological oncology follow-up practice: attributable to cancer centers or to patient characteristics? A Piedmont Regional Oncology Network Study.

Aims And Background: Although guidelines recommend minimalist follow-up, there is wide variability in gynecological oncology practice. The aims of this study were to describe between-center differences in the follow-up of endometrial, ovarian, and uterine cervical cancer; to identify the determinants of test prescription; to estimate the related costs; and to assess the weight of center habits and patient characteristics as sources of unexplained variability.

Methods And Study Design: The medical records of patients treated between August 2004 and July 2005 for gynecological malignancies and followed up for the detection of recurrent disease were retrospectively collected from 29 centers of the Piedmont Oncology Network.

Restless legs syndrome and its relationship with anxiety, depression, and quality of life in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Objective: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common sensorimotor disorder characterized by uncomfortable and unpleasant sensations in the legs that are relieved by movement. This study evaluated the prevalence of RLS in a consecutive series of cancer patients during chemotherapy and examined the relationship between presence of RLS and quality of life, anxiety, and depressive symptoms in these patients.

Methods: RLS was assessed according to the International RLS Study Group essential diagnostic criteria in two stages: a screening questionnaire first, followed by a sleep specialist-conducted structured diagnostic interview.

Gemcitabine and protracted 5-fluorouracil infusion as third-line chemotherapy in refractory colorectal cancer patients.

Background: There is no standard treatment for patients with advanced colorectal cancer (CRC) progressing after irinotecan and oxaliplatin treatment and having good performance status (PS).

Patients And Methods: We investigated gemcitabine 1,000 mg/m2 days 1, 8 and 15 q28d combined with protracted 5-fluorouracil continuous infusion at 200 mg/m2/day, in 37 consecutive patients progressing after oxaliplatin-irinotecan-containing chemotherapies.

Results: Partial response (PR) was achieved in 4 (10.

Development and validation of a patient-physician relationship index in the advanced cancer setting.

Background: The quality of the relationship between patient and medical staff is crucial in oncological settings. We have developed and validated a short, self-administered questionnaire to measure patients' satisfaction with their relationship with the physician: the Patient-Physician Relationship Index (PPRI).

Materials And Methods: Content validity was evaluated by a two-stage (development and judgment) process.

Long-term disease free survival in a patient with metastatic adreno-cortical carcinoma after complete pathological response to chemotherapy plus mitotane.

Adreno-cortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare cancer with poor prognosis. Complete surgical resection of the primary tumor and, when feasible, of the local and distant metastases offers the best prospects for long-term survival; conversely, the role of systemic therapy in patients developing unresectable metastatic disease is unclear. We describe the case of a young female patient (36 yr) who presented with an androgen-releasing metastatic ACC.

The role of haemoglobin level in predicting the response to first-line chemotherapy in advanced colorectal cancer patients.

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the influence of baseline haemoglobin level in predicting response to 5-fluorouracil (5FU)-based first-line chemotherapy in advanced colorectal cancer patients. Data from 631 patients were collected from three different institutions. Globally, overall response rate was 35.

Prognostic significance of changes in CA 15-3 serum levels during chemotherapy in metastatic breast cancer patients.

Tumor response to first-line chemotherapy in advanced breast cancer offers prognostic information and may be used as a surrogate marker for evaluating treatment efficacy. With this study we wanted to determine whether changes in circulating serum CA 15-3 levels during chemotherapy provided additional information for prognostic prediction. Serum CA 15-3 was measured at baseline and after 3 and 6 months during anthracycline-based first-line chemotherapy in 526 patients with advanced breast cancer prospectively enrolled in five phase II-III trials.

Feasibility of 21-day continuous infusion of epirubicin in hormone-refractory prostate cancer patients.

Background: Epirubicin (EPX) has been found to be active in hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC) patients. Prolonged EPX infusion has never been investigated in this patient subset.

Patients And Methods: A feasibility study was conducted in which EPX was administered in 21-day continuous infusion to 15 patients with HRPC.

Predictive factors for skeletal complications in hormone-refractory prostate cancer patients with metastatic bone disease.

Factors predictive of skeletal-related events (SREs) in bone metastatic prostate cancer patients with hormone-refractory disease were investigated. We evaluated the frequency of SREs in 200 hormone-refractory patients consecutively observed at our Institution and followed until death or the last follow-up. Baseline parameters were evaluated in univariate and multivariate analysis as potential predictive factors of SREs.

Oral estramustine plus oral etoposide in the treatment of hormone refractory prostate cancer patients: a phase II study with a 5-year follow-up.

Background: Chemotherapy regimens that target microtubular trafficking were repeatedly found to be active in the treatment of hormone refractory prostate cancer patients, but disease responses were reportedly short-lived on average.

Materials And Methods: From 1994 to 1997, 46 consecutive patients with hormone refractory prostate cancer were enrolled in a multicenter Phase II trial of oral etoposide 100 mg/day and estramustine 560 mg/day for 21 days, followed by a 7-day rest period. Final evaluation of this trial was performed after a follow-up of 5 years.

Paclitaxel, vinorelbine and 5-fluorouracil in breast cancer patients pretreated with adjuvant anthracyclines.

We investigated the activity and toxicity of a combination of vinorelbine (VNB), paclitaxel (PTX) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) continuous infusion administered as first-line chemotherapy in metastatic breast cancer patients pretreated with adjuvant anthracyclines. A total of 61 patients received a regimen consisting of VNB 25 mg m(-2) on days 1 and 15, PTX 60 mg m(-2) on days 1, 8 and 15 and continuous infusion of 5-FU at 200 mg m(-2) every day. Cycles were repeated every 28 days.

Multimodal management of stages III-IVa malignant thymoma.

Purpose: The optimal therapy for locally advanced malignant thymoma is controversial. We review our experience with a multimodal approach in 63 consecutive cases.

Patients And Methods: Forty-three patients had stage III and 20 stage IVa disease.

Abdominal malignant mesothelioma following autologous bone marrow transplantation: a case report.

Secondary malignancies are a well-known late complication occurring in patients who undergo bone marrow transplant (BMT) during childhood. A boy with acute lymphoblastic leukemia experienced a BM relapse at the age of 14 years and underwent an autologous BMT conditioned with TBI and melphalan. Sixteen years later a malignant mesothelioma of the peritoneum was diagnosed.

Background to and management of treatment-related bone loss in prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer is a common disease among older men. Androgen suppression by either orchiectomy or administration of luteinising hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) analogues is the mainstay of treatment. Since the use of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) serum testing has become widespread, however, the timing of endocrine therapy has expanded considerably to include patients with limited involvement of extraprostatic sites and patients presenting an isolated elevation of PSA after radical treatments.

Multivariate regression analyses of data from a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study confirm quality of life benefit of epoetin alfa in patients receiving non-platinum chemotherapy.

Cancer-related anaemia is associated with a wide spectrum of symptoms that can negatively affect quality of life. Because epoetin alfa has demonstrated efficacy in correcting cancer-related anaemia, the impact of this treatment on quality of life was evaluated in a multinational, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 375 anaemic cancer patients receiving non-platinum-based chemotherapy. The cancer-specific measures of quality of life included the general scale (FACT-G Total) and fatigue subscale (FACT-An Fatigue subscale) of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Anaemia and the Cancer Linear Analogue Scales measuring energy, ability to do daily activities, and overall quality of life.

Time to progression in metastatic breast cancer patients treated with epirubicin is not improved by the addition of either cisplatin or lonidamine: final results of a phase III study with a factorial design.

Purpose: To investigate the value of the addition of either cisplatin (CDDP) or lonidamine (LND) to epirubicin (EPI) in the first-line treatment of advanced breast cancer.

Patients And Methods: Three hundred seventy-one metastatic breast cancer patients with no prior systemic chemotherapy for advanced disease were randomized to receive either EPI alone (60 mg/m(2) on days 1 and 2 every 21 days), EPI and CDDP (30 mg/m(2) on days 1 and 2 every 21 days), EPI and LND (450 mg orally daily, given continuously), or EPI, CDDP, and LND. Time to progression, response rates, side effects, and survival were compared according to the 2 x 2 factorial design of this study.