Carcinoma of the salivary glands: guidelines and case report of sustained remission with docetaxel.

What Is Known And Objective: Salivary glands tumours are rare neoplasms for which there are few clinical trials. The most common malignant parotid tumour is the mucoepidermoid carcinoma. High-grade mucoepidermoid carcinomas are highly aggressive tumours.

Intensive chemotherapy, azacitidine, or supportive care in older acute myeloid leukemia patients: an analysis from a regional healthcare network.

We assessed in a French regional healthcare network the distribution of treatments, prognostic factors, and outcome of 334 newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia patients aged 60 years or older over a 4-year period of time (2007-2010). Patients were selected in daily practice for intensive chemotherapy (n = 115), azacitidine (n = 95), or best supportive care (n = 124). In these three groups, median overall survival was 18.

Locally advanced pancreatic cancer: the role of definitive chemoradiotherapy.

At the time of diagnosis, around 20% of patients with pancreatic cancer present at a resectable stage, 50% have metastatic disease and 30% have locally advanced tumour, non-metastatic but unresectable because of superior mesenteric artery or coeliac encasement. Despite advances in chemoradiotherapy and improved systemic chemotherapeutic agents, patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer suffer from high rates of distant metastatic failure and from local progression, with a median survival time ranging from 5 to 11 months. In the past 30 years, modest improvements in median survival have been attained for these patients treated by chemoradiotherapy or chemotherapy protocols.

Clofarabine for the treatment of adult acute lymphoid leukemia: the Group for Research on Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia intergroup.

Clofarabine, a second-generation purine analog displaying potent inhibition of DNA synthesis and favorable pharmacologic profile, is approved for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) after failure of at least two previous regimens in patients up to 21 years of age at diagnosis. Good neurologic tolerance, synergy with alkylating agents, management guidelines defined through pediatric ALL and adult acute myeloid leukemia, have also prompted its administration in more than 100 adults with Philadelphia chromosome-positive and negative B lineage and T lineage ALL, as single agent (40 mg/m(2)/ day for 5 days), or in combination. In a Group for Research on Adult Acute Lympho- blastic Leukemia (GRAALL) retrospective study of two regimens (clofarabine ± cyclophosphamide + / - etoposide (ENDEVOL) ± mitoxantrone ± asparaginase ± dexamethasone (VANDEVOL)), remission was achieved in 50% of 55 relapsed/refractory patients, and 17-35% could proceed to allogeneic stem cell.

External validation of nomograms designed to predict lymphatic dissemination in patients with early-stage endometrioid endometrial cancer: a multicenter study.

Objective: The objective of the study was to externally validate and assess the robustness of 2 nomograms designed to predict the probability of lymphatic dissemination (LD) for patients with early-stage endometrioid endometrial cancer.

Study Design: Using a prospective multicenter database, we assessed the discrimination, calibration, and clinical utility of 2 nomograms in patients with surgically treated early-stage endometrioid endometrial cancer.

Results: Among the 322 eligible patients identified, the overall LD rate was 9.

A risk scoring system to determine recurrence in early-stage type 1 endometrial cancer: a French multicentre study.

Background: To develop a risk scoring system (RSS) to determine recurrence in women with early-stage type 1 endometrial cancer (EC).

Methods: Data of 396 women with early-stage type 1 EC who received primary surgical treatment between January 2001 and December 2012 were abstracted from multicentre database (training set). A risk model for predicting recurrence was developed and internally validated with the bootstrap technique.

A clue towards improving the European Society of Medical Oncology risk group classification in apparent early stage endometrial cancer? Impact of lymphovascular space invasion.

Background: Lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI) is one of the most important predictors of nodal involvement and recurrence in early stage endometrial cancer (EC). Despite its demonstrated prognostic value, LVSI has not been incorporated into the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) classification. The aim of this prospective multicentre database study is to investigate whether it may improve the accuracy of the ESMO classification in predicting the recurrence risk.

Oncogenetics and minimal residual disease are independent outcome predictors in adult patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

With intensified pediatric-like therapy and genetic disease dissection, the field of adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has evolved recently. In this new context, we aimed to reassess the value of conventional risk factors with regard to new genetic alterations and early response to therapy, as assessed by immunoglobulin/T-cell receptor minimal residual disease (MRD) levels. The study was performed in 423 younger adults with Philadelphia chromosome-negative ALL in first remission (265 B-cell precursor [BCP] and 158 T-cell ALL), with cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) as the primary end point.

Patients with myeloid malignancies bearing PDGFRB fusion genes achieve durable long-term remissions with imatinib.

Myeloid neoplasms and eosinophilia with rearrangements of PDGFRB are uncommon Philadelphia-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms. Patients are typically male, with morphologic features of a Philadelphia-negative chronic myeloproliferative syndrome or chronic myelomonocytic leukemia with eosinophilia. Reciprocal translocations involving PDGFRB result in fusion genes with constitutively activated receptor tyrosine kinase sensitive to inhibition with imatinib.

Pediatric-like therapy for adults with ALL.

Ten years ago, the first studies comparing the results of adult versus pediatric protocols in adolescents with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) clearly showed that differences in ALL genetics and treatment tolerance could not be the only reasons for the worse outcome observed in adults with this disease as compared to children. It became evident that intensified pediatric chemotherapy regimens could be associated with better response rates and longer survival in adults as well. During the last decade, the use of pediatric-like or pediatric-inspired protocols in adults allowed markedly improving the outcome of young adult patients aged up from 40 years to 60 years, confirming this initial observation.

[Isolated pelvic recurrences of cervical carcinoma treated with salvage chemoradiotherapy].

Purpose: Evaluation of the results of salvage radiation therapy with curative intent in the treatment of recurrent cervical carcinoma.

Patients And Methods: Fourteen patients with a recurrence of a cervical cancer were treated in our department between 1982 and 2009. Five patients had a pelvic relapse, four a vaginal relapse and five a pelvic lymph node relapse.

An external validation study of nomograms designed to predict isolated loco-regional and distant endometrial cancer recurrences: how applicable are they?

Background: To externally validate and assess the robustness of two nomograms to predict the recurrence risk of women with endometrial cancer (EC).

Methods: Using an independent, multicentre external patient cohort we assessed the discrimination and calibration of two nomograms--the 3-year isolated loco-regional (ILRR) and distant (DR) recurrence nomograms--in women with surgically treated stage I-III EC.

Results: Two hundred and seventy one eligible women were identified from two university hospital databases and the Senti-Endo trial.

Initial absolute lymphocyte count as a prognostic factor for outcome in acute myeloid leukemia.

The absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) at presentation has been associated with survival in various malignancies. However, its prognostic value in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has not been established. In a series of 1702 newly diagnosed patients with AML, we evaluated the prognostic value of ALC at diagnosis with regard to induction chemotherapy response, disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS).

Circulating tumor cells in locally advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma: the ancillary CirCe 07 study to the LAP 07 trial.

Background: Pancreatic carcinoma is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality. At the time of diagnosis, 30% of patients present with a locally advanced pancreatic carcinoma (LAPC). As circulating tumor cells (CTCs) count may be a surrogate of the cancer metastatic abilities, CTC detection rates and prognostic value were studied in a prospective cohort of LAPC patients.

Long-term follow-up of European APL 2000 trial, evaluating the role of cytarabine combined with ATRA and Daunorubicin in the treatment of nonelderly APL patients.

All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) combined to anthracycline-based chemotherapy is the reference treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). Whereas, in high-risk patients, cytarabine (AraC) is often considered useful in combination with anthracycline to prevent relapse, its usefulness in standard-risk APL is uncertain. In APL 2000 trial, patients with standard-risk APL [i.

Does pre-operative chemoradiation for initially unresectable or borderline resectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma increase post-operative morbidity? A case-matched analysis.

Background: Neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy for locally unresectable and borderline resectable pancreatic cancer may allow some patients to a undergo a resection, but whether or not this increases post-operative morbidity remains unclear.

Methods: The post-operative morbidity of 29 patients with initially locally unresectable/borderline pancreatic cancer who underwent a resection were compared with 29 patients with initially resectable tumours matched for age, gender, the presence of comorbidities (yes/no), American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) score, tumour location (head/body-tail), procedure (pancreaticoduodenectomy/distal pancreatectomy) and vascular resection (yes /no). Wilcoxon's signed ranks test was used for continuous variables and McNemar's chi-square test for categorical variables.

Time from diagnosis to intensive chemotherapy initiation does not adversely impact the outcome of patients with acute myeloid leukemia.

In acute myeloid leukemia (AML), new strategies assess the potential benefit of genetically targeted therapy at diagnosis. This implies waiting for laboratory tests and therefore a delay in initiation of chemotherapy. We studied the impact of time from diagnosis to treatment (TDT) on overall survival, early death, and response rate in a retrospective series of 599 newly diagnosed AML patients treated by induction chemotherapy between 2000 and 2009.

Hypofractionated palliative radiotherapy for advanced head and neck cancer: the IHF2SQ regimen.

Background: Standard treatment for unresectable advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma is chemoradiotherapy, which can be toxic, particularly among patients with coexisting medical conditions. We report our experience with the hypofractionated radiotherapy regimen Irradiation HypoFractionnée 2 Séances Quotidiennes (IHF2SQ).

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 78 patients treated with the IHF2SQ regimen.

[Dropped Head Syndrome after whiplash injury in a patient treated for a Hodgkin's lymphoma by mantle field radiotherapy].

The authors report a case of Dropped Head Syndrome with an unusually rapid onset after an accident in a patient with a history of Hodgkin's lymphoma cured by chemotherapy and mantle field radiotherapy and compare this case to the rare published cases of chronic Dropped Head Syndrome occurring after this type of treatment. A 56-year-old man was treated at the age 36 years for supra-diaphragmatic Hodgkin's lymphoma by chemotherapy and mantle field radiotherapy according to a standard technique and standard doses (40Gy, 20 fractions, 27 days). Seventeen years after the end of treatment, he experienced a violent whiplash injury, rapidly followed by a Dropped Head Syndrome, similar to the cases of chronic Dropped Head Syndrome already described in the context of Hodgkin's lymphoma (permanent flexion of the head, only reduced in the supine position).

Should therapeutic drug monitoring of the unbound fraction of imatinib and its main active metabolite N-desmethyl-imatinib be developed?

Purpose: The European Society for Medical Oncology recommends therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) for imatinib, based on total plasma concentrations in cases of sub-optimal response, failure, or adverse events. Imatinib is highly bound to alpha-1 acid glycoprotein (AGP) in the plasma. We determined the unbound plasma fraction of both imatinib and its main active metabolite (N-desmethyl-imatinib) in plasma from 44 patients.