Long-term follow-up results of cytarabine-containing chemotherapy for acute promyelocytic leukemia.

Background/aims: We evaluated the feasibility and long-term efficacy of the combination of cytarabine, idarubicin, and all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) for treating patients with newly diagnosed acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL).

Methods: We included 87 patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia and a t(15;17) or promyelocytic leukemia/retinoic acid receptor alpha (PML-RARα) mutation. Patients received 12 mg/m2/day idarubicin intravenously for 3 days and 100 mg/m2/day cytarabine for 7 days, plus 45 mg/m2/day ATRA.

Clinical features and outcomes of V617F-positive polycythemia vera and essential thrombocythemia according to the V617F allele burden.

Background: mutation status is a well-known risk factor for thrombosis in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms. However, the clinical usefulness of V617F allele burden is under investigation.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the impact of the V617F allele burden on clinical characteristics and outcomes of V617F-positive polycythemia vera (PV) and essential thrombocythemia (ET).

Polypharmacy, Inappropriate Medication Use, and Drug Interactions in Older Korean Patients with Cancer Receiving First-Line Palliative Chemotherapy.

Background: Polypharmacy is an important issue in the care of older patients with cancer, as it increases the risk of unfavorable outcomes. We estimated the prevalence of polypharmacy, potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) use, and drug-drug interactions (DDIs) in older patients with cancer in Korea and their associations with clinical outcomes.

Subjects, Materials, And Methods: This was a secondary analysis of a prospective observational study of geriatric patients with cancer undergoing first-line palliative chemotherapy.

Interference with daily functioning by breakthrough pain in patients with cancer.

Purpose: To investigate the association between quality of life (QOL) and breakthrough cancer pain (BTCP) intensity in patients who met the commonly accepted definition of BTCP.

Methods: This study was a subset analysis of a South Korean multicenter, non-interventional, cross-sectional, nationwide survey. Participants were recruited from March 2016 to December 2017.

Prospective Validation of The Korean Cancer Study Group Geriatric Score (KG)-7, a Novel Geriatric Screening Tool, in Older Patients with Advanced Cancer Undergoing First-line Palliative Chemotherapy.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to prospectively validate the Korean Cancer Study Group Geriatric Score (KG)-7, a novel geriatric screening tool, in older patients with advanced cancer planned to undergo first-line palliative chemotherapy.

Materials And Methods: Participants answered the KG-7 questionnaire before undergoing geriatric assessment (GA) and first-line palliative chemotherapy. The performance of KG-7 was evaluated by calculating the sensitivity (SE), specificity (SP), positive and negative predictive value (PPV and NPV), balanced accuracy (BA), and area under the curve (AUC).

Comparison of three risk stratification models for non-clear cell renal cell carcinoma patients treated with temsirolimus as first-line therapy.

Background/aims: For metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC), various prognostic scoring systems have been developed. However, owing to the low prevalence of nonclear cell RCC, the three most commonly used tools were mainly developed based on patients with clear cell histology. Accordingly, this study applied three prognostic models to Korean non-clear cell RCC patients treated with first-line temsirolimus.

Randomized Phase III Trial of Irinotecan Plus Cisplatin versus Etoposide Plus Cisplatin in Chemotherapy-Naïve Korean Patients with Extensive-Disease Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Purpose: This randomized phase III study was designed to compare the efficacy and safety of irinote-can plus cisplatin (IP) over etoposide plus cisplatin (EP) in Korean patients with extensive-disease small-cell lung cancer (SCLC).

Materials And Methods: Patients were randomly assigned to receive IP, composed of irinotecan 65 mg/m2 intravenously on days 1 and 8+cisplatin 70 mg/m2 intravenously on day 1 every 3 weeks, or EP, composed of etoposide 100 mg/m2 intravenously on days 1, 2, 3+cisplatin 70 mg/m2 intravenously on day 1, every 3 weeks for a maximum of six cycles, until disease progression, or until unacceptable toxicity occurred. The primary endpoint was overall survival.

Prospective Randomized Comparison of Idarubicin and High-Dose Daunorubicin in Induction Chemotherapy for Newly Diagnosed Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Purpose We compared two induction regimens, idarubicin (12 mg/m/d for 3 days) versus high-dose daunorubicin (90 mg/m/d for 3 days), in young adults with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Patients and Methods A total of 299 patients (149 randomly assigned to cytarabine plus idarubicin [AI] and 150 assigned to cytarabine plus high-dose daunorubicin [AD]) were analyzed. All patients received cytarabine (200 mg/m/d for 7 days).

Clinical significance of systemic chemotherapy after curative resection of metachronous pulmonary metastases from colorectal cancer.

Purpose: The use of systemic chemotherapy after resection remains controversial in patients with resectable metachronous pulmonary metastases from colorectal cancer (CRC). This retrospective study compared systemic chemotherapy with observation alone after resection of pulmonary metastases from CRC.

Methods: Between 2001 and 2015, 91 patients with metachronous pulmonary metastases underwent curative surgical resection at five centers.

Randomized phase II study comparing weekly docetaxel-cisplatin vs. gemcitabine-cisplatin in elderly or poor performance status patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: Docetaxel/cisplatin (DP) and gemcitabine/cisplatin (GP) are standard treatment regimens for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In spite of potent efficacy, the conventional 1-day DP is regarded as having more toxicity as compared with GP. There is increasing interest in a biweekly split administration of DP to reduce its toxicity.

Multicenter Phase II Clinical Trial of Genexol-PM® with Gemcitabine in Advanced Biliary Tract Cancer.

Unlabelled: This multicenter phase II clinical trial was designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of weekly Genexol-PM® and gemcitabine combination chemotherapy in patients with unresectable or metastatic biliary tract cancer.

Patients And Methods: Patients received 100 mg/m Genexol-PM® and 1,000 mg/m gemcitabine intravenously on days 1 and 8 every 21 days.

Results: Out of 39 patients, there were 10 partial responses (25.

An Open-Label, Randomized, Parallel, Phase III Trial Evaluating the Efficacy and Safety of Polymeric Micelle-Formulated Paclitaxel Compared to Conventional Cremophor EL-Based Paclitaxel for Recurrent or Metastatic HER2-Negative Breast Cancer.

Purpose: Genexol-PM is a Cremophor EL-free formulation of low-molecular-weight, non-toxic, and biodegradable polymeric micelle-bound paclitaxel. We conducted a phase III study comparing the clinical efficacy and toxicity of Genexol-PM with conventional paclitaxel (Genexol).

Materials And Methods: Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive Genexol-PM 260 mg/m or Genexol 175 mg/m intravenously every 3 weeks.

[A Case of Gastro-Gastric Intussusception Secondary to Primary Gastric Lymphoma].

In adults, most intussusceptions develop from a lesion, usually a benign or malignant neoplasm, and can occur at any site in the gastrointestinal tract. Intussusception in the proximal gastrointestinal tract is uncommon, and gastro-gastric intussusception is extremely rare. We present a case of gastro-gastric intussusception secondary to a primary gastric lymphoma.

Comparable Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Outcome of a Haplo-Identical Family Donor with an Alternative Donor in Adult Aplastic Anemia.

We performed a study on allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT) from an HLA-haplo-identical familial donor (haploFD) using a busulfan-fludarabine-antithymocyte globulin conditioning regimen for severe aplastic anemia (sAA) and hypoplastic myelodysplastic syndrome. For the comparison between a haploFD and an alternative donor (AD; matched unrelated or partially matched donor) for sAA in adults, we collected haploFD data retrospectively and prospectively. Forty-eight AD cases were selected for the comparison with 16 haploFD cases.

Biweekly dose-dense gemcitabine-oxaliplatin and dexamethasone for relapsed/refractory aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma: A multicenter, single-arm, phase II trial.

Aim: We performed a phase II study to evaluate the efficacy of combination chemotherapy consisting of gemcitabine, dexamethasone and oxaliplatin (GemDOx) as a biweekly regimen and salvage therapy in patients with relapsed or refractory aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).

Methods: Gemcitabine (1000 mg/m(2) ) and oxaliplatin (85 mg/m(2) ) were administered intravenously on days 1 and 15, and dexamethasone (40 mg) was administered orally on days 1-4.

Results: Twenty-nine patients were enrolled, and most patients had diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (n = 18).

A phase II study of oxaliplatin and prednisone for patients with relapsed or refractory marginal zone lymphoma: Consortium for Improving Survival of Lymphoma trial.

Overall, more than 50% of marginal zone lymphoma (MZL) patients experience a relapse within 10 years. This phase II trial was conducted to assess the efficacy and safety of oxaliplatin-prednisone (Ox-P) chemotherapy for patients with relapsed or refractory MZL. Patients received oxaliplatin 130 mg/m(2) on day 1 and prednisone 100 mg/day on days 1-5 of each cycle.

Long-term follow-up of imatinib plus combination chemotherapy in patients with newly diagnosed Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

The effects of imatinib plus chemotherapy were assessed in 87 patients with newly diagnosed Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph(+) ) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Imatinib was administered continuously, starting from the eighth day of remission induction chemotherapy, then through five courses of consolidation or until allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Patients who were not transplanted were maintained on imatinib for 2 years.

Multi-center Randomized Phase II Study of Weekly Docetaxel Versus Weekly Docetaxel-plus-Oxaliplatin as a Second-line Chemotherapy for Patients with Advanced Gastric Cancer.

Aim: The current phase II clinical study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of weekly docetaxel alone, and weekly docetaxel-plus-oxaliplatin, as a second-line chemotherapy in patients with cisplatin-refractory advanced gastric cancer.

Patients And Methods: We enrolled patients with histologically confirmed gastric adenocarcinoma whose disease had progressed after cisplatin-based regimens. Patients were randomly assigned to receive docetaxel alone (36 mg/m(2), days 1 and 8) or docetaxel (36 mg/m(2), days 1 and 8) and oxaliplatin (80 mg/m(2), day 1) combination therapy every three weeks.

A prospective, multicenter phase II study of continuous infusion of FLAG for patients older than 60 yr with resistant acute myeloid leukemia: a comparison with intensive younger patients' trial.

Relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (R/R AML) in elderly (≥60 yr old) patients were eligible. Induction chemotherapy consisted fludarabine and cytarabine (ARAC) as a 24-hr CI without idarubicin (C-FLAG), which was compared with the results of C-FLAG with idarubicin (CI-FLAG2) in younger patients' trial. A total of 33 and 68 patients were enrolled in C-FLAG and CI-FLAG2, respectively.

Efficacy and safety of deferasirox estimated by serum ferritin and labile plasma iron levels in patients with aplastic anemia, myelodysplastic syndrome, or acute myeloid leukemia with transfusional iron overload.

Background: Patients receiving red blood cell (RBC) transfusions are at risk of iron overload, which can cause significant organ damage and is an important cause of morbidity and mortality.

Study Design And Methods: This study was an open-label, single-arm, prospective clinical study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of deferasirox (DFX) in patients with aplastic anemia (AA), myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), or acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Patients with serum ferritin levels of at least 1000 ng/mL and ongoing transfusion requirements were enrolled.

A satisfaction survey on cancer pain management using a self-reporting pain assessment tool.

Background: Pain is one of the most common and distressing symptoms in patients with cancer, with a high prevalence of 90%. Appropriate pain assessment is very important in managing cancer pain.

Objective: The aims of this study were to (1) evaluate patient satisfaction with pain control therapy using a self-reporting pain assessment tool, (2) explore the usefulness of a self-reporting assessment tool for patients and physicians, and (3) evaluate patient perception of pain management and opioid analgesics.

Treatment Outcomes of Rituximab Plus Hyper-CVAD in Korean Patients with Sporadic Burkitt or Burkitt-like Lymphoma: Results of a Multicenter Analysis.

Purpose: This study was conducted to evaluate outcomes in adult patients with Burkitt lymphoma (BL) or Burkitt-like lymphoma treated with an rituximab plus hyper-CVAD (R-hyper-CVAD) regimen by focusing on tolerability and actual delivered relative dose intensity (RDI).

Materials And Methods: Patients ≥ 20 years of age and pathologically diagnosed with BL or Burkitt-like lymphoma were treated with at least one cycle of R-hyper-CVAD as the first-line treatment in this study. Eligible patients' case report forms were requested from their physicians to obtain clinical and laboratory data for this retrospective study.

Efficacy of Helicobacter pylori eradication for the 1st line treatment of immune thrombocytopenia patients with moderate thrombocytopenia.

The practical usefulness of Helicobacter pylori eradication for immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) patients is still controversial. However, some ITP patients respond to H. pylori eradication.