Prophylactic Cranial Irradiation Reduces Brain Metastases and Improves Overall Survival in High-Risk Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients: A Randomized phase 2 Study (PRoT-BM trial).

Purpose: To date, studies regarding the use of prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) versus standard of care (SoC) for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have not shown a significant effect in terms of overall survival (OS). Additionally, the effect of PCI among high-risk patients has been scarcely studied. The objective of this randomized phase 2 study was to evaluate the role of PCI in a population of patients at high risk for development of brain metastases (BM).

Adjuvant chemotherapy with doxorubicin and dacarbazine has no effect in recurrence-free survival of malignant phyllodes tumors of the breast.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of adjuvant chemotherapy in malignant phyllodes tumors of the breast treated at the Instituto Nacional de Cancerología of Mexico. Twenty-eight patients with malignant phyllodes tumors of the breast enrolled in a observational study from January 1993 to December 2003 to receive four cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy with doxorubicin 65 mg/m(2) over 48 hours intravenous infusion and dacarbazine 960 mg/m(2) over 48 hours intravenous infusion (n = 17) versus observation (n = 11). All patients had surgical resection, and 38% had an axillary dissection.

High Smac/DIABLO expression is associated with early local recurrence of cervical cancer.

Background: In a recent pilot report, we showed that Smac/DIABLO mRNA is expressed de novo in a subset of cervical cancer patients. We have now expanded this study and analyzed Smac/DIABLO expression in the primary lesions in 109 cervical cancer patients.

Methods: We used immunohistochemistry of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections to analyze Smac/DIABLO expression in the 109 primary lesions.

Inhibitors of apoptosis proteins in human cervical cancer.

Background: It has been shown that IAPs, in particular XIAP, survivin and c-IAP1, are overexpressed in several malignancies. In the present study we investigate the expression of c-IAP1, c-IAP2, XIAP and survivin and its isoforms in cervical cancer.

Methods: We used semiquantitative RT-PCR assays to analyze 41 cancer and 6 normal tissues.

Oxaliplatin activity in head and neck cancer cell lines.

Oxaliplatin (cis-[(1R,2R)-1,2-cyclohexanediamine-N,N'] [oxalato(2-)-O,O'] platinum; Eloxatin) is a third-generation platinum compound with a 1,2-diaminocyclohexane (DACH) carrier ligand, which has a wide spectrum of anticancer activity in vitro systems and has displayed preclinical and clinical activity in a wide variety of tumors. To investigate its in vitro activity against head and neck cancer, we exposed two head and neck cancer cell lines to the compound, created a variant resistant to cisplatin to study cross-resistance to the compound and analyzed the potential radiosensitizing effect of the drug. We report here that oxaliplatin was cytotoxic at similar doses to cisplatin in these cells.

SMAC is expressed de novo in a subset of cervical cancer tumors.

Background: Smac/Diablo is a recently identified protein that is released from mitochondria after apoptotic stimuli. It binds IAPs, allowing caspase activation and cell death. In view of its activity it might participate in carcinogenesis.