Phase II study of doxorubicin and bevacizumab for patients with metastatic soft-tissue sarcomas.

Purpose: To evaluate the antitumor activity and tolerability of bevacizumab and doxorubicin in patients with metastatic soft-tissue sarcoma (STS).

Patients And Methods: Patients may have had up to one nonanthracycline line of therapy. Seventeen patients with metastatic STS were treated with doxorubicin at 75 mg/m2 intravenous (IV) push followed by bevacizumab 15 mg/kg IV every 3 weeks.

A multicenter Phase II study of bortezomib in recurrent or metastatic sarcomas.

Background: Based on evidence of activity in preclinical and Phase I studies, the authors undertook a study of bortezomib, a reversible proteasome inhibitor, for patients with metastatic sarcomas.

Methods: Two arms were opened, each using a Simon two-stage design. Arm A included patients with osteogenic sarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, and rhabdomyosarcoma.

Prospective screening for pediatric mitochondrial trifunctional protein defects in pregnancies complicated by liver disease.

Context: Acute fatty liver of pregnancy (AFLP) and hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelets (HELLP) syndrome are serious complications of pregnancy. Studies in families with recessively inherited mitochondrial trifunctional protein defects documented an association between these maternal illnesses and fetal deficiency of long-chain 3-hydroxyacyl coenzyme A dehydrogenase; this enzyme resides in the alpha subunit of the trifunctional protein and catalyzes the third step in long-chain fatty acid beta oxidation.

Objective: To estimate the frequency of fetal long-chain 3-hydroxyacyl coenzyme A dehydrogenase deficiency in pregnancies complicated by AFLP or HELLP syndrome.