Clinical Efficacies of FLT3 Inhibitors in Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

FLT3 mutations are the most common genomic alteration detected in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with a worse clinical prognosis. The highly frequent FLT3 mutations, together with the side effects associated with clinical prognosis, make FLT3 promising treatment targets and have provoked the advancement of FLT3 inhibitors. Recently, numerous FLT3 inhibitors were actively developed, and thus the outcomes of this aggressive subtype of AML were significantly improved.

Targeted Therapeutic Approach Based on Understanding of Aberrant Molecular Pathways Leading to Leukemic Proliferation in Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogenous hematopoietic neoplasm with various genetic abnormalities in myeloid stem cells leading to differentiation arrest and accumulation of leukemic cells in bone marrow (BM). The multiple genetic alterations identified in leukemic cells at diagnosis are the mainstay of World Health Organization classification for AML and have important prognostic implications. Recently, understanding of heterogeneous and complicated molecular abnormalities of the disease could lead to the development of novel targeted therapeutic agents.

Prognostic factors in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma treated with sorafenib: a retrospective comparison with previously known prognostic models.

Background: Sorafenib, a multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is now the treatment of choice for systemic therapy of patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Herein, we present the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with advanced HCC who were treated with sorafenib.

Methods: Data of 201 sorafenib-treated, metastatic HCC patients were collected from a single institution tumor registry.

Randomized phase II study of gefitinib versus erlotinib in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer who failed previous chemotherapy.

Purpose: Gefitinib and erlotinib are potent EGFR TKIs, with antitumor activity. In this randomized, single-center, non-comparative phase II trial, the efficacy and safety of gefitinib and erlotinib was evaluated as the second-line therapy for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Patients And Methods: Patients with locally advanced, metastatic stage IIIB/IV NSCLC who failed first-line chemotherapy and had either EGFR mutation or at least two out of three clinical factors associated with higher incidence of EGFR mutations (female, adenocarcinoma histology, and never-smoker) were eligible.

Analysis of prognostic factors of pediatric-type sarcomas in adult patients.

Objective: Pediatric-type sarcomas such as Ewing's sarcoma (EWS)/primitive neuroectodermal tumor family and rhabdomyosarcoma are relatively uncommon in adult patients. Optimal treatment strategies for this population and prognosis in adult patients compared with pediatric patients remain controversial.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed pediatric-type sarcoma patients older than 15 years at a single institution.

Primary CNS lymphoma other than DLBCL: a descriptive analysis of clinical features and treatment outcomes.

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) constitutes most primary central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma (PCNSL), whereas T-cell, low-grade and Burkitt's lymphomas (BL) are rarely encountered. Due to the paucity of cases, little is known about the clinical features and treatment outcomes of PCNSL other than DLBCL. The objective of this study was to describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes for patients with PCNSL other than DLBCL.

Favorable response to doxorubicin combination chemotherapy does not yield good clinical outcome in patients with metastatic breast cancer with triple-negative phenotype.

Background: We analyzed the responses to first line treatment and clinical outcomes of metastatic breast cancer patients treated with palliative doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide (AC) according to molecular cancer subtype.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed for 110 metastatic breast cancer patients selected on the basis of palliative AC treatment and the availability of immunohistochemical data for estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2/neu) status.

Results: Of the 110 patients analyzed, 71 (64.

Erlotinib monotherapy for stage IIIB/IV non-small cell lung cancer: a multicenter trial by the Korean Cancer Study Group.

Background: Erlotinib (Tarceva, OSI Pharmaceuticals, Melville, NY) is an oral, epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor that has antitumor activity and good tolerability in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In particular, higher response rates have been reported in Asian patients than in Western patients. The aim of this study conducted by the Korean Cancer Study Group was to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of erlotinib monotherapy as a palliative treatment for advanced NSCLC patients in Korea.

A phase I trial of S-1 with oxaliplatin in patients with relapsed and metastatic colorectal cancer.

Purpose: S-1 showed clinical activity in colorectal cancer, and the preclinical data of S-1 with oxaliplatin showed synergistic activity in an animal model. This phase I study was conducted to determine the maximum tolerated dose of S-1 with oxaliplatin and to define its recommended dose for the subsequent phase II study.

Materials And Methods: Patients with untreated colorectal adenocarcinoma were eligible in this study if they had measurable lesions.

A retrospective study to compare two methotrexate-based regimens for primary central nervous system lymphoma.

A retrospective analysis to compare the treatment outcomes of two regimens with different doses of methotrexate (MTX). Seventy-two patients, newly diagnosed with primary central nervous system lymphoma between 1995 and 2006, were included. All patients were treated with one of the two different MTX regimens depending on when the diagnosis was made.

A retrospective analysis of second-line chemotherapy in patients with advanced gastric cancer.

Background: Because treatment of advanced gastric cancer (AGC) patients after failure with first-line chemotherapy remains controversial, we performed this retrospective analysis based on the data obtained from 1455 patients registered in a first-line treatment cohort with respect to receiving or not receiving subsequent chemotherapy.

Methods: The decision for administering second-line chemotherapy was, in most cases, at the discretion of the physician. Seven-hundred twenty-five (50%) received second-line chemotherapy after first-line failure.

Irinotecan and oxaliplatin combination as the first-line treatment for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: We conducted a prospective phase II trial of IrOx in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity.

Patients And Methods: Patients with histologically or cytologically proven non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), aged > or =18 years, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0-1, at stage IIIB (pleural effusion)/IV or with recurrent disease not suitable for primary surgical treatment, with no palliative chemotherapy or radiotherapy to the chest or immunotherapy or biologic therapy, the presence of measurable disease by RECIST, and who had given signed written informed consent, were eligible. Treatment consisted of irinotecan 65 mg/m(2) on days 1 and 8 and oxaliplatin 130 mg/m(2) on day 1, repeated every 3 weeks.

Treatment outcomes and clinicopathologic characteristics of triple-negative breast cancer patients who received platinum-containing chemotherapy.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of platinum-containing chemotherapy for metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients in terms of the response rate (RR) and progression-free survival. A second aim was to characterize the clinical behavior at the time of relapse of TNBC. We retrospectively analyzed the clinical outcomes of patients with metastatic breast cancer who received taxane-platinum chemotherapy as the first- or second-line treatment, focusing on the TN phenotype.

The role of palliative chemotherapy for advanced pulmonary pleomorphic carcinoma.

Pulmonary pleomorphic carcinoma is an uncommon malignant tumor of the lung, which has the dual cell components of spindle or giant cells and epithelial cells. The objective of this study was to investigate the clinical course and efficacy of palliative chemotherapy in patients with advanced pulmonary pleomorphic carcinoma. Twelve patients were diagnosed with advanced pulmonary pleomorphic carcinoma and received palliative chemotherapy from February 2000 to December 2007.

Palliative chemotherapy for non-transitional cell carcinomas of the urothelial tract.

Non-transitional cell carcinomas of the urothelial tract comprise 5-10% of urothelial cancers. Clinical information regarding the clinical behavior and chemotherapy outcome of non-transitional cell carcinomas of the urothelial tract are incomplete due to their rarity. The object of this study was to evaluate the clinical features and the efficacy of palliative chemotherapy in advanced non-transitional cell carcinomas of the urothelial tract.

Irinotecan monotherapy as second-line treatment in advanced pancreatic cancer.

Purpose: The phase II study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of irinotecan as salvage single-agent chemotherapy in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.

Methods: Patients with measurable metastatic pancreatic cancer, progressive after previous gemcitabine-based chemotherapy were treated with irinotecan 150 mg/m(2) every 2 weeks. Treatment was repeated until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

A phase II study of oxaliplatin in combination with doxorubicin as first-line systemic chemotherapy in patients with inoperable hepatocellular carcinoma.

Purpose: We designed a phase II trial of the combination with oxaliplatin and doxorubicin for patients with unresectable HCC to evaluate the overall response rate (ORR) and the toxicity.

Methods: Forty patients with inoperable, systemic chemotherapy naive HCC were enrolled. Finally, 32 patients received oxaliplatin (130 mg/m(2)) and doxorubicin (60 mg/m(2)) every 3 weeks.

Clinical features and prognostic factors of patients with "peripheral T cell lymphoma, unspecified".

The purpose of this retrospective study was to investigate clinical features and treatment outcomes in patients with peripheral T cell lymphoma-unspecified (PTCL-U). Eighty-four patients who were diagnosed with PTCL-U between February 1995 and December 2005 were included in the study. Around 70% of the patients presented with stage III-IV disease; 24% were categorized as high or high-intermediate risk according to the International Prognostic Index (IPI) scoring system, and 45% were classified as groups 3 or 4 using the Prognostic Index for PTCL-U (PIT).

Prognostic factor analysis in patients with brain metastases from breast cancer: how can we improve the treatment outcomes?

Purpose: We conducted this study to analyze clinicopathologic features and treatment outcomes for various treatment modalities in breast cancer patients with brain metastases.

Patients And Methods: Retrospective analysis was performed using medical records of patients who were diagnosed with metastatic brain tumors from breast cancer. The treatment modalities applied included whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT), surgical resection, stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and systemic treatments such as chemotherapy and endocrine therapy.

Changes in serologic markers of hepatitis B following autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Korea is an endemic area for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Reactivation of HBV is a well-recognized complication in patients with chronic HBV infection undergoing cytotoxic or immunosuppressive therapy, and there are some reports of hepatitis B reverse seroconversion after HSCT. This study evaluated changes in HBV serology after HSCT.

Paclitaxel with cisplatin as salvage treatment for patients with previously treated advanced transitional cell carcinoma of the urothelial tract.

Background: This study was performed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of paclitaxel with cisplatin as salvage therapy in patients previously treated with gemcitabine and cisplatin (G/C) for advanced transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the urothelial tract.

Methods: Twenty-eight patients with metastatic or locally advanced TCC who had received prior G/C chemotherapy were enrolled. All patients received paclitaxel (175 mg/m(2)) and cisplatin (60 mg/m(2)) every 3 weeks for eight cycles or until disease progression.

What is stage II in high-grade primary gastric lymphoma? How to define the range of "localized disease".

We conducted a retrospective analysis to evaluate the Musshoff staging system for high-grade primary gastric lymphoma (HG-PGL), particularly in those patients with stages IE and IIE localized diseases. One hundred twenty-six patients presented with stage IE or IIE diseases were retrospectively reclassified on the basis of a pretreatment CT examination as to whether there was lymph node involvement. A positive M1 node (by AJCC staging system) on pretreatment CT scanning was associated with poor clinical outcome for localized stage I or II patients.

Primary gastric lymphoma of T-cell origin: clinicopathologic features and treatment outcome.

We conducted a retrospective analysis to investigate the natural history and the clinical outcome after treatment of primary gastric lymphoma of T-cell origin. Seventeen cases of T-cell origin among 444 primary gastric lymphoma patients were analyzed. The median age of the 14 male and 3 female patients was 49 years (range 22-76 years).