Intrathecal trastuzumab: immunotherapy improves the prognosis of leptomeningeal metastases in HER-2+ breast cancer patient.

We describe the clinical and therapeutic course of a 51-year-old woman with HER-2+ breast cancer who developed leptomeningeal (LM) and spinal cord metastases after 8 years of stable disease on combination therapy with intravenous (IV) trastuzumab. Due to progressive CNS disease, intrathecal (IT) trastuzumab was introduced to enhance HER-2+ therapy into the CSF space. A combination HER-2+ targeted approach achieved clinical remission with stable disease in our patient 46 months after she was diagnosed with LM metastases.

Breast-conservation treatment outcomes: a community hospital's experience.

In the United States, the majority of early breast cancer patients choose breast-conserving treatment in the community setting, yet there is a paucity of literature describing outcomes. In this paper, we describe our experience with breast-conserving treatment in a small community hospital. Our hospital tumor registry was used to identify breast cancer cases diagnosed at our hospital between 1997 and 2003.

Phase II trial of infusional fluorouracil, leucovorin, mitomycin, and dipyridamole in locally advanced unresectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma: SWOG S9700.

Purpose: To test the hypothesis that dual biochemical modulation of fluorouracil (FU) in combination with mitomycin improves the survival of patients with pancreas cancer.

Patients And Methods: Eligibility included stage II or III unresectable adenocarcinoma of the pancreas, performance status of 0 to 2, and adequate organ function. Treatment included FU 200 mg/m2/d via continuous intravenous infusion for 4 weeks followed by 1 week of rest; leucovorin 30 mg/m2 administered via intravenous bolus infusion on days 1, 8, 15, and 22, followed by 1 week rest; mitomycin 10 mg/m2 intravenous bolus infusion every 6 weeks for a total of four doses.

Treatment of elderly non-small cell lung cancer patients with three different schedules of weekly paclitaxel in combination with carboplatin: subanalysis of a randomized trial.

Background: Administration of paclitaxel on a weekly schedule in combination with carboplatin is associated with a lower incidence of neuropathy and myelosuppression. The authors conducted subgroup analysis of their randomized phase II study of three different schedules of weekly paclitaxel with carboplatin to determine the efficacy of each regimen in elderly patients (aged > or = 70 years) with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods: Patients with advanced NSCLC were randomized to one of three different weekly paclitaxel/carboplatin regimens.

Cost savings associated with the use of fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) for the diagnosis of palpable masses in a community hospital-based FNAB clinic.

Background: Generally, it is assumed that fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) for the diagnosis of superficial, palpable masses is a less expensive alternative to diagnostic open surgical biopsy; however, to the authors' knowledge few studies to date have sought to quantify the number of diagnostic surgical procedures avoided and cost savings involved. In this article, the authors report their experience with 664 FNAB procedures that were performed by a cytopathologist/cytotechnologist team practicing in a community setting.

Methods: Records from a total of 664 consecutive FNAB cases from 607 patients who underwent FNAB in a community hospital-based FNAB clinic between 2003 and 2005 were reviewed retrospectively, and follow-up data were obtained.

The reliability of fine-needle aspiration biopsy as the initial diagnostic procedure for palpable masses: a 4-year experience of 730 patients from a community hospital-based outpatient aspiration biopsy clinic.

Background: Fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) is a reliable, rapid, minimally invasive alternative to surgical biopsy when it is performed by physician specialists for the diagnosis of palpable masses. FNAB may be under-utilized in community hospitals in the U.S.

Myelopathy after radiation therapy and chemotherapy with capecitabine and gemcitabine.

This article describes a woman with metastatic upper gastrointestinal cancer who developed thoracic myelopathy unexpectedly after standard dosage and fractionation radiotherapy. She also was receiving capecitabine and gemcitabine concomitantly. There are few reported cases of chemotherapy potentiation of spinal cord radiation toxicity.

Multicenter, randomized trial for stage IIIB or IV non-small-cell lung cancer using weekly paclitaxel and carboplatin followed by maintenance weekly paclitaxel or observation.

Purpose: To explore the efficacy and safety of three regimens of weekly paclitaxel plus carboplatin as initial therapy and the feasibility of subsequent maintenance therapy versus observation in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Patients And Methods: Four hundred one patients were randomly assigned to one of the following arms: arm 1, paclitaxel 100 mg/m2 weekly for 3 of 4 weeks with carboplatin (area under the curve [AUC] = 6) on day 1; arm 2, paclitaxel 100 mg/m2 and carboplatin (AUC = 2) weekly for 3 of 4 weeks; or arm 3, paclitaxel 150 mg/m2 cycle 1 and 100 mg/m2 cycle 2 and carboplatin (AUC = 2) weekly for 6 of 8 weeks. Patients who responded (n = 130) at week 16 were randomly assigned to either weekly paclitaxel therapy (70 mg/m2, 3 of 4 weeks; n = 65) or observation (n = 65).