Pixantrone: a promising drug in the treatment of non-Hodgkin lymphomas.

Pixantrone (BBR2778) is a novel anthracycline derivative, manufactured by Cell Therapeutics Incorporated, WA, USA. In both preclinical and clinical studies pixantrone exhibited a significantly lower cardiac toxicity and better activity than that observed with alternative anthracyclines, as it is devoid of the putative cardiac toxicity generating 5,8-dihydroxy groups. With single-agent pixantrone, neutropenia was the dose-limiting toxicity.

Small-cell lung cancer: 8 years experience of a single multidisciplinary team.

Aims. We have audited the changes in treatment practice for small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) presented to a single multidisciplinary team (MDT) at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals between January 1998 and December 2005. Materials and Methods.

Pixantrone: a novel aza-anthracenedione in the treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas.

Pixantrone (BBR-2778) is a novel mitoxantrone-like drug, which lacks the 5,8-dihyroxy substitution groups thought to be responsible for the cardiac toxicity associated with mitoxantrone. In Phase I/II single-agent pixantrone clinical trials, neutropenia was the dose-limiting toxicity and the maximum tolerated dose was 150 mg/m(2)/week for 3 weeks every 4 weeks. In relapsed aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, weekly single-agent pixantrone 85 mg/m(2) for 3 weeks every 4 weeks was associated with a 27% overall response and a 15% complete response.

Treatment of metastatic gestational trophoblastic neoplasia.

Treatment of persistent gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) has been one of the success stories of modern day chemotherapy; however, occasional patients with metastatic disease still die. A potential difficulty in assessing published studies is that patient groups can be selected for treatment differently according to how risk categories are defined. The involvement of a specialist team from the outset is essential.

High-dose chemotherapy with haematopoietic stem-cell support in patients with poor prognosis, relapsed or refractory germ cell tumours.

Objective: To report our experience of high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) with haematopoietic stem-cell support (HSC) in patients with poor risk, relapsed or refractory germ cell tumours (GCTs), as this treatment might offer effective salvage for patients with disseminated GCTs.

Patients And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records and database for 33 patients with GCT who were treated with HDC with HSC in our centres.

Results: Thirty-three patients were treated with either one or two cycles of carboplatin and etoposide-based HDC with HSC support, between March 1990 and October 2003.