Hiatal hernia, Barrett's esophagus, and long-term symptom control after laparoscopic fundoplication for gastroesophageal reflux.

Background: The aim of this study was to determine the long-term symptom control after laparoscopic fundoplication for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and possible prognostic factors.

Methods: A cohort of 271 patients, operated on at a university hospital from 1996 through 2002, was eligible for evaluation after a median interval of 102 months (range = 12-158). The time between surgery and recurrence of reflux symptoms (i.

Detection of EpCAM positive and negative circulating tumor cells in metastatic breast cancer patients.

Background: Immunomagnetic EpCAM based methods are used to enrich circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in metastatic breast cancer (mBC) patients. EpCAM negative CTCs may be missed. We addressed the question of the reliability of an EpCAM dependent assay to enrich CTCs.

Prognostic assessment and adjuvant treatment strategies within early-stage, sporadic triple negative breast cancer patients.

An adjuvant chemotherapeutic standard has not been identified in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) yet. One hundred and forty-one adjuvant treated TNBC patients had a median follow-up of 71 months. Larger tumor size (p = .

Frequent MGMT (0(6)-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase) hypermethylation in long-term survivors of glioblastoma: a single institution experience.

Background: The aim of this retrospective study was to analyse the MGMT (0(6)-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase) promoter methylation status in long-term surviving (≥ 3 years) patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).

Methods: The methylation status of the MGMT promoter was determined by bisulfite modification of the DNA and subsequent methylation-specific polymerase-chain-reaction (MSP). DNA was extracted from routinely formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tumour tissue samples.

Circulating tumor cells in metastatic colorectal cancer: efficacy and feasibility of different enrichment methods.

Comprehensive in vitro and in vivo studies comparing EpCAM-based methods with other cytometric CTC enrichment technologies in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients are lacking. We compare four manual cytometric methods to detect CTCs in vitro and in mCRC patients. The EpCAM-based technology, MACS HEA MicroBeads((R)), showed a significant better tumor cell recovery rate compared to other cytometric methods (p-value<0.

Cell cycle dysregulation influences survival in high risk breast cancer patients.

Background: Cell cycle progression is regulated by cyclin dependent kinases (cdk) and cdk inhibitors. Recent immunohistological studies suggested that dysregulation of cyclin A, cyclin D, cyclin E, p16(ink4), p21(waf1/cip1), and p27(kip1) are of prognostic value in patients with breast cancer. Our study represents the first comprehensive immunohistochemical cell cycle marker analysis for cdc25A, cyclin A, cyclin D, cyclin E, p16(ink4), p21(waf1/cip1), p27(kip1), and pRb in tumor tissue and adjacent benign breast tissue from 69 primarily untreated breast cancer patients.

[Biostatistical issues].

In this contribution we discuss some fundamental aspects of biostatistics in the context of research in clinical oncology. Starting with a general presentation of basic principles of confirmatory statistics we deal with specific questions which typically arise in practical situations. This covers the importance of prespecification of statistical analyses before looking at the data as well as the judgment of multiple p-values and the interpretation of subgroup analyses.

Growing clinical evidence for the interaction of the p53 genotype and response to induction chemotherapy in advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Objective: The objective of this study is to establish clinical evidence that the p53 genotype can serve as a predictive marker for response to cisplatin-based induction therapy.

Methods: Patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer who had received neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the context of a prospective phase II trial were analyzed for the p53 genotype of their tumors. Response to induction therapy was then correlated to the p53 genotype as assessed by complete direct DNA sequencing.

A phase II trial of docetaxel (Taxotere) as second-line chemotherapy in patients with metastatic breast cancer.

The efficacy and tolerability of docetaxel 100 mg/m(2) every 3 weeks as second-line chemotherapy in patients with metastatic breast cancer was investigated. In addition, the efficacy of a 3-day prophylaxis against cumulative dose-related fluid retention was examined with methylprednisolone 32 mg twice daily for 3 days starting 12 and 3 h before the docetaxel infusion together with oral cetirizine 10 mg 12 and 3 h before start of docetaxel for prevention of acute hypersensitivity reactions. According to the intent to treat-analysis 35% (95%CI: 25; 46) of the 94 patients entered responded to therapy.

Chemoembolization with cisplatin, lipiodol and Gelfoam and subsequent systemic chemotherapy with cisplatin and interferon in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: a non-randomized prospective study.

Arterial chemoembolization with subsequent systemic chemotherapy was assessed prospectively. Of 94 consecutive patients with HCC, 31 patients were considered to have inoperable disease and were selected for chemoembolization. Twenty-two of the 31 patients underwent chemoembolization.

Docetaxel/cisplatin as first-line chemotherapy in patients with head and neck carcinoma: a phase II trial.

Background: The objective of this Phase II study was to assess the clinical activity and toxicity of docetaxel (D) and cisplatin (P) in patients with locally advanced unresectable, metastatic, or recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN).

Patients: Of 34 patients, 30 were eligible for treatment with D 80 mg/m(2) on Day 1 and P 70 mg/m(2) on Day 2. Therapy was repeated every 3 weeks.