Prognostic evaluation in palliative care: final results from a prospective cohort study.

Prognostic characterization in the initial assessment of patients with advanced cancer disease is an essential step to plan the most appropriate therapeutic program. Since clinical prediction of survival (CPS) may be of limited value, some authors have tried to integrate specific prognostic factors into prognostic multidimensional scores. We carried out a prospective cohort study in two palliative care units to compare the accuracy of the Palliative Prognostic (PaP) Score, the Objective Prognostic Score (OPS), and the Palliative Prognostic Index (PPI).

Erlotinib-associated interstitial lung disease in advanced pancreatic carcinoma: a case report and literature review.

The combination of erlotinib and gemcitabine is a recognized option for patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer whose common adverse events such as skin rash, diarrhea, or fatigue are usually easily manageable. Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a life-threatening toxicity reported in patients with non-small-cell lung cancers treated with epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors or gemcitabine. This side effect is extremely rare in patients with pancreatic cancer.

Prognostic role of KRAS, NRAS, BRAF and PIK3CA mutations in advanced colorectal cancer.

Aim: To explore the prognostic value of extended mutational profiling for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).

Materials & Methods: We retrospectively reviewed survival results of 194 mCRC patients that were assigned to four molecular subgroups: BRAF mutated; KRAS mutated codons 12-13 only; any of KRAS codons 61-146, PIK3CA or NRAS mutations and all wild-type. Point mutations were investigated by pyrosequencing.

Risk of unplanned visits for colorectal cancer outpatients receiving chemotherapy: a case-crossover study.

Aim: This study was conducted to evaluate the impact of chemotherapy on the risk of unplanned visit in a cohort of colorectal cancer outpatients. Chief complaints for unplanned visits and risk factors for hospital admission were also analyzed.

Patients And Methods: Clinical data of 229 consecutive colorectal cancer patients who were unexpectedly presented to our acute oncology clinic between 2006 and 2009 were reviewed.

Biglycan expression and clinical outcome in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

Conflicting results have been reported on the role of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins in pancreatic cancer. Preclinical studies suggest that the overexpression of biglycan (proteoglycan-I, PG-I), a leucine-rich protein of the ECM, may induce growth arrest of pancreatic cancer cells. The aim of this study was to assess the prognostic role of biglycan expression in pancreatic cancer.

Pharmacology and therapeutic efficacy of capecitabine: focus on breast and colorectal cancer.

Capecitabine (N -pentyloxycarbonyl-5-deoxy-5-fluorocytidine), an oral prodrug of 5-fluorouracil, has provided compelling efficacy data for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer and stage III or IV colorectal cancer, both as monotherapy and in combination regimens. The preferential conversion of capecitabine to 5-fluorouracil in neoplastic tissues renders this fluoropyrimidine particularly appealing for clinical use. The enzyme thymidine phosphorylase, which mediates the final step of the capecitabine activation pathway, is expressed in higher concentration in neoplastic than in healthy tissues.