Publications by authors named "Ninja Antonini"
Aim: Determining treatment goals is an important part of the treatment decision-making process, but medical students are not trained in a structural way on how to define these goals. 'SMART' criteria are widely used in non-medical professions for determining goals and may improve treatment goal setting. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of implementation of SMART criteria on medical students' ability to set treatment goals and to analyze the effects on treatment choice and monitoring.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims: ERCC1 is involved in the repair of oxaliplatin-induced DNA damage. Studies for the association of the C118T SNP with clinical response to treatment with platinum drugs have rendered inconsistent results. We investigated the ERCC1 C118T SNP with respect to overall and progression-free survival in patients with advanced colorectal cancer (ACC) treated with oxaliplatin and in vitro DNA repair capacity after oxaliplatin exposure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Next to KRAS mutation status, additional predictive markers are needed for the response to cetuximab in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Previous studies indicated that germline polymorphisms in specific genes may predict efficacy and toxicity of cetuximab in mCRC patients.
Methods: Germline DNA was isolated from 246 KRAS wild-type mCRC patients who were treated in the phase III CAIRO2 study with chemotherapy and bevacizumab alone or with the addition of cetuximab.
Purpose: To investigate the long-term impact of pathologic characteristics and an extra boost dose of 16 Gy on local relapse, for stage I and II invasive breast cancer patients treated with breast conserving therapy (BCT).
Patients And Methods: In the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer boost versus no boost trial, after whole breast irradiation, patients with microscopically complete excision of invasive tumor, were randomly assigned to receive or not an extra boost dose of 16 Gy. For a subset of 1,616 patients central pathology review was performed.
Objective: The purposes of this study were to determine which classification best predicts additional lymph node disease and survival, and to suggest a threshold below which a completion dissection may be omitted.
Summary Background Data: Three micromorphometric parameters of melanoma sentinel node metastases were compared: invasion depth from the capsule (Starz-classification), maximum diameter (Rotterdam-criteria), and location within the node (Dewar-classification).
Methods: The pathology slides of 116 patients with tumor-positive sentinel nodes were reviewed.
Background And Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of CT-based delineation and planning on the irradiated boost volume. For this specific purpose we used the data as derived from 2 prospective phase III randomised trials.
Patients And Methods: Data from 1331 patients (
Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the micromorphometric Starz-classification in melanoma patients.
Summary Background Data: The micromorphometric Starz-classification suggests that melanoma patients with a sentinel node metastasis invading no more than 0.3 mm (S-I) or 0.
Background: Fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy plus the anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) antibody bevacizumab is standard first-line treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer. We studied the effect of adding the anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) antibody cetuximab to a combination of capecitabine, oxaliplatin, and bevacizumab for metastatic colorectal cancer.
Methods: We randomly assigned 755 patients with previously untreated metastatic colorectal cancer to capecitabine, oxaliplatin, and bevacizumab (CB regimen, 378 patients) or the same regimen plus weekly cetuximab (CBC regimen, 377 patients).
Purpose: Oxaliplatin is detoxified by conjugation to glutathione via the enzyme Glutathione-S-transferase pi (GSTP1). The aim of this study is to investigate the association of GSTP1 Ile105Val genetic polymorphism with oxaliplatin efficacy and toxicity in advanced colorectal cancer (ACC) patients.
Experimental Design: A total of 91 ACC patients received capecitabine and oxaliplatin (CAPOX) as a part of a multicentre phase-III study of the Dutch Colorectal Cancer Group.
Purpose: The TNM classification is the most common tool for staging malignancies. The current classification for penile carcinoma has been unchanged since 1987. There are several shortcomings to this classification.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe outcome of patients with advanced colorectal cancer has significantly improved in the past decade because of the development of new treatment strategies. The Dutch Colorectal Cancer Group (DCCG) is a national multidisciplinary clinical research group in The Netherlands. The 3 CAIRO studies of the DCCG address clinically relevant questions in patients with advanced colorectal cancer: the benefit of combination versus sequential therapy, targeting vascular endothelial growth factor and epidermal growth factor receptor, and the role of maintenance therapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Current follow-up recommendations for patients with penile carcinoma are based on small numbers of patients.
Objectives: To give further insight into the recurrence patterns of penile carcinoma in different treatment settings and provide recommendations for follow up. DESIGNS, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: In this retrospective study, we analysed 700 patients from two referral centres for penile carcinoma for recurrences.
Background: In contrast to gastric extranodal marginal zone mucosa associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphomas, there is little consensus on the value and clinical consequences of extensive staging at diagnosis and during follow-up in non-gastric MALT lymphomas.
Design And Methods: Complete clinical information at presentation and during follow-up was collected for 72 patients with non-gastric MALT lymphoma treated at the Netherlands Cancer Institute between 1977 and 2005. Dissemination patterns at presentation were studied for nine primary dominant organ groups in our series of 72 patients and in a similar cohort treated at Vienna University (for a total of 106 patients).
Background: At our institution, tracer fluids are administered in the primary breast cancer and, in addition to the ones in the axilla, sentinel nodes outside the axilla are rigorously pursued. The objective of the present study of sentinel node-negative breast cancer patients was to determine the lymph node recurrence rates in the axilla and elsewhere, the false-negative rates, and the survival.
Methods: Between January 1999 and November 2005, 1,019 breast cancer patients underwent a sentinel node biopsy.
Purpose: We present a single institute experience of the four most widely used diversions after cystectomy in 281 patients, with an evaluation of the association between clinical factors, complication rates, functional results, and metabolic complications.
Materials And Methods: Between 1990 and 2005, 281 consecutive cystectomies were performed at our institute. Four different diversions were offered: an ileal conduit according to Bricker (IC; 118 patients), an Indiana pouch (IP; 51 patients), and orthotopic diversions after cystectomy/neobladder (N; 62 patients), or sexuality-preserving cystectomy and neobladder (SPCN; 50 patients).
Background: The optimum use of cytotoxic drugs for advanced colorectal cancer has not been defined. Our aim was to investigate whether combination treatment is better than sequential administration of the same drugs in patients with advanced colorectal cancer.
Methods: We randomly assigned 820 patients with advanced colorectal cancer to receive either first-line treatment with capecitabine, second-line irinotecan, and third-line capecitabine plus oxaliplatin (sequential treatment; n=410) or first-line treatment capecitabine plus irinotecan and second-line capecitabine plus oxaliplatin (combination treatment; n=410).
Objective: Little data on the role of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for advanced penile carcinoma are available. We describe the experiences at our institute.
Methods: A total of 20 patients received neoadjuvant chemotherapy for downstaging of irresectable disease in the period from 1972 until August 2005.
Objective: To evaluate the survival of patients with pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) treated by cytoreductive surgery and intraoperative hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), and to identify factors with prognostic value.
Summary Background Data: PMP is a clinical syndrome characterized by progressive intraperitoneal accumulation of mucous and mucinous implants, usually derived from a ruptured mucinous neoplasm of the appendix. Survival is dominated by pathology.
Purpose: To determine whether the effect of an additional "boost" radiation after breast conservative therapy (BCT) on local control depends on age and evaluate the impact of a treatment policy with a threshold for age.
Patients And Methods: We used data from EORTC 22881-10882 trial, with median follow-up of 77.4 months.
Background: Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) is a treatment strategy for pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) with curative intent. The aim of this study was to determine the patterns of failure in patients who underwent such a procedure and to evaluate management and outcome of progressive disease.
Methods: After exclusion of patients with overt malignancy, progression was studied in 96 PMP patients treated primarily by CRS with HIPEC.
Meso-tetra-hydroxyphenyl-chlorin (mTHPC)-mediated photodynamic therapy (PDT) has shown to be effective in the treatment of patients with multiple basal cell carcinoma (BCC). In the present study we further optimized the drug-light interval and examined the correlation between plasma drug levels and treatment efficacy. Thirteen patients with multiple BCC (a total of 366 lesions) were included in the study.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Our aim was to gain insight into the incidence rates for, distribution of, and risk factors of postoperative cardiovascular and respiratory complications in major head and neck surgery.
Methods: We performed a retrospective review of 469 patients who had undergone primary major head and neck surgery. Outcome measures were incidence rates, risk factors, and distribution over time for postoperative cardiovascular and respiratory complications.