Alveolar soft part sarcoma with breast metastases: a case report.

Alveolar soft part sarcoma (ASPS) is a rare mesenchymal tumor, accounting for <1 % of all soft tissue sarcomas. It appears mainly in young adults, has a female predominance and follows an indolent natural history. Like other sarcomas, it can metastasize to the lungs, liver, bones and the brain, but unusual sites have also been described, including the vagina, the orbit, colonic mucosa and the breast.

Targeting the HER2 receptor in metastatic breast cancer.

The advent of targeted therapies has revolutionized the treatment of certain types of cancer. Identification of molecular targets on cancer cells has led to the design of novel drugs, which either used as single agents or in combination with chemotherapy, has prolonged survival in metastatic disease, or contributed to curative treatment in the adjuvant setting. A literature review was conducted to identify and present current knowledge on the molecular function of the HER2 receptor, its role in the pathogenesis of breast cancer and anti-HER2 targeted drugs in use or under development.

Primary chemotherapy for inoperable ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer with or without delayed debulking surgery.

Objective: To describe the outcome of primary chemotherapy for women with advanced-stage epithelial ovarian or primary peritoneal cancer and delayed surgery when optimal debulking surgery cannot be achieved at diagnosis.

Methods: Between 1998 and 2006, we retrospectively reviewed the overall survival and examined prognostic markers in consecutive patients who were not suitable for initial radical surgery because of the extent of disease and/or poor performance status. They were treated with a policy of primary platinum-based chemotherapy, followed whenever possible in responding patients by debulking surgery.

Leptomeningeal metastases from prostate cancer: an emerging clinical conundrum.

Leptomeningeal metastases from solid tumors are relatively uncommon events with dismal prognosis. They can be seen mainly in patients with breast and lung cancer, and malignant melanoma, but have also been described in a variety of other tumor types. Leptomeningeal carcinomatosis from prostate cancer is an extremely rare complication, but as patients' survival is prolonged due to more effective treatments, it is expected that more patients will present with leptomeningeal involvement in advanced stages of the disease.

Cardiotoxicity induced by tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

Background: Cardiotoxicity is a serious side effect of drugs used to treat cancer patients. Older chemotherapy drugs such as the anthracyclins and new targeted therapies, mainly trastuzumab, have been implicated in causing clinically significant cardiac dysfunction, which may be irreversible for many patients. The advent of a new category of drugs, the tyrosine kinase inhibitors has revolutionized the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia, gastrointestinal stromal tumors and renal cancer, while their indications include a variety of other types of tumors.

A Phase II trial of the combination of vinorelbine and capecitabine as second-line treatment in metastatic breast cancer previously treated with taxanes and/or anthracyclines.

Purpose: Survival time for metastatic breast cancer (MBC) can be substantially improved by combination chemotherapy in the adjuvant setting. Capecitabine and vinorelbine have shown considerable efficacy and favourable toxicity as single agents. The aim of this study is to evaluate the response to the combination of capecitabine and vinorelbine as second-line treatment in patients previously treated with taxanes and/or anthracyclines.

Systemic sclerosis associated with rectal cancer. Case report and a brief review of the literature.

Autoimmune diseases may appear as paraneoplastic syndromes during the course of a neoplastic disease, the most common being dermatomyositis/ polymyositis. The association of systemic sclerosis and cancer is not clear. The case of a 56-year-old male with rectal cancer and systemic sclerosis where the coexistence of the two diseases was closely related, so that scleroderma was considered a paraneoplastic syndrome rather than a concomitant morbid condition, is presented.

Prostate-specific antigen in the cerebrospinal fluid: a marker of local disease.

Leptomeningeal involvement from prostate cancer is a rare complication with dismal prognosis. Prostate-specific antigen in the cerebrospinal fluid may be found elevated and can be used as a marker for local disease. We present the case of a patient with prostate cancer and leptomeningeal metastases who had high levels of prostate-specific antigen in the cerebrospinal fluid.

CD4+CD25+ regulatory T-cell frequency in HER-2/neu (HER)-positive and HER-negative advanced-stage breast cancer patients.

Purpose: CD4(+)CD25(bright) regulatory T cells (Tregs) are increased in patients with several malignancies and correlate with disease stage and prognosis. Breast cancer patients represent a heterogeneous population with unpredictable disease progression even at advanced stages. Circulating Tregs in correlation with HER-2/neu (HER) status and treatment with chemotherapy, either alone or in combination with trastuzumab therapy, were monitored in advanced-stage breast cancer patients.

Skin metastases from primary lung cancer. Report of three cases and a brief review.

Skin metastasis from lung cancer is an unusual event carrying an ominous prognosis. Three cases with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with skin involvement and rapidly fatal clinical course due to extensive CNS metastasis are reported. The eventual association of skin metastases and a phenotype with "CNS-predilection" or an aggressive phase of NSCLC are discussed.

Salvage treatment with single-agent capecitabine in patients with heavily pretreated advanced colorectal cancer.

Background: Refractory and/or relapsing advanced colorectal cancer (ACRC) requires frequent and prolonged hospitalisations, with a negative impact on the patients' quality of life (QoL). The aim of this single-centre, phase II study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of capecitabine (C) as salvage therapy in patients (pts) with ACRC, heavily pretreated with various chemotherapeutic regimens, as well as radiotherapy.

Patients And Methods: A total of 28 pts were enrolled, with the following characteristics: 16 male and 12 female, median age 60 years (36-70) and median ECOG PS 1 (0-2).