Hypofractionated intensity-modulated radiotherapy for primary glioblastoma multiforme.

Purpose: A pilot study was designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a novel regimen of hypofractionated intensity-modulated radiotherapy (RT) in the adjuvant treatment of primary glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). The rationale of the study was to combine the potential radiobiologic advantage of hypofractionation to GBM with a highly conformal radiotherapeutic technique. The study was designed to measure the acute and chronic morbidity of patients treated with this regimen, response of GBM to the treatment, overall survival, and time to disease progression after therapy completion.

Neurocardiogenic syncope and Prinzmetal's angina associated with bronchogenic carcinoma.

A clinical case is presented illustrating a previously unreported association of (1) neurocardiogenic syncope of new onset in a 57-year-old man, (2) Prinzmetal's angina, and (3) bronchogenic carcinoma of the lung. Initiation of aggressive chemotherapy resulted in immediate suppression of both cardiac manifestations. This newly described paraneoplastic syndrome is discussed.

Phase II clinical trial of didemnin B in previously treated small cell lung cancer.

Didemnin B (NSC 325319), a cyclic depsipeptide isolated from a Carribean sea tunicate, exhibited potent antitumor activity in preclinical studies. After determining the maximum tolerated dose in our previous phase I/II trial, we conducted a phase II study of this drug in patients with previously treated small cell lung cancer; the starting dose was 6.3 mg/m2 intravenously over 30 min every 28 days.

Phase II trial of trimetrexate for unresectable or metastatic non-small cell bronchogenic carcinoma.

We treated 34 chemotherapy-naive patients with stage IIIb or IV non-small cell lung cancer with trimetrexate 150-200 mg/m2 intravenously over 30 minutes every two weeks. Six of 31 evaluable patients (19%) achieved a partial response. The major toxic effects from this regimen were myelosuppression, nausea/vomiting, and skin rash.