Syndrome of inappropriate anti-diuretic hormone secretion in cancer patients: results of the first multicenter Italian study.

Background: Hyponatremia in cancer patients is often caused by the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH). The aim of this observational multicenter study was to analyze the medical and economic implications of SIADH in this setting.

Methods: This study included 90 oncological patients from 28 Italian institutions that developed SIADH between January 2010 and September 2015.

Patterns of CT lung injury and toxicity after stereotactic radiotherapy delivered with helical tomotherapy in early stage medically inoperable NSCLC.

Objective: To evaluate toxicity and patterns of radiologic lung injury on CT images after hypofractionated image-guided stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) delivered with helical tomotherapy (HT) in medically early stage inoperable non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods: 28 elderly patients (31 lesions) with compromised pulmonary reserve were deemed inoperable and enrolled to undergo SBRT. Patterns of lung injury based on CT appearance were assessed at baseline and during follow up.

Small cell lung cancer.

Small cell lung cancer accounts for 13-15% of all lung cancer worldwide. There has been a decrease in the number of cases, with no clear explanation, except probably to changing in smoking habits in the last two decades. In the early eighties, it became clear that SCLC was an extremely sensitive tumor as to radiation as to chemotheraputic agents.

Epirubicin and gemcitabine as first-line treatment in malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma represents a rare disease, for which chemotherapy actually remains unsatisfactory. From August 1998 to November 2001, 28 chemo-radio-immunonaive patients were consecutively enrolled in the trial: 22/6 males/females; median age 63 years (range, 45-79); median ECOG PS 1 (range, 0-2). They were treated with epirubicin (100 mg/m2 iv on day 1) plus gemcitabine (1000 mg/m2 iv on days 1 and 8) every 4 weeks for 6 cycles.

Oral vinorelbine given as monotherapy to advanced, elderly NSCLC patients: a multicentre phase II trial.

Vinorelbine intravenously (i.v.) demonstrated its efficacy and tolerability in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, including elderly subjects.

Gemcitabine, paclitaxel, and cisplatin as induction chemotherapy for patients with biopsy-proven Stage IIIA(N2) nonsmall cell lung carcinoma: a Phase II multicenter study.

Background: The objective of the current study was to define the activity and tolerability, as well as the influence on resectability, of the combination of gemcitabine, paclitaxel, and cisplatin (GTP) as induction chemotherapy for patients with Stage IIIA(N2) nonsmall cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC).

Methods: Forty-nine chemotherapy-naïve patients (median age, 61 years; World Health Organization performance status, 0-1) with biopsy-proven Stage IIIA(N2) disease received 1000 mg/m(2) gemcitabine, 125 mg/m(2) paclitaxel, and 50 mg/m(2) cisplatin on Days 1 and 8 of every 3 weeks until reevaluation for surgery or definitive radiotherapy.

Results: Grade 3-4 neutropenia was the most common hematologic toxicity, occurring in 32.

Low dose spiral computed tomography.

Low dose spiral computed tomography is the best tool we have today to detect early lung cancer. The author describes the technique of image intake and the advantages in thoracic oncology.

Is delayed chemotherapy-induced emesis well managed in oncological clinical practice? An observational study.

Nausea and vomiting have a negative influence on the quality of life of patients receiving chemotherapy. The Consensus Conference held in 1997 outlined the therapeutic procedure to prevent delayed emesis that might otherwise be induced by chemotherapy. So far, no study has evaluated the correct management of delayed emesis in clinical practice.

Phase I/II trial of gemcitabine plus cisplatin and etoposide in patients with small-cell lung cancer.

Objective: The objectives of this phase I/II study were to define the maximum tolerated dose (MTD), safety, and activity of cisplatin, etoposide, and gemcitabine (PEG) in the treatment of previously untreated patients with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC).

Patients And Methods: Chemonaive patients received fixed doses of gemcitabine (1000 mg/m(2) on days 1 and 8) and cisplatin (70 mg/m(2) on day 2) and escalating doses of etoposide (starting dose of 50 mg/m(2) on days 3, 4, and 5) every 3 weeks. No prophylactic granulocyte colony-stimulating factors were used.

Phase II study of Taxol combined With ifosfamide and carboplatin in the treatment of stage IIIb-IV non-small-cell lung cancer.

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the activity and the toxicity of an original combination of paclitaxel (Taxol), ifosfamide, and carboplatin in patients with stage IIIB-IV non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Sixty-one patients with previously untreated stage IIIB-IV NSCLC were enrolled by five institutions. Paclitaxel was given at the dose of 200 mg/m iv in 3 hours, ifosfamide (with mesna) at the dose of 3 g/m and carboplatin at an area under the curve 5, on day 1, every 21 days for a total of six cycles in responding or stabilized patients.

EDU-CARE, a randomised, multicentre, parallel group study on education and quality of life in COPD.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) represents one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality in the western world. Unfortunately, its therapy is largely palliative, the key aims of treatment being to reduce exacerbations, minimise symptoms, and improve patients' ability to perform their usual daily activities. In the absence of true disease-modifying treatments, the concept of rehabilitation has become important.

Treatment of inoperable non-small cell lung carcinoma stage IIIb and IV with cisplatin, epidoxorubicin, vindesine and lonidamine: a phase II study.

Aims And Background: The polychemotherapeutic regimen PEV (cisplatin, epidoxorubicin and vindesine) + lonidamine proved to be valid in terms of activity and efficacy in the treatment of patients with advanced, previously untreated non-small cell lung carcinoma. The goal of the study was to verify whether a different dose of lonidamine, together with an increase in cisplatin and epidoxorubicin compared to the standard regimen, is able to improve the activity and efficacy of PEV without increasing toxicity.

Patients And Methods: Thirty-one patients were treated with cisplatin (80 mg/m2/i.

Gemcitabine and cisplatin versus mitomycin, ifosfamide, and cisplatin in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: A randomized phase III study of the Italian Lung Cancer Project.

Purpose: To compare gemcitabine and cisplatin (GC) with mitomycin, ifosfamide, and cisplatin (MIC) chemotherapy in patients with stage IIIB (limited to T4 for pleural effusion and N3 for supraclavicular lymph nodes) or stage IV non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The end points were the evaluation of quality of life (QoL), response rates, survival, and toxicity.

Patients And Methods: Three hundred seven patients were randomized to receive either gemcitabine 1,000 mg/m(2) on days 1, 8, and 15 plus cisplatin 100 mg/m(2) on day 2, every 28 days, or mitomycin 6 mg/m(2), ifosfamide 3,000 mg/m(2), and mesna on day 1 plus cisplatin 100 mg/m(2) on day 2, every 28 days.

The role of vindesine and lonidamine in the treatment of elderly patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer: a phase III randomized FONICAP trial. Italian Lung Cancer Task Force.

Aims: To evaluate the efficacy and treatment compliance in elderly patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) of two chemotherapeutic agents with mild toxicity, 153 previously untreated patients aged over 70 years were randomized to receive lonidamine (450 mg daily p.o. until progression), vindesine (3 mg/m2/daily i.

Cisplatin-vindesine-mitomycin (MVP) vs cisplatin-ifosfamide-vinorelbine (PIN) vs carboplatin-vinorelbine (CaN) in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC): a FONICAP randomized phase II study. Italian Lung Cancer Task Force (FONICAP).

In the present multicentre randomized phase II trial, the activity and toxicity of three platinum-based combination regimens for the treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were evaluated. The three regimens were: MVP (mitomycin-C 6 mg m(-2) on day 1, vindesine 3 mg m(-2) on days 1 and 15, and cisplatin 80 mg m(-2) on day 1 every 28 days), PIN (cisplatin 80 mg m(-2) day 1, ifosfamide 3 g m(-2) day 1 and vinorelbine 25 mg m(-2) day 1 and 8 every 21 days) and CaN (carboplatin 350 mg m(-2) day 1 and vinorelbine 25 mg m(-2) days 1 and 8 every 28 days). A total of 140 chemotherapy-naive patients entered the study; 49 patients were treated with MVP, 48 with PIN and 43 with CaN.

Evaluation of response to chemotherapy in patients affected with non-small cell lung cancer by means of three tumour markers elaborated by discriminant analysis.

Chemotherapy is the most effective treatment for inoperable patients (70%) affected with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The early detection of tumour progression is mandative in order to promptly shift these patients towards salvage or supportive therapy. The present authors investigated the clinical value of a panel of tumour markers, elaborated by means of discriminant analysis, as a follow-up indicator for the detection of tumour progression.

Validation of an algorithm able to differentiate small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) from non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients by means of a tumour marker panel: analysis of the errors.

By means of a mathematical score previously generated by discriminant analysis on 90 lung cancer patients, a new and larger group of 261 subjects [209 with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and 52 with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC)] was analysed to confirm the ability of the method to distinguish between these two types of cancers. The score, which included the serum neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and CYFRA-21.1 levels, permitted correct classification of 93% of the patients.

Combined treatment with thymosin-alpha1 and low-dose interferon-alpha after ifosfamide in non-small cell lung cancer: a phase-II controlled trial.

22 patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer were randomized to receive chemotherapy (ifosfamide) or chemotherapy followed by thymosin alpha1 + low-dose IFNalpha. Chemo-immunotherapy induced an enhanced response rate compared with chemotherapy alone (33% and 10% respectively). Although these differences were not significant, the difference in time to progression was (p=0.

Lonidamine plus cyclophosphamide in the treatment of adanced non-small cell lung cancer in the elderly: a phase II study.

Aim And Background: The aim of this Phase II trial was to verify the therapeutic activity and tolerability of chemotherapy with lonidamine (LND) plus cyclophosphamide (CTX) in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the elderly. The rationale of the combination is reported. CTX showed mild toxicity, with a 12% objective response (OR) in monochemotherapy; LND potentiated the in vitro antiproliferative activity of alkylating agents, mainly CTX, without increasing myelotoxicity, particularly important in the elderly.

Mitomycin-ifosfamide-cisplatinum (MIP) vs MIP-interferon vs cisplatinum-carboplatin in metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer: a FONICAP randomised phase II study. Italian Lung Cancer Task Force.

The FONICAP group is screening, with randomised phase II studies, the activity of new chemotherapy programmes for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) looking for regimens with > 30% activity. In the present study, three regimens were tested: MIP (mitomycin 6 mg m-2, ifosfamide 3 g m-2, cisplatinum 80 mg m-2 on day 1 every 28 days); MIP-IFN (MIP and interferon alpha-2b 3 MU s.c.

Comparative analysis of CEA and SCC serum markers with IAP in human lung cancer.

Serum levels of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC) and immunosuppressive acidic protein (IAP) were measured in 37 patients with lung cancers, in 24 with non-cancer pulmonary diseases and in 24 normal controls We evaluated the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of these three markers alone and combined. The highest specificity was observed for SCC (83.3%) and the highest sensitivity for IAP (94.

Etoposide v etoposide and cisplatin in the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer: a FONICAP randomized study.

A multicenter Italian Cooperative Study Group (FONICAP) conducted a prospective, randomized trial comparing cisplatin and etoposide (VP-16) with single-agent etoposide. The national study accrued 216 patients with measurable or evaluable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with either unresectable stage III, or distant metastasis (stage IV). One hundred patients were evaluable for response in the single-agent arm, and 93 in the two-drug combination arm.