Bevacizumab + capecitabine as maintenance therapy after initial bevacizumab + XELOX treatment in previously untreated patients with metastatic colorectal cancer: phase III 'Stop and Go' study results--a Turkish Oncology Group Trial.

Objective: It was the aim of this study to evaluate maintenance therapy with bevacizumab + capecitabine following induction with bevacizumab + capecitabine + oxaliplatin (XELOX) versus bevacizumab + XELOX until progression as first-line therapy in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).

Methods: Patients received either bevacizumab (7.5 mg/kg) + XELOX (capecitabine 1,000 mg/m(2) twice daily on days 1-14 + oxaliplatin 130 mg/m(2) on day 1 every 3 weeks) until disease progression (arm A) or the same doses of bevacizumab + XELOX for 6 cycles followed by bevacizumab + capecitabine until disease progression (arm B).

The symptomatic benefit (the clinical benefit response) from the second-line chemotherapy in patients with advanced gastric adenocarcinoma.

There are few reports on use of symptomatic benefits as an alternative or adjunctive for the assessment of objective response in chemotherapy of the advanced cancer. This study is performed to assess the symptomatic benefits (the clinical benefit response), in addition to the efficacy and toxicity of cisplatin plus infusional 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) combination as second-line therapy in patients with advanced gastric cancer. Fifty-eight advanced gastric cancer patients with previous chemotherapy were enrolled into the study.

Metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumor with long-term response after treatment with concomitant radiotherapy and imatinib mesylate.

Total surgical excision of the tumor is considered to be the only hope in treatment of malignant mesenchymal tumors. The roles of radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy have not yet been established. We report here a case of metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumors with a dramatic long duration of response after treatment with concurrent radiotherapy and imatinib mesylate.

The effect of venous thromboembolism on survival of cancer patients and its relationship with serum levels of factor VIII and vascular endothelial growth factor: a prospective matched-paired study.

Background: Venous thromboembolism (VT) increases mortality and morbidity in cancer patients. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of VT on the survival of cancer patients and its relationship with serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and plasma factor VIII levels.

Patients And Methods: Eighty-two patients with locally advanced or metastatic cancer were included in this study between September 2001 and March 2004, and 31 of them had VT.

Tamoxifen inhibits cytochrome P450 2C9 activity in breast cancer patients.

Tamoxifen has been reported to potentiate the anticoagulant effect of warfarin and also to increase the plasma level of phenytoin, which are mainly metabolized by CYP2C9. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of tamoxifen on CYP2C9 activity in vivo in humans. Thirteen breast cancer patients who would start tamoxifen following cytotoxic chemotherapy were enrolled in the study.

The effect of venous thromboembolism on survival of cancer patients and its relationship with serum levels of factor VIII and vascular endothelial growth factor: a prospectivematched-paired study.

Background: Venous thromboembolism (VT) increases mortality and morbidity in cancer patients. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of VT on the survival of cancer patients and its relationship with serum vascu-lar endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and plasma factor VIII levels.

Patients And Methods: Eighty-two patients with locally advanced or metastatic cancer were included in this study between September 2001 and March 2004, and 31 of them had VT.

Synchronous presentation of nasopharyngeal and renal cell carcinomas.

We report a rare case of synchronous presentation of nasopharyngeal and renal cell carcinomas in a-50-year old male patient with long standing smoking history. The patient was initially presented with a diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. During staging process, the abdominal computed tomography detected a right renal solid mass, 6.

Inhibitory effect of 5-fluorouracil on cytochrome P450 2C9 activity in cancer patients.

Drug interactions have been reported between 5-fluorouracil and cytochrome P450 2C9 (CYP2C9) substrates, S-warfarin and phenytoin. This study was performed to determine the influence of 5-fluorouracil on cytochrome P450 2C9 (CYP2C9) activity in colorectal cancer patients (n=17) receiving 5-fluorouracil. Losartan was used as a marker to assess CYP2C9 activity.

Cisplatin plus oral etoposide (EoP) combination is more effective than paclitaxel in patients with advanced breast cancer pretreated with anthracyclines: a randomised phase III trial of Turkish Oncology Group.

Our objective was to determine whether oral etoposide and cisplatin combination (EoP) is superior to paclitaxel in the treatment of advanced breast cancer (ABC) patients pretreated with anthracyclines. From December 1997 to August 2003, 201 patients were randomised, 100 to EoP and 101 to paclitaxel arms. Four patients in each arm were ineligible.

Prospective randomized comparison of morning versus night daily single subcutaneous administration of granulocyte-macrophage-colony stimulating factor in patients with soft tissue or bone sarcoma.

Background: Hematopoietic growth factors (HGFs) have been used to reduce the neutropenic complications of cytotoxic chemotherapy so that higher doses may be given. The authors have previously shown that endogenous serum granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) and granulocyte-macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) levels at night (p.m.

The effect of two different doses of oral clodronate on pain in patients with bone metastases.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of low dose oral clodronate in palliation of pain arising from bone metastases (BM) and to determine the optimal oral clodronate dose which inhibits osteolysis caused by tumor. Fifty patients with bone pain caused by BM were included in this study. All were receiving antitumor chemotherapy or hormonal therapy.

Ileus secondary to pancreatic pseudocyst.

Intra-or extrapancreatic pseudocyst is a common local complication in pancreatitis. Pathological involvement of the colon secondary to acute and chronic pancreatitis is a rare complication of major clinical interest. Contiguity with the tail of the pancreas and certain anatomical relationships, particularly at the level of the peritoneal reflections, explain the involvement of, particularly, the left flexure of the colon and the adjacent part of the transverse colon.

Hemodynamic changes in the early phase of artificially created arteriovenous fistula: color Doppler ultrasonographic findings.

The objective of this study was to evaluate hemodynamic variables in arteriovenous fistulas by color Doppler ultrasonography. This study involved 28 patients with chronic renal failure who were sent to surgery clinic for creation of an arteriovenous fistula of the Brescia-Cimino type. Patients were evaluated preoperatively and on the first and seventh days postoperatively by a color Doppler ultrasound machine with a 7.

Serum immunoglobulin E (Ig E) levels after myocardial infarction.

The relation between cardiovascular diseases and serum immunoglobulin E (Ig E) levels has been investigated by different authors. Serum Ig E may play a direct role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases, or it may only be a marker formed during pathological mechanisms. In this study, we determined serum Ig E levels of patients with unstable angina pectoris and myocardial infarction.

Prostatic acid phosphatase and prostate specific antigen in liver disease.

Serum concentrations of prostate specific antigen (PSA) and prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) were measured in 51 liver cirrhosis, 37 chronic active hepatitis (CAH) patients and 26 healthy individuals. Elevated PSA levels have been found in 2 of cirrhotic patients while no increase has been detected in CAH and controls. Serum PAP levels have been observed slightly increased in 2 patients with cirrhosis, 2 patients with CAH and 1 control case.

Glutathione peroxidase activity in serum during acute myocardial infarction and unstable angina pectoris.

We studied GSH-Px enzyme activity in serum after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and unstable angina pectoris (UAP). The study included 15 patients with AMI and 9 patients with UAP. Serum GSH-Px activity in the AMI group (0.