The efficacy and safety of standardized allergen-removed Rhus verniciflua extract as maintenance therapy after first-line chemotherapy in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Chemotherapy improves the survival of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but tumor progression is often inevitable. Strategies are needed to improve the therapeutic efficacy of chemotherapy. Over recent years, there has been increasing interest in the role of maintenance therapy after first-line chemotherapy.

Treatment of recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma after liver transplantation.

Aim: Liver transplantation (LT) is a curative treatment for localized hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but the recurrence rate after LT is about 10-20%, with a dismal prognosis. Little data exist as to the natural history, treatment outcome and optimal treatment of recurrent HCC after LT. We reviewed various treatment modalities given to patients with recurrent HCC after LT.

Efficacy and safety of Rhus verniciflua stokes extracts in patients with previously treated advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: Systemic treatments for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have modest survival benefits but high toxicity. Rhus verniciflua Stokes (RVS), the lacquer tree, is an ancient traditional medicine being used for the treatment of cancer. We investigated the efficacy and safety of allergen-removed RVS extract (aRVS) for the prolongation of survival in NSCLC after the failure of first-line or second-line chemotherapy.

A case of recurred hepatocellular carcinoma refractory to doxorubicin after liver transplantation showing response to herbal medicine product, Rhus verniciflua Stokes extract.

There is no established protocol proven to be beneficial for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence after liver transplantation. Only a few reports have shown direct treatment by surgery or ablation to be independent predictors of survival for localized recurrence. Moreover, the necessity of immunosuppression to prevent allograft rejection makes many physicians hesitate to administer systemic chemotherapy.

Efficacy and feasibility of radiofrequency ablation for liver metastases from gastric adenocarcinoma.

Purpose: Optimal treatment for liver metastases from gastric cancer remains a matter of debate. The aim of our study is to evaluate the efficacy of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for the treatment of liver-only metastases from gastric adenocarcinoma.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed medical records of 29 patients who developed liver-only metastases from gastric adenocarcinoma and subsequently underwent gastric resection and RFA (n = 20) or gastric resection and systemic chemotherapy (n = 9) between January 1995 and February 2008.

Phase I trial of neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy with S-1 and weekly irinotecan in locally advanced rectal cancer.

S-1 is a novel, oral fluoropyrimidine and a known radiosensitizer. We conducted a phase I trial to establish a schedule of S-1/irinotecan with standard pelvic radiotherapy as a preoperative treatment of locally advanced rectal cancer. Our findings suggest that this new combination is feasible and well tolerable.

Combination of topotecan and etoposide as a salvage treatment for patients with recurrent small cell lung cancer following irinotecan and platinum first-line chemotherapy.

Purpose: The efficacy and safety of a combined regimen of topotecan and etoposide was tested in patients with relapsed or refractory small-cell lung cancer.

Patients And Methods: From October 2003 to May 2005, 23 patients who have failed to the previous irinotecan and platinum chemotherapy received intravenous topotecan 1 mg/m2 (day 1-5) and etoposide 80 mg/m2 (day 1-3). Treatment was repeated every 21 days for a maximum of 6 cycles.