A Nutritional Approach for the Management of Chemotherapy-Induced Diarrhea in Patients with Colorectal Cancer.

This study aimed to determine if dietary modifications using a nutritional regimen could prevent or reduce the incidence of cancer therapy-induced diarrhea in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer and to evaluate the relationship of Vitamin D blood levels with diarrhea severity. Patients with metastatic colorectal cancer were enrolled. A Mediterranean diet, containing some special limitations aiming to reduce the risk of diarrhea, was administered before and during the entire chemotherapy program.

Role of Diet in the Management of Carcinoid Syndrome: Clinical Recommendations for Nutrition in Patients with Neuroendocrine Tumors.

Nutrition and metabolism are altered in patients with gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, which is related to excessive production of gastrointestinal hormones, peptides, and amines that can cause maldigestion, diarrhea, steatorrhea, and altered gastrointestinal motility. Patients with carcinoid syndrome are at risk of malnutrition due to tryptophan depletion, reduced intake of food, and loss of appetite because of diarrhea and/or flushing. To date, there is limited information on the nutritional issues faced by patients with neuroendocrine tumors, and on what specific recommendations should be made to patients concerning nutrition at various stages of the disease process.

Short-course olanzapine to prevent delayed emesis following carboplatin/paclitaxel for gynecologic cancer: a randomised study.

Purpose: To explore efficacy of short-course olanzapine with or without low-dose dexamethasone for prevention of delayed emesis in gynecologic cancer patients receiving carboplatin/paclitaxel.

Methods: This was a prospective study in 81 chemo-naive patients receiving 0.25 mg intravenous palonosetron, 16 mg dexamethasone, and 10 mg oral olanzapine before chemotherapy.

Treatment of recurrent ovarian cancer with pegylated liposomal doxorubicin: a reappraisal and critical analysis.

The vast majority of ovarian cancer relapses on front-line therapy and the optimal treatment of recurrent ovarian cancer remains controversial. This review is based on the relevant published literature indexed in PubMed on pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD), either alone or in combination with other drugs, as one option in relapsed disease. PLD showed an improved pharmacokinetic profile, with a slower plasma clearance and a longer circulation time, compared to other conventional doxorubicin formulations.

Capecitabine in patients with platinum-pretreated advanced or recurrent cervical carcinoma: a retrospective study.

Background: Cervical cancer is a common malignancy among women and, when recurring, presents a dismal prognosis. After platinum failure, second-line treatments report response rates ranging from 3-15%, a median progression-free survival of about 3 months and a median overall survival of about 5.5 months.

Surgical Efforts Might Mitigate Difference in Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Stage IIIC-IV Unresectable Ovarian Cancer: A Case-Control Multi-institutional Study.

Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate outcomes of patients with unresectable advanced ovarian cancer experiencing complete response (CR) to neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Methods: Data of consecutive patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus interval debulking surgery (IDS) were retrospectively reviewed in 4 Italian centers. Using a propensity-matching algorithm, we compared data of patients achieving CR with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (no macroscopic either microscopic residual disease (RD) at the time of IDS) with patients achieving partial response (PR).

Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer: Is a Trimodality Treatment a Safe and Effective Approach?

Background: Chemoradiotherapy (CRT) is the standard of care for locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC). Pre-treatment lymph nodes (LN) assessment may have an important therapeutic role. CRT followed by adjuvant chemotherapy increased progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).

Spotlight on olaparib in the treatment of BRCA-mutated ovarian cancer: design, development and place in therapy.

Epithelial ovarian cancer is the sixth most common cancer among women worldwide and the first cause of death among gynecological malignancies. Most of the patients present recurrent disease and unfortunately cannot be cured. The unsatisfactory results obtained with salvage chemotherapy have elicited investigators to search for novel biological agents capable of achieving a better control of the disease.

Rucaparib: a new treatment option for ovarian cancer.

Approximately 50% of high-grade serous ovarian cancers present a deficiency in the pathways involved in homologous recombination (HR). PARP inhibitors prevent single-strand DNA damage repair and determine a progression of the defect towards double-strand breaks, which results in a process known as 'synthetic lethality'. Areas covered: In this review, the authors discuss the efficacy and toxicity of rucaparib either as a single agent or as a maintenance treatment for ovarian cancer.

Atypical Uterine Smooth Muscle Tumors: A Retrospective Evaluation of Clinical and Pathologic Features.

Background: Clinical characteristics combined with new biomarkers help discriminate between atypical uterine smooth muscle tumors (AUSMT) and leiomyosarcomas (LMS).

Patients And Methods: We retrospectively collected a series of leiomyomas (LM), AUSMT, and LMS. Estrogen receptors (ER), progesterone receptors (PR), p16, Ki-67, and p53 expression were assessed by immunohistochemistry.

The safety of antiangiogenic agents and PARP inhibitors in platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer.

Recurrence is a common event in endothelial ovarian cancer (EOC) patients, and the choice of the most appropriate treatment is driven by the platinum-free interval, molecular characteristics of the disease such as BRCA mutational status, previous treatments and toxicity. Areas covered: This review focuses on the main hematologic and non-hematologic toxicities correlated with the use of licensed antiangiogenic agents and PARP inhibitors in recurrent platinum-sensitive EOC, providing recommendations for their management. Expert opinion: The clinical research over the next years will be focused on a more precise characterization of molecular pathways underlying tumorigenesis of the five ovarian tumors, to improve the decision-making process in these rare diseases.

Emesis and nausea related to single agent trabectedin in ovarian cancer patients: a sub-study of the MITO15 project.

The MITO 15 was a prospective, single-arm trial, evaluating trabectedin monotherapy in patients with recurrent ovarian cancer (OC) who were BRCA mutation-carriers or had a BRCAness phenotype. It is largely reported that trabectedin may induce nausea and vomiting but the real emetogenic potential of the drug, in the different schedules, has never been fully described; furthermore, OC patients are known to have an enhanced risk of developing nausea and vomiting due to female gender, abdominal spreading of the disease, and major surgery experienced by most of them. We thought to carry on a sub-study in the MITO 15 context focused on chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) associated with trabectedin single agent.

Morcellation worsens survival outcomes in patients with undiagnosed uterine leiomyosarcomas: A retrospective MITO group study.

Objective: To investigate the impact of morcellation on survival outcomes of patients affected by undiagnosed uterine sarcoma.

Methods: This is a retrospective study performed in 8 referral centers of MITO group. Data of women undergoing morcellation for apparent benign uterine myomas who were ultimately diagnosed with stage I uterine sarcoma on final pathology were compared with data of women who did not undergo morcellation.

Palonosetron plus dexamethasone effectively prevents acute and delayed chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting following highly or moderately emetogenic chemotherapy in pre-treated patients who have failed to respond to a previous antiemetic treatment: comparison between elderly and non-elderly patient response.

Aim of the present phase II non-randomized study was to verify whether palonosetron might be able to prevent acute and especially delayed CINV for either HEC or MEC, starting from the second chemotherapy cycle, in patients who had failed to respond to a different antiemetic 5-HT(3) antagonist during the first cycle. Stratification factor was age <65 years vs. > or =65 years of patients included.