Background: In elderly patients with HER2-positive breast cancer, few data on efficacy and toxicity of adjuvant trastuzumab treatment exists since older patients were in general excluded from large randomized studies. This prospective observational study aimed to confirm the beneficial findings from pivotal trials in age cohorts ≥65 years.
Materials And Methods: There were no restrictions for recruitment with respect to age or concomitant/sequential adjuvant medication.
Capecitabine/taxane combinations are highly active in metastatic breast cancer (MBC). We conducted a randomized, phase III, noninferiority trial comparing capecitabine plus paclitaxel (XP) with epirubicin plus paclitaxel (EP) as first-line therapy for MBC, regarding progression-free survival (PFS) as primary efficacy endpoint. Females who had received no prior chemotherapy for MBC were randomized to six 3-weekly cycles of XP (capecitabine 1000 mg/m(2) b.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The integration of the non-cross-resistant chemotherapeutic agents capecitabine and vinorelbine into an intensified dose-dense sequential anthracycline- and taxane-containing regimen in high-risk early breast cancer (EBC) could improve efficacy, but this combination was not examined in this context so far.
Methods: Patients with stage II/IIIA EBC (four or more positive lymph nodes) received post-operative intensified dose-dense sequential epirubicin (150 mg/m(2) every 2 weeks) and paclitaxel (225 mg/m(2) every 2 weeks) with filgrastim and darbepoetin alpha, followed by capecitabine alone (dose levels 1 and 3) or with vinorelbine (dose levels 2 and 4). Capecitabine was given on days 1-14 every 21 days at 1000 or 1250 mg/m2 twice daily (dose levels 1/2 and 3/4, respectively).
Currently the prognostic value of lymphovascular space involvement (LVSI) in patients with cervical cancer is unclear. We evaluated the prognostic impact of different categories of LVSI on overall survival (OAS) and disease-free survival (DFS) in a Middle-European population of women with surgically staged, early cervical cancer. The records of 281 women with clinically and histologically diagnosed early cervical cancer undergoing primary surgical treatment at the University of Ulm School of Medicine between 1992 and 2006 were retrospectively reviewed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Cervical carcinoma is clinically staged according to the criteria of the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO). Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can also be used in pretreatment evaluation of tumor extension and size; however, the diagnostic value and the impact on clinical decisions of cross-sectional imaging have been questioned.
Methods: The files of 255 patients with biopsy-proven cervical carcinoma receiving primary surgical treatment at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of Ulm University between 1992 and 2003 were analyzed retrospectively.
Background: The goal of the present study was to investigate the changes in concentration of the important lymph-angiogenesis factors vascular endothelium-derived growth factor (VEGF) and VEGF-D under adjuvant chemotherapy.
Materials And Methods: The blood plasma of a total of 142 patients with breast carcinoma and with 1 to 3 affected lymph nodes was investigated, using the quantitative sandwich enzyme immunoassay technique, prior to and following chemotherapy, within the framework of a randomized phase III study: the patients received either conventional or dose-intensified chemotherapy.
Results: In general, there was a significant reduction in VEGF levels after chemotherapy only in patients with large tumors (T3) (p = 0.
Besides the traditional therapeutic options, treatment with antibodies specific for the receptor tyrosine kinase HER-2/neu has been established as a standard therapy in the clinical management of advanced breast cancer. Ongoing clinical studies focus on the improvement of application protocols in order to minimize side effects and evaluate the potential therapeutic benefit of anti-HER-2/neu antibodies in combination with conventional chemotherapy. Various similar strategies to target other tumour-associated antigens or proangiogenic factors with inhibitory antibodies are currently investigated in promising preclinical and clinical trials.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Gemcitabine and vinorelbine are active agents for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer. Prolonged infusion of gemcitabine can result in higher levels of active metabolites compared to shorter administration. This phase II trial was initiated to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of gemcitabine as prolonged infusion in combination with vinorelbine in anthracycline and/or taxane pretreated patients with metastatic breast cancer.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Gemcitabine and mitoxantrone are active agents for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer. Due to different modes of action and a favorable toxicity profile they are suitable for combination therapy. This phase I trial was initiated to determine the optimal doses for the combination in patients with metastatic breast cancer.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: The role of high-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) in metastatic breast cancer remains controversial. Trials with late intensification HDCT have failed to show an advantage in overall survival. This study was initiated to compare up-front tandem HDCT and standard combination therapy in patients with metastatic breast cancer.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe primary objective was to determine the optimal doses for gemcitabine (prolonged infusion), liposomal doxorubicin (Myocet) and docetaxel as primary (neoadjuvant) chemotherapy for locally advanced breast cancer. Secondary objectives included evaluation of the safety and efficacy of the regimen. Patients (n=19) with histologically confirmed stage II or III breast cancer were treated with liposomal doxorubicin (50-60 mg/m2) and docetaxel (60-75 mg/m2) on day 1, and gemcitabine as 4-h infusion (350-400 mg/m2) on day 4.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The leading cause of death from epithelial cancer is metastatic tumor relapse due to early dissemination of tumor cells. In this study we investigated the elimination rate of disseminated tumor cells in bone marrow and the clinical response under primary chemotherapy in locally advanced breast cancer.
Patients And Methods: Thirty patients underwent primary anthracycline-containing chemotherapy for breast cancer.
Purpose And Experimental Design: Lymphovascular space invasion plays a critical role in the progression of cervical cancer and is an indicator of an unfavorable prognosis, even in patients with early-stage disease. Identification and functional characterization of molecules that are predominantly expressed in tumors able to penetrate lymphatic vessels may therefore help to improve the clinical assessment of cervical neoplasias with unclear prognosis. We used immunohistochemical staining to assess expression of the tetraspanin adapter protein CD9 in cervical tumors because inverse correlations with tumor invasiveness, ability to form metastases, and poor clinical outcome have been described for several other tumor types.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Identification of leukemia-associated antigens (LAA) eliciting an immune response in patients is a prerequisite for specific immunotherapy of leukemias. To identify new LAA, we used the method of serologic screening of cDNA expression libraries (SEREX).
Materials And Methods: A SEREX library of the cell line K562 was subjected to allogeneic screening with sera from patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) vs sera from healthy volunteers.
There is strong clinical and experimental evidence that the human papilloma virus (HPV) plays a central role in the development and growth of cervical cancer. However, it is known that the carcinogenesis is a multistep process. Changes in the cytogenetic equilibrium, such as chromosomal imbalances, allelic loss, and structural aberrations, happen during the transformation from normal epithelium to cervical cancer.
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