First-line treatment with capecitabine combined with irinotecan in patients with advanced colorectal carcinoma: a phase II study.

Goals: To evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of capecitabine with irinotecan as first-line treatment in metastatic colorectal cancer.

Background: The addition of irinotecan to infusional 5 fluorouracil and leucovorin significantly improves the response rate and survival compared with 5 fluorouracil/leucovorin alone in metastatic colorectal cancer. Capecitabine with irinoteacan was reported to yield comparable results in phase II studies.

Differences in pathological and clinical features of breast cancer in Arab as compared to Jewish women in Northern Israel.

Breast cancer (BC) does not affect ethnic groups equally. BC mortality is higher in Israeli Palestinian Arab women than among Israeli Jewish women. This study aims to compare clinical, biological and pathological characteristics of breast cancer in the two populations.

Differences in clinical and pathological characteristics of colorectal cancer in Arab as compared to Jewish patients in Northern Israel.

The Incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) differs in different ethnic groups. The aim of this study is to investigate clinical and pathological features of CRC in Arab as compared to Jewish patients in Northern Israel. Clinical and pathological characteristics of 480 patients with CRC treated between 1999 and 2006 were retrospectively reviewed.

Effects of tamoxifen on bone mineral density and metabolism in postmenopausal women with early-stage breast cancer.

At the present time, tamoxifen is the most widely used anti-estrogen for adjuvant therapy and metastatic disease in postmenopausal women with breast cancer, a population at high risk for osteoporosis. This prospective study was designed to evaluate the effect of adjuvant tamoxifen on bone mineral density and all biochemical markers concomitantly in women with early-stage breast cancer in one study. Using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, prior to and 12 mo after tamoxifen treatment, bone mineral density in lumbar spine and femoral neck was measured in 44 women with T1-T2N0M0 estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer receiving adjuvant treatment with tamoxifen 20 mg/d.

Serum CA125: a tumor marker for monitoring response to treatment and follow-up in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Purpose: Serum CA125 is an important prognostic factor in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Elevation of CA125 level correlates with advanced disease, poor response to treatment, and poor survival rates. The aim of the current study is to evaluate CA125 levels in patients with NHL and to investigate the correlations between high CA125 level and other presenting features.

Pure versus follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma: clinical features, prognostic factors, treatment, and survival.

Background: The follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma (FVPTC) is a common subtype of papillary thyroid carcinoma. Few studies have compared the clinical behavior and treatment outcome of patients with FVPTC with the outcome of patients with pure papillary carcinoma (PTC). A retrospective study was performed to identify the influence of FVPTC compared with PTC on therapeutic variables, prognostic variables, and survival.