A Randomized Phase II Trial of Capecitabine Plus Vinorelbine Followed by Docetaxel Versus Adriamycin Plus Cyclophosphamide Followed by Docetaxel as Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer.

Purpose: Given the promising activity of capecitabine and vinorelbine in metastatic breast cancer, this randomized phase II trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of this combination as neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer.

Materials And Methods: Patients with operable breast cancer (n=75) were randomly assigned to receive either four cycles of adriamycin 60 mg/m(2) plus cyclophosphamide 600 mg/m(2) every 3 weeks followed by four cycles of docetaxel 75 mg/m(2) every 3 weeks (AC-D) or four cycles of capecitabine 2,000 mg/m(2) (day 1-14) plus vinorelbine 25 mg/m(2) (days 1 and 8) every 3 weeks followed by four cycles of docetaxel 75 mg/m(2) (CV-D). The primary endpoint was pathologic complete response (pCR) in the primary breast (ypT0/is).

Radiation recall dermatitis induced by tamoxifen during adjuvant breast cancer treatment.

Tamoxifen and radiotherapy are used in breast cancer treatment worldwide. Radiation recall dermatitis (RRD), induced by tamoxifen, has been rarely reported. Herein, we report a RRD case induced by tamoxifen.

Superior mesenteric vein thrombosis as an early presentation of myelodysplastic syndrome: a case report.

Mesenteric venous thrombosis (MVT) is a serious condition due to its potential association with mesenteric ischemia and infarction of the small bowel. Symptoms of MVT are often vague, making accurate diagnosis and sufficient treatment difficult. However, increased awareness and new imaging modalities for this condition have improved outcomes for patients with MVT.

Primary anaplastic large cell lymphoma of the lung presenting with acute atelectasis.

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma only rarely occurs as a primary lung mass. We report a very rare case of primary pulmonary anaplastic large cell lymphoma presenting with acute atelectasis in a 55-year-old man. Chest computed tomography revealed a consolidated central mass in the left lung with obstructive pneumonia that had developed into total atelectasis.

Small cell carcinoma of the liver and biliary tract without jaundice.

An 80-year-old woman presenting with chest pain was found to have a large, lobulated soft tissue mass in the liver and nearby tissues on abdominal computed tomography (CT). The tumor had invaded the common hepatic artery and main portal vein. Jaundice developed 4 wk later, at which point, a pancreas and biliary CT scan revealed a large mass in the right lobe of the liver and a hilar duct obstruction, which was found to be a small cell carcinoma.

Solitary rectal metastasis from primary small cell lung carcinoma.

Lung cancer may rarely appear with a solitary rectal metastasis and no other metastases. We report the first case of primary small cell lung cancer presenting with a solitary rectal metastasis in a 62-year-old man. Chest computed tomography revealed a soft tissue lesion in the subcarinal area.

Randomized trial of postoperative adjuvant therapy in Stage II and III rectal cancer to define the optimal sequence of chemotherapy and radiotherapy: 10-year follow-up.

Purpose: To determine the optimal sequence of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy in patients with Stage II or III rectal cancer.

Methods And Materials: A total of 308 patients were randomized to early (n = 155) or late (n = 153) radiotherapy (RT). Treatment included eight cycles of chemotherapy, consisting of fluorouracil 375 mg/m(2)/day and leucovorin 20 mg/m(2)/day, at 4-week intervals, and pelvic radiotherapy of 45 Gy in 25 fractions.

Hepatitis B reactivation during adjuvant anthracycline-based chemotherapy in patients with breast cancer: a single institution's experience.

Background: The objectives of this study were to determine the incidence, outcome and risk factors for HBV reactivation in HBsAg positive breast cancer patients while on anthracycline -based adjuvant chemotherapy.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 2,431 patients with early breast cancer who received adjuvant chemotherapy from March 2001 to December 2005. Among these patients, 111 HBsAg positive women were enrolled in this study.

Brain metastases in breast cancer: prognostic factors and management.

Background: The purpose of this retrospective study was to analyze the overall survival of patients with brain metastases due to breast cancer and to identify prognostic factors that affect clinical outcome.

Methods: Of the 7,872 breast cancer patients histologically diagnosed with breast cancer between January 1990 and July 2006 at the Asan Medical Center, 198 patients with solitary or multiple brain metastases were included in this retrospective study. Central nervous system (CNS) lesions were diagnosed by computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Extrapulmonary small cell carcinoma: single center experience with 61 patients.

Extrapulmonary small-cell carcinoma (EPSCC) is a clinicopathological entity distinct from small-cell carcinoma (SCC) of the lung. The aim of this study was to review the clinico-pathologic features, treatment modalities, and factors prognostic for survival in patients with EPSCC. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients with EPSCC diagnosed between January 1995 and July 2004 at the Asan Medical Center.

Intramedullary spinal cord metastases: a single-institution experience.

Background: Intramedullary spinal cord metastasis (ISCM) is the rarest type of CNS involvement of systemic malignant tumors. The aim of this retrospective study is to evaluate the clinical features, treatment and natural course of patients with ISCM in a single institution of Korea.

Methods: We reviewed the medical records of all patients diagnosed with secondary malignant neoplasms involving the spinal cord at the Asan Medical Center between January 1995 and August 2006.

Combination chemotherapy with capecitabine (X) and Cisplatin (P) as first line treatment in advanced gastric cancer: experience of 223 patients with prognostic factor analysis.

Background: The efficacy and safety of the combination of capecitabine (X) and cisplatin (P) in the treatment of advanced gastric cancer (AGC) have already been shown in several prospective clinical trials. In this study, we sought to evaluate the efficacy and feasibility of the XP combination for the treatment of AGC in clinical practice and to determine the prognostic factors affecting treatment outcomes.

Methods: Clinical data from 223 patients with previously untreated metastatic, unresectable, or recurrent gastric carcinoma who were treated with XP between March 2000 and December 2004 at a single center were reviewed.

Gemcitabine single or combination chemotherapy in post anthracycline and taxane salvage treatment of metastatic breast cancer: retrospective analysis of 124 patients.

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of gemcitabine-based chemotherapy, particularly in patients with anthracycline- and taxane-pretreated 2(nd)-line or greater metastatic breast cancer, and to compare gemcitabine monotherapy (G) with two gemcitabine-based doublets, gemcitabine/vinorelbine (GV) and gemcitabine/capecitabine (GX).

Materials And Methods: Of 124 consecutive patients who progressed after anthracycline- and taxane-containing chemotherapy, 58 received G alone, 38 received GV, and 28 received GX; their outcomes were analyzed retrospectively.

Results: The median number of prior metastatic chemotherapy regimens was 2 (range 0 approximately 4).

A case of leukemic pleural infiltration in atypical chronic myeloid leukemia.

Pleural effusion in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is poorly understood and rarely reported in the literature. When the pleural effusion is caused by leukemic pleural infiltration, the differential white blood cell count of the effusion is identical to that of the peripheral blood, and the fluid cytology reveals leukemic blasts. We report here a case of bilateral pleural involvement of atypical CML in an 83-yr old male diagnosed with pancreatic cancer with abdominal wall metastasis and incidental peripheral leukocytosis.

Treatment-induced menstrual changes in very young (<35 years old) breast cancer patients.

Purpose: To evaluate the treatment-induced menstrual changes in very young (< 35 years old) breast cancer patients.

Methods And Materials: We retrospectively examined the clinical records of 160 patients, ranging in age from 18 to 34 years old (median age, 32 years), treated between June 1992 and December 2002. One hundred twenty patients underwent mastectomy and 40 underwent breast conserving surgery.

Docetaxel and cisplatin combination chemotherapy in metastatic breast cancer patients with previous exposure to anthracyclines.

We evaluated the efficacy and safety of the combination of docetaxel and cisplatin in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients previously treated with anthracycline-containing regimens. Between June 1999 and December 2002, 50 female MBC patients (median age 43 years; range 29-64) received docetaxel 75 mg/m(2) and cisplatin 75 mg/m(2) on day 1 of each 4-week cycle. A total of 226 cycles (median four cycles per patient) were administered as first-line (23 patients) or second-line (27 patients) treatment.

Continuous infusion intermediate-dose cytarabine, mitoxantrone, plus etoposide for refractory or early relapsed acute myelogenous leukemia.

For refractory and early relapsed AML, this prospective phase II clinical trial evaluated a salvage chemotherapy regimen, which was consisted of continuous infusion intermediate-dose cytarabine (1g/m(2)/day, 24h i.v. infusion x 5), mitoxantrone (12 mg/m(2)/day x 3), and etoposide (150 mg/m(2)/day x 3).

Docetaxel plus epirubicin as first-line chemotherapy in MBC (KCSG 01-10-05): phase II trial and the predictive values of circulating HER2 extracellular domain and vascular endothelial growth factor.

The anthracyclines and taxanes are considered to be the most active drugs in metastatic breast cancer (MBC). We conducted a multicenter phase II study to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of the docetaxel plus epirubicin combination chemotherapy as first-line treatment in MBC and performed a prospective assessment of the predictive values of circulating HER2 extracellular domain (ECD) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Docetaxel 75 mg/m(2) and epirubicin 75 mg/m(2) were given intravenously every 3 weeks.

Prognostic factors identifiable at the time of onset of acute graft-versus-host disease after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation.

Background And Objectives: Current grading systems of acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) cannot effectively identify patients with poor prognosis at the onset of acute GVHD after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation.

Design And Methods: In a retrospective analysis, we evaluated the prognostic value of various clinical parameters at the initiation of treatment in 83 patients who developed systemic treatment-requiring acute GVHD after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation.

Results: Forty-three of 83 patients (52%) experienced initial treatment failure (40 required secondary treatment due to lack of response and 3 died) and 43 (52%) experienced treatment success, defined as completion of treatment (initial and, if given, secondary) within 100 days.

High-dose chemotherapy of cyclophosphamide, thiotepa and carboplatin (CTCb) followed by autologous stem-cell transplantation as a consolidation for breast cancer patients with 10 or more positive lymph nodes: a 5-year follow-up results.

Purpose: The benefit of consolidation high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) for high-risk primary breast cancer is controversial. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of consolidation HDC with cyclophosphamide, thiotepa and carboplatin (CTCb) followed by autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT) in resected breast cancer patients with 10 or more positive lymph nodes.

Materials And Methods: Between December 1994 and April 2000, 22 patients were enrolled.

Phase II study of paclitaxel and carboplatin in advanced gastric cancer previously treated with 5-fluorouracil and platinum.

Background: The combination of paclitaxel and carboplatin has been used to treat patients with many types of tumor, including gastric cancer. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of this combination in advanced gastric cancer patients previously treated with 5-fluorouracil and platinum.

Methods: Patients who had pathologically been proven to have measurable lesions were treated with paclitaxel (200 mg/m(2) for 3 h) and carboplatin [area under the concentration-time curve (AUC = 6)] on day 1 and in 21 day cycles.

High-dose chemotherapy of cyclophosphamide, thiotepa, and carboplatin (CTCb) followed by autologous stem-cell transplantation for metastatic breast cancer patients: a 6-year follow-up result.

Purpose: The benefit of high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) for metastatic breast cancer (MBC) is controversial. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of HDC with cyclophosphamide, thiotepa, and carboplatin (CTCb) followed by autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT) for MBC patients.

Materials And Methods: From September 1994 to December 1999, 23 MBC patients were enrolled.

Decreased incidence of hepatic veno-occlusive disease and fewer hemostatic derangements associated with intravenous busulfan vs oral busulfan in adults conditioned with busulfan + cyclophosphamide for allogeneic bone marrow transplantation.

We investigated the occurrence of hepatic veno-occlusive disease (VOD) after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) in 241 adults conditioned with busulfan + cyclophosphamide at a single institute and retrospectively compared 186 patients who received oral busulfan (O-Bu group) with 55 patients who received intravenous busulfan (I-Bu group). Various hemostatic parameters were determined at baseline and on days 0, 7, 14, and 21. Hepatic VOD occurred in 41.

Hand-foot syndrome in patients treated with capecitabine-containing combination chemotherapy.

Clinical characteristics and risk factors of hand-foot syndrome were investigated in patients who received capecitabine-containing chemotherapy. Toxicity data were analyzed from 179 patients in 4 prospective clinical trials testing docetaxel/capecitabine/cisplatin in stomach cancer, capecitabine/cisplatin in biliary or stomach cancer, and vinorelbine/capecitabine in breast cancer. Hand-foot syndrome was reported in 116/179 (64.

Capecitabine and vinorelbine in patients with metastatic breast cancer previously treated with anthracycline and taxane.

We have evaluated the efficacy and safety of the combination of capecitabine and vinorelbine in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients previously treated with anthracycline-and taxane-containing regimens. Between April 2000 and September 2002, 44 female MBC patients received oral capecitabine (1,250 mg/m2 twice daily on days 114), and intravenous vinorelbine (25 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8) during each 3 week-chemotherapy cycle (median, 5 cycles/patient; total, 235 cycles). One patient achieved a complete response and 21 patients had partial responses, giving an overall response rate of 50% in the intention-to-treat analysis (95% CI, 35.