Predictive value of a proteomic signature in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer treated with second-line erlotinib or chemotherapy (PROSE): a biomarker-stratified, randomised phase 3 trial.

Background: An established multivariate serum protein test can be used to classify patients according to whether they are likely to have a good or poor outcome after treatment with EGFR tyrosine-kinase inhibitors. We assessed the predictive power of this test in the comparison of erlotinib and chemotherapy in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer.

Methods: From Feb 26, 2008, to April 11, 2012, patients (aged ≥18 years) with histologically or cytologically confirmed, second-line, stage IIIB or IV non-small-cell lung cancer were enrolled in 14 centres in Italy.

Treatment of 741 Italian patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Background: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a distinctive syndrome characterized by specific symptoms cluster. CFS mostly affects women and often results in severe functional limitation. Its prevalence varies from 0.

Concurrent chemoradiotherapy with tomotherapy in locally advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: a phase I, docetaxel dose-escalation study, with hypofractionated radiation regimen.

Background: Concurrent chemo-radiotherapy is demonstrately superior to sequential chemo-radiotherapy in the treatment of advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer not suitable for surgery. Docetaxel is considered to enhance the cytotoxic effect of radiotherapy on the tumour cells. Tomotherapy (HT) is a novel radiotherapeutic technique, which allows the delivery of Image Guided-IMRT (IG-IMRT), with a highly conformal radiation dose distribution.

Hematopoietic growth factors support in the elderly cancer patients treated with antiblastic chemotherapy.

The 60% of tumors affected patients >65years of age and the future previsions are considering an amount of 70% after 2030. Elderly Patients presents multiple comorbidity, polipharmacy, and disability. Geriatric assessment helps physicians to take the best therapeutic decisions.

Hematopoietic Growth Factor support in the Elderly treated with Chemotherapy.

The 60% of tumors affected patients >65years of age and the future previsions are considering an amount of 70% after 2030. Elderly Patients presents multiple comorbidity, polipharmacy, and disability. Geriatric assessment helps physicians to take the best therapeutic decisions.

Treatment of elderly patients affected by lung cancer: why to treat, when to treat and what we know.

In the recent years many advances have been achieved in the field of the treatment of lung cancer; with the development of novel therapeutic pathways due to the knowledge of oncologic drivers involved in the carcinogenesis of the lung, as well as the involvement of new radiotherapic and surgical techniques. Nevertheless, the standard treatment for elderly is still debated, mainly because of an underrepresentation of elderly patients in clinical trials. Herein we try to summarize the main guidelines for the treatment of lung cancer, with particular attention for the elderly patients, what we know and what has changed.

Management of elderly patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphomas.

Life expectancy has impressively increased over the past century and the US population over 65 years is rapidly growing, especially those over 80 years. In fact, persons older than 80 years have increased by more than 250% between the years 1960 and 2000, and it is expected that the population aged >75 years will triple by the year 2030. With the increase of the geriatric population, there is a need for the development and validation of treatment strategies for NHL for these patients.