Cancer

This retrospective analysis examined patterns of clinically apparent tumor recurrence, focusing especially on unusual metastases, as well as possible risk factors for unusual metastases and their influence on survival.

The effect of postmastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) for women with T3N0M0 breast cancer entered in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database was examined. Cause-specific survival was not increased with PMRT.

The cytotoxic effects of 12 somatostatin/dopamine compounds were evaluated in 3 neuroendocrine tumor (NET) cell lines, and real-time polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay studies were performed to delineate antiproliferative signaling pathways. The different responses of each individual cell line suggested that NETs from different locations arising from different neuroendocrine cells may require cell-specific antiproliferative agents based on the unique receptor profile of individual lesions.

Overtreatment of prostate cancer is a concern, especially in patients who might qualify for the diagnosis of insignificant prostate cancer (IPCa). The ability to identify IPCa prior to definitive therapy was tested.

The study suggests that 3 maintenance bacillus Calmette-Guérin cycles provide a substantial reduction in recurrence risk in patients with high-risk nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer.

A prostate-specific antigen (PSA) velocity >2 ng/mL per year has been associated with an increase in prostate cancer-specific mortality. In this study, men who underwent radical prostatectomy for early-stage prostate cancer and were screened serially using PSA and digital rectal examination were less likely to present with an elevated PSA velocity.

The objective of the current study was to determine the activity of imatinib in combination with docetaxel in patients with recurrent, platinum-resistant epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). No clear benefit of the combination was demonstrated over docetaxel alone, and imatinib had limited activity as monotherapy in patients with EOC.

The authors reviewed the existing literature regarding the molecular, clinical, and histologic characteristics of mismatch repair (MMR)-deficient ovarian cancers that arise through genetic and/or epigenetic mechanisms along with their possible effects on survival and treatment response. Characterization of the profile and etiologic mechanisms of MMR-deficient ovarian cancers may be of diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic utility.

A study of women newly diagnosed with cancer of the cervix found a marked rise in the percentage receiving chemotherapy (34% to 85%) and concurrent chemoradiation (20% to 72%) from 1997 to 2001, corresponding with the publication of clinical trials showing significant improvement in overall survival associated with chemoradiation.

Pretreatment serum interleukin (IL)-6 levels independently predicted recurrence and survival in this population of head and neck cancer patients. Using IL-6 as a biomarker for recurrence and survival may allow for earlier identification and treatment of disease relapse.

The TNM 2002 staging system is more valid than the 1997 system for parotid cancer. However, the next TNM revision needs to solve the significant problem of separating stage I and stage II, and the subgroups within stage IV.

The purpose of this phase II study was to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of weekly bortezomib in the treatment of patients with recurrent/refractory multiple myeloma. In a group of 40 patients, the response rate, progression-free survival, and toxicity with weekly bortezomib was similar to that reported with the standard, twice-weekly bortezomib schedule.

Although deletion of the derivative chromosome 9 (del-der 9) carries a poor prognosis in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) who were treated with hydroxyurea or interferon, its significance in patients on imatinib mesylate (IM) therapy is debated. The results from this study indicated that the presence of del-der 9 before the initiation of IM therapy did not affect the probability of attaining a hematologic, cytogenetic, or molecular response; did not affect the time to loss of response or the time to treatment failure; did not affect the rate of progression to accelerated phase/blast crisis; and did not increase the need for IM dose escalation.

The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the activity and toxicity of dexamethasone, high-dose cytarabine, and carboplatin (DAC) combination therapy in children with newly diagnosed large-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma and to estimate the event-free and overall survival rates achieved when DAC is incorporated into a conventional regimen.

The incidence of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) increased from 1992 to 2004 and was significantly higher in men, whites, and patients aged >50 years. The majority of patients were diagnosed with late-stage MCL. There were also considerable geographic variations in incidence rate.

The purpose of the study was to investigate whether polymorphisms of p53 codon 72 (Arg72Pro) and MDM2 SNP309 (309T>G) affect p53 expression and the clinical outcome of patients with advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer.

The authors conducted a phase 2 study of erlotinib plus bevacizumab for patients with malignant mesothelioma who had undergone 1 previous chemotherapy regimen. There were no objective clinical responses, although several patients did achieve stable disease.

To develop lead compound for cancer treatment, a 2-step novel synthetic compound, referred to as 1,1,3-tri(3-indolyl)cyclohexane (3-indole), was generated in high purity and yield. Its biologic activities in lung cancer cells were evaluated. 3-Indole induced apoptosis via the intrinsic mitochondrial pathway and activated stress-activated pathways, including activating reactive oxygen species activity and c-Jun N-terminal kinase in various human lung cancer cell lines. Moreover, in vivo antitumor activities against human xenografts in murine preclinical models indicated that 3-indole was a potential lead pharmaceutical compound for cancer treatment based on its extremely potent cytotoxicity with favorable pharmacologic properties.

The study describes the circumstances of death in a prospective cohort of patients with newly diagnosed advanced NSCLC. High utilization of chemotherapy at the end of life and short length of stay in hospice suggests that oncology care at the end of life remains aggressive.

The authors analyzed a consecutive series of patients aged ≥75 years with brain metastases treated with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) to assess long-term outcome (minimum follow-up, 2.5 years) and compared their results with previous studies in younger patients. SRS, alone or in combination with other therapies, appears to be an effective treatment modality in older patients, with outcomes that compare favorably with those reported for younger patients.

In a selected population of patients with glioblastoma multiforme who underwent gross total tumor removal followed by radiation therapy and chemotherapy with temozolomide, the authors of this report observed that the percentage of tumor cells in the neighboring apparently normal tissue was correlated significantly with survival in univariate and multivariate analyses.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors are emerging as effective therapies for patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer, colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, head and neck cancer, and other malignancies. Although these agents appear to be well-tolerated, rashes are reported to occur in >50% of treated cancer patients. Although often acneiform in appearance, mild in severity, and quick to resolve (even with ongoing cancer therapy), more severe or more persistent rashes can also occur, particularly with the administration of EGFR antibodies. In the current study, the authors examined the use of tetracycline for rash prevention.

Low white blood cell counts (WBC) or absolute neutrophil counts (ANC) may delay or prevent the completion of appropriate chemotherapy and affect cancer survival. Because race/ethnicity is also associated with survival, the authors compared WBC and ANC in healthy American-born women of African descent and European descent, and women from Barbados/Trinidad-Tobago, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Jamaica.

The authors investigated whether perinucleolar compartment (PNC) prevalence (the percentage of cells with 1 or more PNC) was correlated with malignancy in a spectrum of tissue types and evaluated its selective association with malignancy under various experimental conditions. The results helped to validate the possibility that PNC prevalence may have potential as an easily detectable phenotypic marker that can be scored accurately and precisely in a broad range of tumor types to increase the accuracy of prognosis for many cancer patients.

The current study demonstrated that the Distress Thermometer is a valid instrument for screening psychosocial distress in oncology patients and can help facilitate physician-patient communication. The results indicated that asking patients whether they want a referral helps to provide support to the patients who most need and want it.

In a general population of patients aged ≥75 years, adjuvant chemotherapy to the colon and adjuvant radiotherapy to the rectum were found to have no negative impact on the quality of life. This finding is of great importance in encouraging clinicians to treat this population.