Docetaxel, Cisplatin, and 5-Fluorouracil as perioperative chemotherapy compared with surgery alone for resectable gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma.

Docetaxel, cisplatin, and 5-fluorouracil (DCF) significantly improved overall survival in metastatic gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma (GEA). The aim of this study was to assess efficacy of DCF regimen as perioperative chemotherapy compared with surgery alone in patients with resectable GEA. We identified 789 patients who underwent surgery alone and 62 patients who received at least one cycle of DCF regimen consisting of docetaxel (75 mg/m2 on day 1), cisplatin (75 mg/m2 on day 1), and 5-fluorouracil (750 mg/m2 /day on continuous perfusion on days 1 to 5), every 3 weeks. Overall survival was compared using Cox proportional hazards regression model with adjustments for confounding factors provided by two propensity score methods: inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) and matched-pair analysis. In Cox multivariate analysis weighted by IPTW, DCF group was associated with favorable overall survival (OS) compared with the surgery group (HR = 0.59; 95% CI, 0.45-0.78; P = 0.0003). For the matched-pair analysis (comparing 41 patients for each group with the same baseline characteristics), median OS was 22 months and 57 months for the surgery group and DCF group, respectively (log-rank P = 0.0011). In Cox multivariate analysis, DCF group was associated with favorable OS compared with the surgery group (HR = 0.29; 95% IC, 0.14-0.64; P = 0.0019). In the matched-pair population, major complications (Dindo-Clavien grade 3-5) arose in six patients (14.63%) in the DCF group and seven patients (17.07%) in the surgery group (P = 1). Perioperative DCF chemotherapy is superior to surgery alone in terms of OS. A randomized phase III trial should compare DCF to standard perioperative regimens.

Carboplatin-etoposide combination chemotherapy in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer: A retrospective study.

The combination of cisplatin or carboplatin and etoposide is the standard treatment for certain poorly differentiated neuroendocrine cancers, such as small-cell lung cancer. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and tolerability of the carboplatin-etoposide regimen in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). A total of 27 patients treated by carboplatin [area under the curve (AUC)=5] and etoposide (100 mg/m2 intravenous infusion on days 1-3 or 75 mg orally/day for 10 days) for mCRPC were included for analysis. The median progression-free survival was 3.3 months [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.9-4.2] and the median overall survival (OS) was 8.1 months (95% CI: 4.06-12.36). The main grade 3-4 toxicities were haematological, namely anemia (33.3%), neutropenia (25.9%) and thrombocytopenia (22.2%), whereas the most common non-hematological toxicity was asthenia (22.2%). The efficacy, compliance and safety profile were generally similar between the oral and intravenous etoposide groups. Pretreated patients with mCRPC may benefit from the carboplatin-etoposide regimen in terms of OS. The toxicities were acceptable, without reported treatment-related mortality. Therefore, the oral etoposide regimen may be an viable alternative for improving the quality of life of the patients. However, this regimen requires further prospective investigation to confirm its efficacy.

[Management of metabolic disorders induced by everolimus in patients with differentiated neuroendocrine tumors: expert proposals]. / Prise en charge des troubles métaboliques observés avec évérolimus chez les patients atteints de tumeurs neuroendocrines bien différenciées non résécables : propositions d'experts.

Medical management of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors has recently been improved by new molecules of which the mTOR inhibitor everolimus. If digestive neuroendocrine tumors are rare, the incidence is in constant increase and the prevalence in digestive cancers put them right behind colorectal cancers. Everolimus has demonstrated efficacy in unresectable and progressive pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, by doubling the median progression free survival (11 versus 4.6 months), with a median time of exposure to everolimus of nine months. Everolimus is generally maintained until progression or intolerance and some patients are treated during several years. Potential metabolic disorders induced by everolimus (dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia) in patients with life expectancy of several years, justify monitoring of these parameters and accurate treatment management algorithm. These will avoid worsening patient's prognostic, but also prematurely discontinue potentially effective treatment or contraindicate other therapeutic weapons, in a pathology in which there are multiple therapeutic options in metastatic phase. We propose a standard practice in terms of initial assessment, monitoring, care threshold, and therapeutic objectives to manage metabolic disorders, fitted to our patients with advanced pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.

[Follow-up in patients with early breast cancer]. / La surveillance du cancer du sein non métastasé

Breast cancer incidence remains the highest among gynaecologic neoplasms. Once they have achieved their treatments, patients should undergo careful follow-up. It aims at detecting early local recurrence or controlateral breast cancer. Based on large cohorts, clinical and radiological follow-up procedures come from guidelines realised by scientific organisations. We evaluated our regional practices in Franche-Comté and compared them to current guidelines. Patients with early breast cancer positive for hormonal receptors filled a questionnaire concerning their follow-up. It included patients treated from 1999 to 2005. When frequency of consultation is evaluated, only half of the patients undergo what is recommended. Whereas mammography and non-validated complementary exams are more regularly realised. Patients consulting more one practician have a better compliance. Our study underlines significant disparities among patients follow-up. Better interactions between physicians and a greater implication of patients in their follow-up would increase its quality.

Anticancer therapy in patients with porphyrias: evidence today.

BACKGROUND: Porphyrias are rare diseases, and for these patients every administration of drugs may induce an acute attack of porphyria. The list of safe compounds allowed in these patients is available for clinicians from specific websites cited in the text. OBJECTIVES: However, data concerning anticancer therapy in patients with such diseases remain poor. Therefore any publications can help clinicians to deal with this very specific group of patients. METHODS: In our institution, three patients received docetaxel and hematologic growth factors (erythropoietin and GCSF) without unexpected toxicities. Aromatase inhibitors (anstrozole and letrozole) were also given in one patient without any related problem. CONCLUSION: The present observation adds some useful data for the possible treatment of cancer in patients with porphyria.

[Pemetrexed development in oncology]. / Perspectives de développement du pemetrexed en oncologie.

The pemetrexed disodium (Alimta), LY231514) is the first antifolate able to inhibit at the same time the synthesis of purins and pyrimidins. Many therapeutic tests were carried out in clinical situations where the methotrexate and the fluorouracil had been the proof of their effectiveness. It then showed an interesting activity in a great number of tumours but with very different profiles of tolerance according to the studies and pathologies. The explanation will come in 2001 by the description from the relation between the vitamin deficiencies among treated patients and occurred from toxicities. The two randomized studies carried out in the malignant pleural mesothelioma and the non small cell lung cancer made it possible to establish its utility and to record the pemetrexed in these clinical situations. Others axes of development remain possible, but the results are stanby or to confirm as in squamous-cell cancer in the head and neck and breast, digestive or urinary tracts cancer. In all the cases, the optimization of the pemetrexed in terms of amount/methods of administration and associations possible because of its profile of tolerance makes of it a molecule of chemotherapy with a future.

[Induction chemotherapy in patients with head and neck cancer]. / Chimiothérapie d'induction chez les patients présentant un cancer des voies aérodigestives supérieures.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapies for patients with advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma have been widely studied for twenty years. Despite a high level of activity on the primary tumor, no study has demonstrated a survival benefit suggesting the use of neoadjvant chemotherapy. One can consider that the only benefit of such strategy is for larynx preservation in patients with operable hypopharnx or larynx cancer. Nevertheless, recently the well established preservation strategy based on induction chemotherapy following according to the activity by radiotherapy has been knocked over by a strategy developed by Forastiere et al. using primary concomitant chemoradiotherapy. However, the lack of benefit reported by neoadjuvant chemotherapy has been thwarted by the recent results provided by the EORTC study which assessed the survival benefit of neoadjuvant chemotherapy by docetaxel-cisplatin-fluorouracile. Interestingly, since 2002 the clearly established strategies for patients with advanced head and neck cancer have been challenged and new options are emerging. This paper reviews the standard strategy of the past and the future proposal emerging from recent studies.