Poor tolerability of thalidomide in end-stage oesophageal cancer.
Eur J Cancer Care (Engl)
; 20(5): 593-600, 2011 Sep.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-21521389
ABSTRACT
Oesophageal cancer cachexia is a significant clinical problem, resulting in excessive morbidity and mortality. In a pilot study, 10 patients with cachexia due to advanced cancer of the oesophagus gained weight, including lean tissue, after 14-day treatment with thalidomide. Here, we present randomised placebo controlled trial data over a 6-week period to test the hypothesis that thalidomide is superior to placebo in terms of weight gain in patients with cachexia caused by oesophageal cancer. Thalidomide, 200 mg daily, or an identical placebo was given to patients with advanced oesophageal cancer. Total body weight and lean body mass were assessed in addition to drug tolerability and performance indices. Thirty-four patients were recruited. Of these, six given thalidomide and 16 given placebo completed the protocol; all withdrawals were due to adverse drug reactions or complications of disease. Thalidomide showed no benefit over placebo in participants who completed the protocol. These data suggest that thalidomide is poorly tolerated in patients with advanced cancer of the oesophagus and may not ameliorate the progression of cachexia. In the absence of hard supportive evidence, off-licence treatment with thalidomide should be used with great caution as an adjunct to nutritional support in patients with advanced cancer.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Contexto em Saúde:
6_ODS3_enfermedades_notrasmisibles
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Talidomida
/
Caquexia
/
Neoplasias Esofágicas
Tipo de estudo:
Clinical_trials
/
Etiology_studies
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Guideline
Limite:
Aged
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Aged80
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Female
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Humans
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Male
/
Middle aged
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Eur J Cancer Care (Engl)
Ano de publicação:
2011
Tipo de documento:
Article