The relevance of macrocytosis induction during neoadjuvant dose-dense chemotherapy in breast cancer patients.

The aim of this study was to explore the red blood cell changes that occur during neoadjuvant dose-dense chemotherapy (NAC) of breast cancer. Also, we investigated the role of macrocytosis as a predictive biomarker for pathological complete response and disease-free survival (DFS) in these patients. A retrospective analysis of 82 breast cancer patients' data treated with anthracycline-cyclophosphamide-paclitaxel (AC-T) NAC in three oncology institutions in south Croatia from 2013 to 2020 was carried out. During chemotherapy mean corpuscular volume increased with time, with a median increase of 7.25 fl. Macrocytosis was induced in 38% of patients overall. Development of macrocytosis did not correlate with DFS [hazard ratio = 0.525; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.074-3.768; P = 0.525]. Higher percentage of patients in macrocytosis group achieved PCR, 39% vs. 29% in no macrocytosis group, but this difference was not statistically significant. The relevance of macrocytosis induction during dose-dense neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer should be further explored.

Efficacy and safety of palbociclib in heavily pretreated patients with HR+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer.

AIM: CDK4/6 inhibitors in the first and second treatment line in patients with HR+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer (mBC) in combination with hormonal therapy improve progression-free survival. Role of CDK4/6 inhibitors in further treatment lines remains unclear. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of 24 HR+/HER2- heavily pretreated mBC patients is presented. RESULTS: A total of 58.3% patients achieved stable disease. No objective response was observed. Median progression-free survival was 4.8 months; median overall survival was 11 months. Treatment was well tolerated. CONCLUSION: Favorable toxicity profile and efficacy of palbociclib/aromatase inhibitors combination in heavily pretreated luminal mBC patients in this study emphasize the need for further investigation of such drugs in this population.

[Clinical recommendations for diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of patients with cancer of unknown primary site]. / Klinicke preporuke za dijagnozu, lijecenje i pracenje bolesnika oboljelih od raka nepoznata primarnog podrijetla.

Cancer of unknown primary (CUP) site comprises very heterogeneous group of various malignant tumors presented in metastatic phase of the disease. Diagnosis is set when primary site remains unidentified after a thorough diagnostic evaluation in patients with histologically proven malignant metastatic disease. Despite poor prognosis in most patients, favorable prognostic clinical entities have been recognized constituting the most important group of patients for oncological treatment. The following text presents the clinical guidelines in order to standardize the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of patients with cancer of unknown primary site in the Republic of Croatia.

[CLINICAL GUIDELINES FOR DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT AND MONITORING OF PATIENTS WITH INVASIVE BREAST CANCER--CROATIAN ONCOLOGY SOCIETY]. / KLINICKE UPUTE HRVATSKOGA ONKOLOSKOG DRUSTVA ZA DIJAGNOZU, LIJECENJE I PRACENJE BOLESNICA/KA OBOLJELIH OD INVAZIVNOG RAKA DOJKE.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. It can be diagnosed in early stage through screening, early detection and educational programs, and when diagnosed early it can be efficiently treated. Treatment modalities include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormonal therapy and targeted biologic therapy, according to the stage of the disease and patient condition. Treatment decisions should be made after multidisciplinary team discussion. Due to the significance of this disease it is important to define and implement standardized approach for diagnostic, treatment and monitoring algorithm as well. The following text presents the clinical guidelines in order to standardize the procedures and criteria for diagnosis, management, treatment and monitoring of patients with breast cancer in the Republic of Croatia.

[Clinical recommendations for diagnosing, treatment and monitoring of patients with endometrial cancer -- Croatian Oncology Society and Croatian Society for Gynecology and Obstetrics as Croatian Medical Association units and Croatian Society of Gynecological Oncology]. / Klinicke upute za dijagnostiku, lijecienje i pracenje bolesnica oboljelih od raka maternice hrvatskoga onkoloskog drustva i hrvatskog drustva za ginekologiju i opstetriciju hrvatskoga lijecni(ckog zbora te hrvatskoga ginekoloskoonkoloskog drustva.

Uterine cancer occurs mainly in postmenopausal women, usually as vaginal bleeding. Following ovarian and cervical cancer it is the third most common cause of female reproductive system cancer death. Diagnosis is set by analyzing samples obtained via hysterectomy with salpingo-oophorectomy and pelvic / paraaortal lymphadenectomy. The following text presents the clinical guidelines in order to standardize the procedures and criteria for the diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of patients with uterine cancer in the Republic of Croatia.

[Clinical recommendations for diagnosing, treatment and monitoring of patients with ovarian cancer -- Croatian Oncology Society and Croatian Society for Gynecology and Obstetrics as Croatian Medical Association units and Croatian Society of Gynecological Oncology]. / Klinicke upute za dijagnostiku, lijecenje i pracenje bolesnica oboljelih od raka jajnika hrvatskoga onkoloskog drustva i hrvatskog drustva za ginekologiju i opstetriciju hrvatskoga lijetnickog zbora te hrvatskoga ginekoloskoonkoloskog drustva.

Ovarian cancer together with fallopian tube represents the fifth most common female cancer in the Republic of Croatia. Epithelial ovarian cancer, serous subtype, encompasses most of malignant ovarian neoplasms. Less common are various non-epithelial ovarian malignancies. A special group consists of epithelial carcinomas of low malignant potential with clinically indolent flow, good prognosis and no invasion, and primary cancer of the peritoneum and fallopian tube cancer. Clinically, these malignant tumors are generally asymptomatic in early stages, and usually diagnosed in advanced stages. The diagnosis is confirmed by pathological examination, and occasionally, cytological findings after completing diagnostic procedures. Multidisciplinary team makes treatment decisions, taking into account age, general condition and comorbidities of the patient and characteristics of the tumor itself, including disease stage, histological type and grade of the tumor. The principles of treatment of primary peritoneal and fallopian tube cancer are based on the principles of treatment of epithelial ovarian cancer involving surgery, chemotherapy, immune and hormone therapy, and symptomatic-supportive care throughout the treatment. Less common histological types have a different treatment approach being more frequently diagnosed in the early stages of the disease, have more indolent flow, so in these patients conservative surgeries with the goal of preserving fertility are more often employed. The following text presents the clinical guidelines in order to standardize the procedures and criteria for the diagnosis, management, treatment and monitoring of patients with ovarian carcinoma, fallopian tube and primary peritoneal cancer in the Republic of Croatia.

Early HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: Current Treatment and Novel Approaches.

BACKGROUND: Trastuzumab significantly improves outcomes in early HER2-positive breast cancer, irrespectively of any prognostic or predictive factors. Unfortunately, about a quarter of patients receiving neoadjuvant trastuzumab experience disease recurrence, revealing the unquestionable need for further improvement of treatment outcomes. SUMMARY: Adding HER2 blockade to adjuvant trastuzumab with pertuzumab and neratinib improves invasive disease-free survival (IDFS), particularly for those at highest risk of recurrence. A shift toward a neoadjuvant strategy for patients with a higher risk of recurrence could result in further treatment optimization. For patients without a pathological complete response (pCR) after the neoadjuvant part of the therapy, a switch to adjuvant trastuzumab emtansine significantly improves IDFS and distant recurrence-free survival and shows a trend towards improved overall survival (OS). On the other hand, for low-risk patients, chemotherapy deescalation should be strongly considered with the use of trastuzumab monotherapy as an anti-HER2 backbone. KEY MESSAGES: Neoadjuvant therapy should be offered for a significant proportion of HER2-positive early breast cancer patients with a higher risk of recurrence. Postneoadjuvant treatment should be tailored according to the initial stage of disease and the response to neoadjuvant treatment.

Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer After Treatment with Concomitant Chemoradiotherapy--Room for Improvement?

BACKGROUND: The standard treatment for locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) is concomitant chemoradiotherapy. In the majority of patients with LACC after properly executed concomitant chemoradiotherapy local control of the disease is achieved, and consequently distant relapse becomes the main cause of death for these patients. In an attempt to improve the outcome of patients with LACC, we designed a regimen of concomitant chemobrachyradiotherapy with cisplatin and ifosfamide followed by consolidation chemotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between 1999 and 2012, 118 patients diagnosed with LACC, The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stages IB2-IVA, regardless of histology, were treated with concomitant chemobrachyradiotherapy and consolidation chemotherapy at our Institution. Chemotherapy consisted of two cycles of cisplatin and ifosfamide applied concomitantly with two intracavitary low-dose rate brachytherapy applications, and of four cycles of the same drug combination as an adjuvant/consolidation part of the treatment. The primary outcome in this analysis was distant disease-specific survival. RESULTS: A total of 18 patients had documented relapse of cervical cancer, with only three local recurrences observed; 15 patients developed only distant recurrence, and one patient developed both local and distant recurrence. The distant disease-specific survival after a median follow-up of 96 months was 86.4%. CONCLUSION: Consolidation or adjuvant chemotherapy that follows concomitant chemoradiotherapy has a potential role in further improving control of the disease, especially distant control of the disease.