Front-Line Bevacizumab plus Chemotherapy with or without Maintenance Therapy for Metastatic Breast Cancer: An Observational Study by the Hellenic Oncology Research Group.

Front-line bevacizumab (BEV) in combination with taxanes offers benefit in progression-free survival (PFS) in metastatic breast cancer (mBC). The medical records of mBC patients, treated with front-line BEV-based chemotherapy, were retrospectively reviewed in order to generate real life safety and efficacy data. Patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative mBC treated with front-line BEV in combination with chemotherapy were eligible. Maintenance therapy with BEV and/or hormonal agents was at the physicians' discretion. Among the 387 included patients, the most common adverse events were anemia (61.9%, mainly grade 1), grade 3/4 neutropenia (16.5%), grade 1/2 fatigue (22.3%), and grade 1/2 neuropathy (19.6%). Dose reductions were required in 164 cycles (7.1%) and toxicity led to treatment discontinuation in 21 patients (5.4%). The median PFS and the median overall survival (OS) were 13.3 (95% CI: 11.7-14.8) and 32.3 months (95% CI: 27.7-36.9), respectively. Maintenance therapy, with hormonal agents (ET) and/or BEV, was associated with longer OS versus no maintenance therapy (47.2 versus 23.6 months; p < 0.001) in patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive disease and BEV maintenance offered longer OS versus no maintenance in patients with HR-negative disease (52.8 versus 23.3; p = 0.023). These real-life data show that front-line BEV-based chemotherapy in HER2-negative mBC patients is an effective treatment with an acceptable toxicity profile. The potential benefit of maintenance treatment, especially ET, is important and warrants further research.

Detection of circulating tumour cells before and following adjuvant chemotherapy and long-term prognosis of early breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: The detection of circulating tumour cells (CTC) is prognostic for disease recurrence in early breast cancer (BC). This study aims to investigate whether this prognostic effect persists or varies over time. METHODS: The study population consisted of prospectively included stage I-III BC patients. The presence of CK19 mRNA-positive CTC in the peripheral blood was evaluated before and after adjuvant chemotherapy, using a real-time RT-PCR assay. Longitudinal samples were collected for a subset of patients. RESULTS: Baseline CTC data were available from 1220 patients, while 1132 had both pre- and post-therapy data. After a median follow-up of 134.1 months, CTC positivity at baseline was associated with shorter overall survival (OS; HRadj = 1.72, 95% CI 1.34-2.21, p < 0.001). For disease-free survival, an interaction with time (p = 0.045) was observed. CTC positivity predicted early (within 5 years; HRadj = 1.76, 95% CI 1.33-2.32, p < 0.001) but not late recurrence (HRadj = 1.10, 95% CI 0.79-1.53, p = 0.577). Following adjuvant chemotherapy, more patients converted from CTC-positive to CTC-negative than vice versa (p < 0.001). Ten-year OS was 68.6% for + /+ and 86.7% for -/- group (p < 0.001). CTC status at follow-up predicted disease recurrence. CONCLUSION: CTC detection pre- and post-adjuvant chemotherapy is prognostic for early relapse, supporting investigations for novel adjuvant therapeutic approaches.

Combination of weekly topotecan and gemcitabine as a salvage treatment in patients with recurrent ovarian cancer: a phase I study.

BACKGROUND: Evaluation of safety of the weekly intravenous gemcitabine/topotecan combination as salvage treatment in patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer. METHODS: Twenty-four women with histologically-proven relapsed ovarian cancer (ROC) were enrolled in the study. Topotecan (1.75 mg/m2 IV) along with escalated doses of gemcitabine (starting dose 700 mg/m2 with increments of 100 mg/m2) were administered on days 1, 8, and 15 every 28 days. The maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and the dose-limiting toxicity of the combination were evaluated at the first cycle. RESULTS: Twenty-four ROC patients were enrolled in six dose-levels. Most patients had high-grade serous metastatic ovarian cancer (41.7%) and performance status score of 0-1 (95.8%). For 12 patients (50%) treatment was 2nd line and for 12 >2nd line. Eighty-eight cycles were administered with a median of three cycles per patient. The MTD was not reached and grade 3-4 (3.4% and 2.3% of cycles, respectively) neutropenia and grade 4 (3.4% of cycles) thrombocytopenia were the main adverse events. There was no case of febrile neutropenia. Non-hematologic toxicity was mild with grade 2 fatigue being the most frequent complain. The recommended MTD doses of the combination were topotecan 1.75 mg/m2 and gemcitabine 1200 mg/m2 on days 1, 8, and 15 every 28 days. Two complete (8.3%) and three (12.5%) partial responses were achieved (ORR: 20.8%). CONCLUSIONS: The weekly administration of gemcitabine/topotecan regimen in patients with pretreated metastatic ovarian cancer is an active chemotherapy combination, even in heavily pretreated patients, with a manageable toxicity profile which merits further investigation.

Nab-paclitaxel as second-line treatment in advanced gastric cancer: a multicenter phase II study of the Hellenic Oncology Research Group.

BACKGROUND: This study evaluated the safety and efficacy of nab-paclitaxel as second-line treatment in patients with advanced gastric adenocarcinoma. METHODS: Thirty-nine pretreated patients [33 with taxane-based regimens (docetaxel, cisplatin, and fluorouracil)] and 6 with combination of fluoropyrimidines plus cisplatin with locally advanced inoperable and metastatic gastric and gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma were treated with weekly nab-paclitaxel (150 mg/m2 d1, d8, d15 in cycles of 28 days). RESULTS: Partial response (PR) was documented in nine patients (23.1%; 95% confidence interval 10.1-37.2%), stable disease (SD) in 11 (28.2%) and disease progression in 18 (46.2%). The disease control rate (SD + PR + complete response) was 51.3%. Grade 3 and 4 neutropenia occurred in 10.2% and 5.1% of patients, respectively; grade 3 anemia in 5.1%; grade 3 neurotoxicity in 5.1%; and grade 2 pain in 5.1%. The median progression-free survival was 3.0 months (range 0.3-13.6) and the median overall survival 6.8 months (range 0.3-22). CONCLUSION: Nab-paclitaxel as second-line treatment in locally advanced inoperable or metastatic gastric and gastroesophageal junction carcinoma is an active chemotherapy regimen with a manageable toxicity profile and merits further evaluation.

Efficacy of Lapatinib in Therapy-Resistant HER2-Positive Circulating Tumor Cells in Metastatic Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the efficacy of lapatinib, a dual EGFR and HER2 tyrosine kinase inhibitor, in therapy-resistant HER2-positive CTCs in metastatic breast cancer (MBC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with MBC and HER2-positive CTCs despite disease stabilization or response to prior therapy, received lapatinib 1500 mg daily in monthly cycles, till disease progression or CTC increase. CTC monitoring was performed by immunofluorescent microscopy using cytospins of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) double stained for HER2 or EGFR and cytokeratin. RESULTS: A total of 120 cycles were administered in 22 patients; median age was 62.5 years, 15 (68.2%) patients were post-menopausal and 20 (90.1%) had HER2-negative primary tumors. At the end of the second course, HER2-positive CTC counts decreased in 76.2% of patients; the median number of HER2-positive CTCs/patient also declined significantly (p = 0.013), however the decrease was significant only among patients presenting disease stabilization (p = 0.018) but not among those with disease progression during lapatinib treatment. No objective responses were observed. All CTC-positive patients harbored EGFR-positive CTCs on progression compared to 62.5% at baseline (p = 0.054). The ratio of EGFR-positive CTCs/total CTCs detected in all patients increased from 17.1% at baseline to 37.6% on progression, whereas the mean percentage of HER2-negative CTCs/patient increased from 2.4% to 30.6% (p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: The above results indicate that lapatinib is effective in decreasing HER2-positive CTCs in patients with MBC irrespectively of the HER2 status of the primary tumor and imply the feasibility of monitoring the molecular changes on CTCs during treatment with targeted agents. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical trial.gov NCT00694252.

Evaluation of proliferation and apoptosis markers in circulating tumor cells of women with early breast cancer who are candidates for tumor dormancy.

INTRODUCTION: Clinical dormancy is frequently observed in breast cancer. In the present study, we aimed to characterize circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in dormancy candidates (DC) with early breast cancer in terms of proliferation and apoptosis. METHODS: Cytospins of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were obtained from DC (n = 122) who were disease-free for at least 5 years and from metastatic patients (n = 40) who relapsed more than 5 years after surgery. Sequential samples from eight DC (n = 36) who maintained a prolonged disease-free status and from eight DC (n = 27) presenting late relapse during follow-up, were also analyzed. PBMCs were triple stained with a pancytokeratin, antibody along with anti-Ki67 and anti-M30 antibodies as proliferation and apoptosis markers, respectively. RESULTS: CTCs were identified in 40 (33%) of 122 DC and in 15 (37.5%) of 40 metastatic patients. In total, twenty-five (62.5%) DC had exclusively dormant (Ki67(-)/M30(-)), seven (17.5%) had proliferative Ki67(+)/M30(-), four (10%) had apoptotic Ki67(-)/M30(+) and four (10%) had both phenotypes of proliferative and apoptotic CTCs. In comparison, 53.4% of CTC-positive metastatic patients had exclusively dormant and 46.6% had proliferative CTCs; none had apoptotic CTCs (P = 0.039). Among all CTCs detected in DC patients, 82.4% were dormant, whereas in the nondormant population, 32.5% were proliferative and 67.5% apoptotic. The respective percentages in metastatic patients were 59.1%, 100% and 0% (P <0.0001). Moreover, apoptotic CTCs prevailed among nondormant CTCs detected in sequential samples from DC who remained in a prolonged disease-free status compared to those presenting late relapse during follow-up (70.6% versus 43.5% (P = 0.0002)). CONCLUSIONS: The apoptotic index of CTCs is increased during clinical dormancy, whereas the proliferation index is increased on relapse. In addition, apoptotic CTCs are more frequently encountered during follow-up in DC patients who remain disease-free compared to those with subsequent late relapse, suggesting that monitoring proliferation and apoptosis in CTCs during clinical dormancy merits further investigation as a tool for predicting late disease recurrence.

Salvage chemotherapy with docetaxel and pegylated liposomal doxorubicin in pretreated patients with platinum- and taxane-sensitive ovarian cancer: a multicenter phase II trial of the Hellenic Oncology Research Group (HORG).

PURPOSE: To evaluate the safety and antitumor activity of docetaxel (DOC) and pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) combination in patients with platinum- and taxane-sensitive ovarian cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-three patients were enrolled. DOC was administered at the dose of 40 mg/m(2) intravenously (i.v.) and PLD at 20 mg/m(2) i.v. on days 1 and 15 in cycles of 28 days. The study was closed prematurely due to slow accrual. RESULTS: Seven (30.4 %) patients achieved objective response (three complete, four partial), while five (21.7 %) others experienced stable disease (overall disease control rate 52.1 %). The median progression-free survival was 4.8 months and the median overall survival 18.8 months. Grade 3-4 neutropenia occurred in two (8.7 %) and one (4.3 %) patients, respectively. Febrile neutropenia occurred in two patients. The most common non-hematological grade 3 toxicity was hand-foot syndrome (13 % of patients). There was no treatment-related death. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin and docetaxel is a well tolerated and a relatively active regimen in pretreated patients with platinum- and taxane-sensitive advanced ovarian cancer.

Skin and soft tissue infections in patients with solid tumours.

BACKGROUND: Skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) in cancer patients represent a diagnostic challenge, as etiologic diagnosis is often missing, and clinical assessment of severity is difficult. Few studies have described (SSTIs) in patients with solid tumours (STs). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Records of patients with ST and SSTI, cared for at the University Hospital of Heraklion, from 2002 to 2006 were retrospectively studied. Results. A total of 81 episodes of SSTIs, occurring in 71 patients with ST, have been evaluated. Their median age was 65 years (34-82). The most common underlying malignancy was breast cancer in 17 patients (24%). Most episodes (89%) occurred in nonneutropenics. Cellulitis/erysipelas was the most common clinical presentation (56; 69%). Bacterial cultures were possible in 29 (36%) patients. All patients received antimicrobial therapy, while in 17 episodes (21%) an incision and drainage was required. Treatment failure occurred in 20 episodes (25%). Five patients (7%) died due to sepsis. None was neutropenic. Severe sepsis on admission (P = 0.002) and prior blood transfusion (P = 0.043) were independent predictors of treatment failure. CONCLUSION: SSTIs can be life threatening among patients with ST. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment are of the utmost importance, since sepsis was proven a significant factor of unfavourable outcome.

A phase I trial of oral metronomic vinorelbine plus capecitabine in patients with metastatic breast cancer.

PURPOSE: To determine the dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) and the maximum tolerated doses (MTD) of oral metronomic vinorelbine with capecitabine in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Escalated doses of oral metronomic vinorelbine (starting dose 30 mg) every other day continuously and capecitabine (starting dose 800 mg/m(2) bid) on days 1-14 every 21 days were administered. DLTs were evaluated during the first cycle. RESULTS: Thirty-six women were enrolled at eight escalating dose levels. For twenty-four patients, treatment was first line, for eight second line, and for four third line. The DLT level was reached at oral metronomic vinorelbine 70 mg and capecitabine 1,250 mg/m(2), and the recommended MTD doses are vinorelbine 60 mg and capecitabine 1,250 mg/m(2). DLTs were febrile neutropenia grade 3 and 4, diarrhea grade 4, and treatment delays due to unresolved neutropenia. There was no treatment-related death. The main toxicities were grade 2-3 neutropenia in 16.6% of patients each, grade 2-3 anemia 16.5%, grade 2-4 fatigue 27.5%, grade 2-3 nausea/vomiting 11%, and grade 3-4 diarrhea 8.2%. Two complete and 10 partial responses were documented. CONCLUSION: Oral metronomic vinorelbine with capecitabine is a well-tolerated and feasible regimen that merits further evaluation in MBC.

Nutritional status, acute phase response and depression in metastatic lung cancer patients: correlations and association prognosis.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Cancer cachexia is a metabolic syndrome related with poor outcome. Cytokines play a key role in the pathophysiology of that syndrome. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential correlations between nutritional status, systemic inflammation, and psychological distress in cancer patients. The prognostic significance of the recorded parameters was also assessed. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with metastatic lung cancer were eligible. Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) was used for the evaluation of nutritional status, Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS) for the estimation of systemic inflammation, and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) for psychological assessment. RESULTS: Totally, 122 patients were enrolled (71.3% with NSCLC and 28.7% with SCLC). The following correlations were observed: MNA and GPS (r = 0.289, p = 0.001), MNA and HADS (depression scale) (r = 0.275, p = 0.002), GPS and HADS (depression scale) (r = 0.256, p = 0.004), and GPS and HADS (anxiety scale) (r =0.194, p =0.033). In univariate analysis, GPS (p = 0.002) and MNA (p = 0.010) emerged as significant predictors of survival. In multivariate analysis, both MNA (p = 0.032) and GPS (p = 0.020) retained their importance. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the associations between nutritional status, systemic inflammation, and psychological distress, supporting their common underlying pathophysiological mechanisms and further suggesting the necessity of a holistic anti-cachectic approach.

Cytokeratin-19 mRNA-positive circulating tumor cells during follow-up of patients with operable breast cancer: prognostic relevance for late relapse.

BACKGROUND: The detection of cytokeratin-19 (CK-19) mRNA-positive circulating tumor cells (CTC) before and/or after adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with operable breast cancer is associated with poor clinical outcome. Reliable prognostic markers for late disease relapse are not available. In this study we investigated the value of CTC detection during the first five years of follow-up in predicting late disease relapse. METHODS: Blood was analyzed from 312 women with operable breast cancer who had not experienced disease relapse during the first two years of follow-up. A real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for CK-19 mRNA was used to detect CTC three months after the completion of adjuvant chemotherapy and every six months thereafter for a follow-up period of five years. RESULTS: Eighty patients (25.6% of the study population) remained CTC free throughout the five-year period. A change in CTC status was observed in 133 patients (42.6%); 64 patients (20.5%) with initially CK-19 mRNA-positive CTC during the first 24 months turned CTC-negative afterwards while 69 (22.1%) who were initially CTC-negative became CTC-positive. Ninety-nine patients (31.7%) remained persistently CK-19 mRNA-positive. After a median follow-up period of 107 months (range: 38 to 161 months), the persistently CTC-positive patients with either hormonal receptor positive or negative tumors, had a higher risk of late-disease relapse compared to the persistently CTC-negative patients (36.4% versus 11.2%, P <0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that persistently CTC-positive patients also had a shorter disease-free (P = 0.001) and overall survival (P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Persistent detection of CK-19 mRNA-positive CTC during the first five years of follow-up is associated with an increased risk of late relapse and death in patients with operable breast cancer and indicates the presence of chemo-and hormonotherapy-resistant residual disease. This prognostic evaluation may be useful when deciding on subsequent adjuvant systemic therapy.

Salvage treatment in metastatic breast cancer with weekly paclitaxel and bevacizumab.

BACKGROUND: Weekly paclitaxel (P) in combination with bevacizumab (B) is an effective regimen as initial treatment of metastatic breast cancer (MBC). We investigated in a phase II study the activity of the same regimen as salvage therapy in MBC. METHODS: Pretreated women with MBC received weekly P (90 mg/m(2) days 1, 8, 15) and B (10 mg/kg days 1, 15) every 28 days. B could continue after discontinuing P until disease progression. This was second-line chemotherapy for 30% and third-line or more for 70% of patients. RESULTS: A total of 40 patients were enrolled. Median age: 61 (range 32-80) years; postmenopausal: 80%; baseline ECOG performance status <2 in 80% of patients. Two patients (5%) achieved complete response, 10 (25%) partial response (overall response rate 30%; 95% CI 15.8-44.2), and 10 (25%) stable disease. The response rate was 28% for the patients who had previously received taxanes. After a median follow-up of 20.6 months, the median time to progression was 4.8 months (95% CI 1.7-7.8), median survival 13.0 months (95% CI 10.3-15.7), and the probability of 1-year survival 55.5%. Main grade 3-4 toxicities were neutropenia 42.5%, febrile neutropenia 5%, and asthenia 10%. There was one toxic death due to sepsis. CONCLUSION: The PB regimen is well tolerated and active as salvage therapy in pretreated women with MBC. It could be an effective option even for patients exposed to taxanes during prior treatments.

Α multicenter phase II study of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin in combination with irinotecan as second-line treatment of patients with refractory small-cell lung cancer.

PURPOSE: To evaluate efficacy and toxicity of a combination of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin and irinotecan in patients with refractory small-cell lung cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty-one patients with early relapse after first-line therapy with cisplatin/etoposide were treated with pegylated liposomal doxorubicin 15 mg/m(2) and irinotecan 125 mg/m(2) on days 1 and 15. Treatment was repeated every 28 days. RESULTS: A total of 144 chemotherapy courses were administered. All patients were evaluable for toxicity and twenty-six (84%) for response. Grade 3 neutropenia occurred in two (6.5%) patients and grade 1 thrombocytopenia in one (3.2%). Fatigue was the most frequent grade 3 non-hematologic toxicity and was observed in seven patients (23%). Four (12.9; 95% CI: 1.1-24.7%) patients achieved a partial response, and disease stabilization was observed in additional two (6.5%) patients (Tumor Growth Control: 19.4; 95% CI: 5.5-33.3%). The median TTP was 2.03 months, and the median survival time was 3.16 months. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of pegylated doxorubicin and irinotecan is very well tolerated but with modest activity in patients with refractory SCLC.

Second-line chemotherapy with capecitabine (Xeloda) and docetaxel (Taxotere) in previously treated, unresectable adenocarcinoma of pancreas: the final results of a phase II trial.

PURPOSE: To investigate the efficacy and toxicity of the docetaxel and capecitabine combination in patients with previously treated, unresectable adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma, pre-treated with gemcitabine-based chemotherapy, were treated with capecitabine (800 mg/m(2) orally, twice a day for 14 days) and docetaxel (75 mg/m(2) i.v, on day 1), every 3 weeks. The primary end-point was overall response rate (RR). RESULTS: Thirty-one patients were enrolled in the study; 93.6% of them had a performance status (PS) of 0-1 and 96.8% had stage IV disease. Patients received a median of 4 cycles/patient, and the main reason for treatment discontinuation was disease progression. Partial response was observed in three (9.7%) patients, stable disease in seven (22.6%) (disease control rate: 32.3%, 95% CI: 15.80-48.71%) and disease progression in 21 (67.6%). The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 2.4 months (95% CI: 1.6-3.13) and the median overall survival (OS) was 6.3 months (95% CI: 3.38-9.23); the estimated 1-year survival rate was 14.7%. Grade III/IV neutropenia occurred in 10 (32.2%) patients and febrile neutropenia in one patient. Other severe non-hematologic toxicities were mild and manageable. After 2 chemotherapy cycles, pain control occurred in 20% of patients and stabilization of body weight in 40%. CONCLUSION: The combination of docetaxel/capecitabine may confer good disease control associated with improvement of quality of life as second-line chemotherapy in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer.

A retrospective analysis of non-platinum-based first- and second-line chemotherapy in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Platinum-based chemotherapy represents the standard of care for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) while non-platinum-based regimens are frequently administered in patients with relapse. A retrospective analysis of the sequence administration of these regimens in the first- and second-line setting was performed. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The records of patients enrolled in the Hellenic Oncology Research Groups's randomized advanced NSCLC trials from February 1997 to September 2006 were retrospectively reviewed. The efficacy of non-platinum-based chemotherapy administered as first- or second-line treatment (n=94, cohort A) was compared to that of non-platinum-based first-line followed by platinum-based second-line chemotherapy (n=267, cohort B), and the reverse sequence (n=123, cohort C). RESULTS: The objective response rate (ORR) to first-line chemotherapy was higher in cohort C compared to cohort A (45.5% vs. 25.5%, respectively, p=0.002) and cohort B (45.5% vs. 21.3%, p=0.0001). The ORR to second-line therapy was 17%, 13.1% (p=0.349) and 7.3% (p=0.027) in cohorts A, B and C, respectively. Time to progression and the overall survival were comparable among the three cohorts in both first- and second line therapy. CONCLUSION: Platinum-based first-line chemotherapy improved response rate compared to non-platinum-based regimens; however, the overall survival was comparable, irrespective of the sequence administration of these regimens is the first- and second-line setting.

Phase III study comparing sequential versus alternate administration of cisplatin-etoposide and topotecan as first-line treatment in small cell lung cancer.

AIM: To compare the efficacy and tolerance of sequential versus alternate front-line administration of cisplatin-etoposide (PE) and topotecan (T) in patients with extensive stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients were randomized to receive either 4 cycles PE (cisplatin 80 mg/m(2) i.v. day 1 and etoposide100 mg/m(2)/d i.v. days 1-3 every 21 days) followed by 4 cycles T (1.5 mg/m(2)/d i.v. days 1-5 every 21 days) (arm A, 183 patients) or the same regimens using an alternate sequence (arm B, 181 patients). RESULTS: There was no significant difference in terms of compliance with treatment, overall response rates (51.4% vs. 55.2%; p=0.458), median response duration (4.3 vs. 5.2 months; p=0.780), median time to tumour progression (5.7 vs. 6.4 months; p=0.494), median overall survival (10.9 vs. 9.8 months; p=0.186) and 1-year survival (43.8% vs. 36.5%) between the two arms. The incidence of severe grade 3-4 haematological and grade 2-4 non-haematological (asthenia, mucositis, diarrhoea and neurotoxicity) toxicity was comparable between the two arms. CONCLUSION: The comparison of sequential versus alternate administration of cisplatin-etoposide and topotecan as front-line treatment of patients with extensive stage SCLC revealed no clinically meaningful differences in terms of efficacy and tolerance.

FEC versus sequential docetaxel followed by epirubicin/cyclophosphamide as adjuvant chemotherapy in women with axillary node-positive early breast cancer: a randomized study of the Hellenic Oncology Research Group (HORG).

A randomized multicenter phase III study was conducted to compare the sequential docetaxel followed by epirubicin/cyclophosphamide combination with that of FEC regimen as adjuvant chemotherapy in women with axillary node-positive early breast cancer. Seven hundred and fifty-six women with axillary lymph node-positive breast cancer were randomized to receive either 4 cycles of docetaxel (100 mg/m(2)) followed by 4 cycles of epirubicin (75 mg/m(2)) plus cyclophosphamide (700 mg/m(2)) (experimental arm) or 6 cycles of FEC (epirubicin 75 mg/m(2), cyclophosphamide 700 mg/m(2), and 5-fluorouracil 700 mg/m(2); control arm). All regimes were administered every 3 weeks. The primary end point was five-year disease-free survival (DFS). After a median follow-up period of 5 years, 233 (30.8%) relapses had occurred (108 and 125 in the experimental and control arms, respectively; P = 0.181). The five-year DFS was 72.6% (95% CI 63.8-81.3%) and 67.2% (95% CI 58.0-76.4%) for women randomized in the experimental and control arms, respectively (P = 0.041; log rank test). There was no difference in the overall survival between the two arms (83.8 and 81.4% in the experimental and control arms, respectively; P = 0.533). The experimental arm was associated with increased neutropenia requiring administration of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor in 90.5% of the patients as compared with 74.1% in the control arm (P = 0.0001). The sequential docetaxel followed by epirubicin/cyclophosphamide adjuvant chemotherapy regimen resulted in improved five-year DFS in women with axillary node-positive early breast cancer at the expense of increased but manageable myelotoxicity.

Cytokeratin-19 mRNA-positive circulating tumor cells after adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with early breast cancer.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the prognostic significance of cytokeratin-19 (CK-19) mRNA-positive circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in peripheral blood of women with early-stage breast cancer after the completion of adjuvant chemotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Blood was obtained from 437 patients with early breast cancer before the start and after the completion of adjuvant chemotherapy, and the presence of CK-19 mRNA-positive CTCs was assessed by real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Interaction with known prognostic factors and association of CTCs with clinical outcome were investigated. RESULTS: CK-19 mRNA-positive CTCs were detected before chemotherapy in 179 patients (41.0%). After adjuvant chemotherapy, a significant change in CK-19 status was observed, as status for 51% of patients with initially CK-19 mRNA-positive disease turned negative, and status for 22% of patients with initially CK-19 mRNA-negative disease became positive (McNemar test P = .004). The detection of CK-19 mRNA-positive CTCs postchemotherapy was associated with involvement of more than three axillary lymph nodes (P = .026). Clinical relapses and disease-related deaths were significantly increased in patients with detectable postchemotherapy CK-19 mRNA-positive CTCs (both P < .001, respectively). Disease-free and overall survival were significantly reduced in patients with detectable CK-19 mRNA-positive CTCs postchemotherapy (P < .001 and P = .001, respectively). In multivariate analysis, the detection of CK-19 mRNA-positive CTCs before and after adjuvant chemotherapy was an independent factor associated with reduced disease-free survival (P < .001) and overall survival (P = .003). CONCLUSION: The detection of CK-19 mRNA-positive CTCs in the blood after adjuvant chemotherapy is an independent risk factor indicating the presence of chemotherapy-resistant residual disease.

Continuous administration of daily low-dose temozolomide in pretreated patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer: a phase II study.

PURPOSE: Temozolomide, a novel triazene derivative, has shown activity in vitro against lung cancer as well as against brain metastases from a variety of solid tumors including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of temozolomide in pretreated patients with NSCLC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty-one pretreated patients (median age 60 years) with histologically confirmed NSCLC were enrolled. Sixteen (52%) patients had a performance status (ECOG) of 0-1, 12 (39%) had pretreated brain metastases and 28 (90.3%) had received >2 lines of treatment. Temozolomide was administered at a dose of 75 mg/m(2) daily for 21 days every 28 days. A total of 73 chemotherapy cycles were administered. RESULTS: In an intention-to-treat analysis, 2 patients (6.5%; 95% CI: -2.2 to 15.1%) achieved a partial response and 3 (10%) stable disease. The median time to progression was 2.4 months, the median survival time 3.3 months and the 1-year survival rate 22.5%. There was a toxic death due to grade 4 neutropenia. Grade 3 and 4 lymphopenia occurred in 4 (13%) and 2 (6%) patients, respectively. Nonhematological toxicity was mild, consisting of grade 2-3 asthenia (n = 14 patients) and grade 3 diarrhea (n = 1 patient). CONCLUSION: Prolonged low daily doses of temozolomide demonstrate minimal activity as salvage therapy in patients with advanced NSCLC. The combination of low daily doses of temozolomide with other anticancer drugs probably merits further evaluation.

A phase I trial of gemcitabine, docetaxel and carboplatin administered every 2 weeks as first line treatment in patients with advanced breast cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the maximum tolerated doses (MTDs) and dose limiting toxicities (DLTs) of gemcitabine (GEM), docetaxel (DOC) and carboplatin (CARBO) combination. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 33 previously untreated HER-2 negative patients with stage IIIB-IV breast cancer received escalated doses of GEM, DOC and CARBO all given sequentially on day 1 every 2 weeks. Twenty-three patients (70%) had previously received adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy. RESULTS: The recommended MTDs are GEM 1,500 mg/m(2), DOC 50 mg/m(2) and CARBO 3AUC. Seven dose levels were evaluated and neutropenia was the primary dose-limiting event. Of 319 chemotherapy cycles delivered, grade 3-4 neutropenia occurred in 13.5% of them with two cases of febrile neutropenia. Diarrhea and asthenia were the most common non-hematological toxicities. Three (16%) complete and 6 (32%) partial responses were observed among 19 patients with measurable disease. CONCLUSION: The biweekly administration of GEM, DOC and CARBO is a well-tolerated regimen which merits further evaluation.