A Review and Update of Treatment Options and Controversies in the Management of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: To review the current management, outline recent advances and address controversies in the management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: The treatment of HCC is multidisciplinary involving hepatologists, surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, radiologists, interventional radiologists, and other disciplines. Each of these disciplines brings its unique perspective and differing opinions that add to controversies in the management of HCC. METHODS: A focused literature review was performed to identify recent studies on the management of HCC and thereby summarize relevant information on the various therapeutic modalities and controversies involved in the treatment of HCC. RESULTS: The main treatment algorithms continue to rely on hepatic resection or transplantation with controversies involving patients harboring early stage disease and borderline hepatic function. The other treatment strategies include locoregional therapies, radiation, and systemic therapy used alone or in combination with other treatment modalities. Recent advances in locoregional therapies, radiation, and systemic therapies have provided better therapeutic options with curative intent potential for some locoregional therapies. Further refinements in combination therapies such as algorithms consisting of locoregional therapies and systemic or radiation therapies are likely to add additional options and improve survival. CONCLUSIONS: The management of HCC has witnessed significant strides with advances in existing options and introduction of several new treatment modalities of various combinations. Further refinements in these treatment options combined with enrollment in clinical trials are essential to improve the management and outcomes of patients with HCC.

Occult primary, version 3.2014.

The NCCN Guidelines for Occult Primary tumors provide recommendations for the evaluation, workup, management, and follow-up of patients with occult primary tumors (cancers of unknown primary). These NCCN Guidelines Insights summarize major discussion points of the 2014 NCCN Occult Primary panel meeting. The panel discussed gene expression profiling (GEP) for the identification of the tissue of origin and concluded that, although GEP has a diagnostic benefit, a clinical benefit has not been demonstrated. The panel recommends against GEP as standard management, although 20% of the panel believes the diagnostic benefit of GEP warrants its routine use. In addition, the panel discussed testing for actionable mutations (eg, ALK) to help guide choice of therapy, but declined to add this recommendation.

NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines Occult primary.

Occult primary tumors, or cancers of unknown primary (CUPs), are defined as histologically proven metastatic malignant tumors whose primary site cannot be identified during pretreatment evaluation. They have a wide variety of clinical presentations and a poor prognosis in most patients. Patients with occult primary tumors often present with general complaints, such as anorexia and weight loss. Clinical absence of primary tumor, early dissemination, aggressiveness, and unpredictability of metastatic pattern are characteristic of these tumors. Life expectancy is very short, with a median survival of 6 to 9 months. In most patients, occult primary tumors are refractory to systemic treatments, and chemotherapy is only palliative and does not significantly improve long-term survival. However, certain clinical presentations of these tumors are associated with a better prognosis. Special pathologic studies can identify subsets of patients with tumor types that are more responsive to chemotherapy. Treatment options should be individualized for this selected group of patients to achieve improved response and survival rates.

Early Stage Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer in Octogenarian and Older Patients: A SEER Database Analysis.

BACKGROUND: The median age at diagnosis of lung cancer is 70 years. However, the evidence guiding the management of octogenarians and older patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), is based on data derived from younger patients and may not be appropriate. METHODS: Patients ≥ 80 years diagnosed with clinical stages I and II NSCLC, between 1988 and 2007, were identified from the SEER database. Patients were classified according to treatments received: no treatment, surgery only, radiation only, and surgery + radiation. Factors associated with survival were assessed using the Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS: There were 1338 cases of early stage NSCLC in octogenarians. Surgery was the most common treatment modality. The median overall survival was 3.8 years for patients who had surgery, compared with 1.6 years, 1.6 years, and 0.9 years for those who received surgery + radiation, radiation alone, and no treatment, respectively (P < .0001). Factors significantly associated with worse overall survival following surgery included increasing age (hazard ratio [HR], 1.08; P = .0005), male gender (HR, 1.33; P = .01), stage II (HR, 2.21; P < .0001), and squamous histology (HR, 1.36; P = .01). CONCLUSION: Surgical resection is associated with long-term survival outcomes in a substantial proportion of octogenarian and older patients with early stage lung cancer and should not be withheld on the basis of age alone.

Cetuximab in hemodialysis: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Concurrent chemoradiotherapy with cisplatin is the standard therapy for patients with unresectable locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. However, cisplatin administration in patients on hemodialysis is complicated by the need to perform hemodialysis immediately after the infusion. Concurrent chemoradiation with cetuximab has been approved in definitive treatment of locally advanced head and neck cancer. Although cetuximab is not excreted via the kidneys, its use in patients on hemodialysis has not been reported. METHODS AND RESULTS: We present the case of a 65-year-old man undergoing hemodialysis, with stage IVA squamous cell carcinoma of the hypopharynx. Given the logistics of performing hemodialysis immediately postcisplatin, he received concurrent chemoradiotherapy with cetuximab. He tolerated treatment well with minor side effects. CONCLUSION: Cetuximab can be safely used in patients with renal impairment. This is the first reported case of the use of cetuximab in a patient undergoing hemodialysis.