Gemcitabine and vinorelbine followed by weekly docetaxel in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: a phase II trial of sequential chemotherapy.

UNLABELLED: Objective. We conducted this phase II trial to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of the sequential nonplatinum combination chemotherapy consisting of gemcitabine (GEM) and vinorelbine (VNR) followed by weekly docetaxel (DOC) in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Patients and methods. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: stage IV NSCLC, Performance status =/< 2, adequate renal, hepatic and bone marrow function. Treatment consisted on: VNR 25 mg/m(2) plus gemcitabine 1000 mg/m(2), on days 1 and 8 of each 21-day cycle, followed by docetaxel 36 mg/m(2) weekly until progression or unacceptable toxicity. Results. 21 stage IV patients were enrolled. All patients are evaluable for treatment response and toxicity profile. The mean age of the patients was 63 years (range: 51 to 72) with 18 (86%) males and 3 (14%) females. Histology types were: adenocarcinoma in 8 patients (38%), large cell carcinoma in 1 patients (5%) and squamous cell carcinoma in 12 patients (57%). The majority of the patients had and ECOG PS of 1. Eight patients (38%) did not complete six cycles of gemcitabine-navelbine. The median number of cycles of gemcitabine-navelbine was 4 (range 2-6) Of the 13 patients (61%) who completed six cycles of gemcitabine-navelbine, all of them went on to receive weekly docetaxel and received at least 3 cycles, with a median number of 8 cycles (range 3- 16). The overall response rate was 33%. Respect survival, the minimum follow-up was 6 months (range, 6-25 months). The median survival time (MST) was 7.9 months, and the 1-year survival was 30%, and the median progression-free survival was 4.7 months. Toxicity was mild, well tolerated and mostly hematologic. In the GEM/VNR cycle, grade 3/4 neutropenia occurred in 14%, two patients with febrile neutropenia. Grade 3 anaemia in 1 patients (5%) and grade 3 thrombocytopenia in 1 patient (5%). Nonhematologic toxicity was also mild: 1 patient with Grade 3 skin toxicity with docetaxel, 1 patient with grade 3 infection, 2 patients with grade 3 astenia and 1 patient with a mild allergic reaction postchemotherapy treatment with docetaxel. Conclusion. The sequential triplet nonplatinum chemotherapy consisted of GEM/VNR followed by weekly DOC is active and can be administered safely in advanced NSCLC. Our results are similar with other sequential regimens and did not represent a significant improvement in the treatment of this disease.

Solitary metastasis in a nasal fossa as the first manifestation of a renal carcinoma.

Renal cell carcinoma is an uncommon tumor in adults. Metastasis in the nasal fossa is rare, and can become apparent as a result of repeated epistaxis. We report a patient with renal cell carcinoma presenting with epistaxis secondary to a metastasis in the right nasal fossa. The primary tumor was treated with nephrectomy and the nasal fossa metastasis was treated successfully with embolization, chemoimmunotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy. The presence of repeated epistaxis may very occasionally be the first symptom of renal cell carcinoma, and systemic treatment combined with local treatment may enable adequate control of the disease.

Bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia simulating progression in bronchioloalveolar carcinoma.

Bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (BOOP) is a clinicopathologic syndrome with characteristic features. The diagnosis of BOOP requires the presence of a combination of pathological, clinical, and radiological features. We report the case of a lung cancer patient with bronquiloalveolar carcinoma (BAC) presenting with BOOP after chemotherapy with docetaxel and gemcitabine producing severe respiratory insufficiency, and simulating a progression of the tumor.

Secondary signet-ring cell tumour of the prostate derived from a primary gastric malignancy.

Primary signet-ring cell carcinoma of the prostate is infrequent and even more so as secondary spread of this pathologic sub-type to the prostate. We describe the sixth reported case with a diagnosis of a secondary signet-ring cell tumour of the prostate secondary to a gastric cancer. Five years post-gastrectomy to resect signet-ring cell carcinoma, we detected a secondary intra-prostatic spread with urinary tract obstruction. The physical appearance of the tumour cells was similar to that of the previously-resected signet-cell carcinoma of the stomach. There were no metastases in other sites and the patient was treated with radiotherapy. When confronted with intra-prostatic signet-ring cell adenocarcinoma it is necessary to distinguish between primary and secondary aetiology since this would reflect in the choice of treatment and prognosis.