Anticancer research
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Anticancer research · Apr 2013
Combining celecoxib with sorafenib synergistically inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma cells in vitro.
Sorafenib is a promising treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) but recent toxicity concerns suggest that new strategies for its use are needed. One approach for reducing toxicity is to use lower doses of sorafenib in combination with other complementary mechanisms. Celecoxib, a cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor, has been shown to inhibit HCC, and we hypothesized that low-dose sorafenib co-administered with celecoxib could act synergistically in the inhibition of HCC. In this study, the effect of sorafenib was tested in combination with celecoxib on the growth of human HCC cells in vitro. ⋯ This study shows that celecoxib synergistically potentiates the sorafenib-mediated antitumor effect. This finding establishes the foundation for clinical trials evaluating the efficacy of co-administration of soerafenib and celecoxib as a treatment for HCC.
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Anticancer research · Apr 2013
Delayed radiotherapy for patients with localized prostate cancer: validation by propensity score matching.
To retrospectively investigate the biochemical outcome following delayed radiotherapy in patients with prostate cancer. ⋯ Delaying radiotherapy by >6 months increases the risk of biochemical progression in patients with localized prostate cancer.
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Anticancer research · Apr 2013
Phase II study of bevacizumab and temsirolimus combination therapy for recurrent glioblastoma multiforme.
Bevacizumab combined with chemotherapy has recently shown promising efficacy in recurrent high-grade glioma. Phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) mutation in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) patients causes abnormally high activity of the pathways of Phosphatidylinositide 3-kinases (PI3K), Protein Kinase B (AKT), and the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and is associated with unfavorable prognosis. Temsirolimus, an mTOR inhibitor, has been well-tolerated in monotherapy, but with limited effects. The combination of temsirolimus and antibodies to vascular endothelial factor (VEGF) has not yet been investigated, but with the hypothesis that temsirolimus might provide complimentary therapeutic benefit in combination with bevacizumab, we included patients with progressive GBM after bevacizumab in an open phase II study. ⋯ Temsirolimus can be safely administered in combination with bevacizumab. This study failed to detect activity of such a combination in patients with progressive GBM beyond bevacizumab therapy.
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Anticancer research · Apr 2013
Factors predicting trastuzumab-related cardiotoxicity in a real-world population of women with HER2+ breast cancer.
Trastuzumab may improve disease-free survival after chemotherapy for HER2-positive breast cancer. However, it carries a risk of cardiotoxicity and counseling patients about such risks is part of informed consent. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has published guidelines for cardiac assessment before and during treatment with trastuzumab in order to minimize the risk of cardiotoxicity. The aim of the present study was to identify risk factors for cardiotoxicity attributed to trastuzumab in a cohort population treated for primary and metastatic breast cancer. ⋯ In a real-world 5-year population of patients who received trastuzumab, the incidence of drug-related cardiotoxicity was higher than expected, and the age of the patients appeared to predict the first cardiotoxic event amongst those who experienced cardiotoxicity and had received prior anthracyclines. However, incidence of cardiotoxicity in the whole cohort did not appear to be predicted by age, comorbidity, indication, or exposure to anthracylines. Vigilance, therefore, seems justified when conducting cardiac surveillance for all patients during treatment with trastuzumab, but especially for those who are elderly and receiving concurrent anthracycline therapy.