Anticancer research
-
Anticancer research · Mar 2006
Paclitaxel toxicity in post-mitotic dorsal root ganglion (DRG) cells.
Paclitaxel is an antineoplastic drug which acts by enhancing tubulin polymerization. The induction of peripheral neuropathy is the main dose-limiting side-effect of paclitaxel treatment. In this study, the neurotoxic effect of this drug in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) explants was analyzed by measuring the neurite length of DRG explants exposed to nerve growth factor (NGF). ⋯ Moreover, in DRG dissociated post-mitotic neurons, the molecular and morphological features of paclitaxel-induced cellular death were studied and the DRG neurons were observed to die by necrosis. On the contrary, the proliferating human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells exposed to paclitaxel die by apoptosis, as reported for cortical neurons. The different response to the same stimulus of different neuronal populations underlines the importance of the biochemical and molecular phenotype of the neuronal population in determining cellular behavior and vulnerability to the same noxious stimulus.
-
Anticancer research · Mar 2006
Randomized Controlled TrialA randomized study to assess the effectiveness of orally administered pilocarpine during and after radiotherapy of head and neck cancer.
This prospective randomized study was undertaken to assess the effectiveness of oral pilocarpine chloratum (Salagen) during and after radiotherapy. ⋯ The results suggest that stimulated salivary glands suffer less decrease in saliva production during radiotherapy. The stimulated saliva flow reduced the side-effects of irradiation.
-
Anticancer research · Mar 2006
Clinical TrialEnhanced expression of heat shock protein 27 following neoadjuvant hormonal therapy is associated with poor clinical outcome in patients undergoing radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer.
The objectives of this study were to characterize changes in the expression of heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) in prostate cancer before and after androgen withdrawal therapy and to assess the prognostic significance of HSP27 expression in patients undergoing radical prostatectomy (RP) following neoadjuvant hormonal therapy (NHT). ⋯ Despite the lack of independent significance, the expression level of HSP27 in prostate cancer tissue after NHT, which may inversely reflect the therapeutic effect of NHT, could be a useful parameter predicting biochemical recurrence in patients undergoing RP.
-
Anticancer research · Mar 2006
A phase I study of bi-weekly combination therapy with S-1 and docetaxel for advanced or recurrent gastric cancer.
S-1 is a novel oral fluorouracil antitumor drug that contains a combination of 3 pharmacological agents: tegafur (FT), a 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) prodrug, 5-chloro-2,4-dihydroxypyridine (CDHP), which inhibits the activity of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD), and potassium oxonate (Oxo), which reduces the gastrointestinal toxicity of 5-FU. S-1 and docetaxel have both been identified as effective agents for the treatment of gastric cancer. However, little is known about the effects and/or adverse effects of a combination of these drugs in the treatment of gastric cancer. The aim of this phase I study was to determine the maximum-tolerated dose (MTD) and the recommended dose of docetaxel with a fixed dose of S-1 in patients with advanced or recurrent gastric cancer. ⋯ The S-1/docetaxel drug combination showed a good safety profile, with diarrhea and general fatigue being common, but manageable, adverse reactions. Moreover, the responses observed in this study suggest that the drug combination shows a high degree of efficacy in patients with advanced and/or recurrent gastric cancer.
-
Anticancer research · Jan 2006
Case ReportsBoth bronchial and vascular stenting followed by chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer.
Airway and vascular constrictions are expected problems for lung cancer patients. The clinical course of a patient in whom stents were inserted in 3 constriction regions is reported. ⋯ Within 5 months of treatment, complete local control was achieved and there was no reconstriction. Both endobronchial and endovascular stenting prior to antitumor therapy may be beneficial in the treatment of locally advanced cases of lung cancer.