Lung cancer : journal of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer
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Review Practice Guideline
Taxanes as first-line therapy for advanced non-small cell lung cancer: a systematic review and practice guideline.
This evidence-based practice guideline on the use of paclitaxel (Taxol) or docetaxel (Taxotere) as first-line treatment for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer who are candidates for palliative first-line chemotherapy is based on a systematic search and review of literature published in full or in abstract form between 1985 and April 2005. Forty-five randomized trials, including 11 abstracts, were reviewed and clinicians in the province of Ontario, Canada, provided feedback on a draft version of the guideline. Two phase III trials detected a statistically significant survival advantage for a taxane (paclitaxel or docetaxel) with best supportive care versus best supportive care alone. Among the nine fully published phase III trials comparing platinum-based chemotherapies, taxane-platinum combinations achieved higher response rates compared with older chemotherapy combinations, although significantly longer survival was observed only for docetaxel-cisplatin compared with vindesine-cisplatin. Response rates and survival were generally not significantly different for taxane-platinum combinations compared with other current chemotherapy combinations, although the toxicity profile of the regimens varied. However, in one large trial, improved tumor response and modest survival and quality of life benefits were associated with docetaxel-cisplatin compared with vinorelbine-cisplatin. No statistically significant survival differences were detected in the three fully published phase III trials comparing a taxane-gemcitabine combination with a taxane-platinum regimen. ⋯ (i) paclitaxel or docetaxel combined with cisplatin is recommended as one of a number of chemotherapy options for the first-line treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer in patients with a good performance status; (ii) carboplatin may be combined with a taxane if a patient is unable or unwilling to take cisplatin; (iii) a taxane-gemcitabine combination may be considered for patients with a contraindication to cisplatin and carboplatin; (iv) no firm recommendation can be made on the optimal dose and schedule of taxane-based chemotherapy; however, commonly used regimens include cisplatin 75 mg/m2 combined with either docetaxel 75 mg/m2 or paclitaxel 135 mg/m2 (24-h infusion) and carboplatin AUC 6 combined with paclitaxel 225 mg/m2 (3-h infusion); (v) a single-agent taxane may be used if combination chemotherapy is considered inappropriate.
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Gefitinib (Iressa() is an orally active, selective EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor that blocks signal transduction pathways. Skin toxicity has been reported to be the major toxicity observed in patients treated with the EGFR-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors, such as gefitinib and erlotinib. Although the mechanisms underlying the development of the skin toxicity remain to be precisely clarified, immunological mechanisms are considered to be involved. ⋯ The K-Nearest Neighbor Prediction (K=3) showed the classification rate to be 75% for the prediction sets containing MIP-1beta, IL-4 and IL-8. There were no significant associations between the levels of any of the cytokines measured and any other parameters, including the tumor response to the drug. In conclusion, the plasma MIP-1beta level may be a useful predictor of the development of skin toxicity in patients receiving gefitinib treatment.
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During the staging process of lung cancer, accurate mediastinal lymph node staging is one of the important factors which affect patient management. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the usefulness of direct real-time endobronchial ultrasound guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) for staging and diagnosis of lung cancer in patients with mediastinal lymph nodes suspected of malignancy and to assess the impact of this method in patient management. One hundred and eight patients with mediastinal lymph nodes with known or suspected lung cancer were included. ⋯ The procedure was uneventful without complications. EBUS-TBNA is a safe and sensitive method for lymph node staging in patients with lung cancer. It spares invasive staging procedures which has a major impact on patient management.
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Effectiveness of transbronchial needle aspiration in the diagnosis of exophytic endobronchial lesions and submucosal/peribronchial diseases of the lung.
The role of transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) in diagnosing endobronchial lung cancers has not been elucidated. The definitive combination of procedures that offers the best diagnostic yield following fiberoptic bronchoscopy remains controversial. This study was designed to investigate the diagnostic yield of transbronchial needle aspiration and other cytologic and histologic diagnostic procedures (i.e., forceps biopsy, brushing, and washing) and to assess the optimal combination for diagnosing endobronchial lung cancers. ⋯ In patients with a diagnosis of an EEL, addition of needle aspiration led to an increase in diagnostic yield but this difference was not statistically significant (89.8% versus 96.6%, P = 0.250). In endobronchial lung cancers, transbronchial needle aspiration is a safe method that can be used together with conventional diagnostic procedures to increase the diagnostic yield and should be considered a valuable diagnostic tool, particularly in cases of SPD. The highest rate of diagnostic yield in this study was obtained using a combination of forceps biopsy, transbronchial needle aspiration, and brushing; washing did not contribute to this high rate.
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The economic burden of lung cancer was examined with a retrospective case-control cohort study on a database containing inpatient, outpatient and drug claims for employees, dependents and retirees of multiple large US employers with wide geographic distribution. Patients were followed for maximum of 2 years from first cancer diagnosis until death, health benefits dis-enrollment or study end (31 December 2000). Compared with controls (subjects without any cancer), patients with lung cancer (n = 2040) had greater health care service utilization and costs for hospitalization, emergency room visits, outpatient office visits, radiology procedures, laboratory procedures and pharmacy-dispensed drugs (all P < 0.05). ⋯ Other types of clinical and epidemiological analysis are needed to identify risks for treatment failure. The economic burden of lung cancer on the US health care system is significant and increased prevention, new therapies or adjuvant chemotherapy may reduce both resource use and healthcare costs. New strategies for lung cancer that reduce hospitalizations and/or prevent or delay treatment failure could offset some of the economic burden associated with the disease.