Annals of oncology : official journal of the European Society for Medical Oncology
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A phase I/II study was performed to determine the safety and activity of a capecitabine plus oxaliplatin and irinotecan (COI) regimen using capecitabine concurrently with oxaliplatin and irinotecan in previously untreated patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. ⋯ Biweekly COI is feasible and active. Tolerability and ease of administration make the regimen well suited for downsizing hepatic colorectal metastases before curative surgery.
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Fatigue is associated with cancer and its treatment but we know little about how many and which patients suffer fatigue of clinical severity. We aimed to determine the prevalence of clinically relevant fatigue (CRF) and its associations in outpatients with various cancer diagnoses. ⋯ CRF is common in cancer outpatients and is associated with type of disease and treatment, as well as with emotional distress. The association between CRF and emotional distress is strong but they are not equivalent conditions.
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The European Council recommends that organised cervical cancer screening be offered in all member states. In order to evaluate the impact of existing and new prevention methods, regularly updated information on the burden of cervical cancer is needed. The best estimates of mortality and incidence rates were applied to the 2004 projected population of 40 European countries using methods developed by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. ⋯ Cervical cancer still constitutes a considerable public health problem in Europe. The dramatic contrast between West and East European states merits particular attention from the health authorities of the countries concerned and the EU as a whole. The European Commission should maintain cervical cancer control in future action plans and increase support to the most affected member states.
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Women with early breast cancer are exposed to an ongoing risk of relapse, even after successful surgical resection of the primary tumor and, where given, radiotherapy. Adjuvant chemotherapy and/or endocrine therapy can further help to prevent relapses by targeting metastatic disease deposits, which may be present but clinically undetectable. The benefits of adjuvant therapy are well documented, and millions of relapses have undoubtedly been prevented by treatment in this setting. ⋯ Subsequent analyses confirmed that letrozole significantly reduced recurrences, including distant metastases, and, in patients with node-positive disease, the agent also significantly improved overall survival, with the benefit of letrozole increasing with duration of therapy, at least up to 48 months. Preliminary results from a small, open-label study suggest that extended anastrozole therapy can also improve outcomes after completion of standard adjuvant tamoxifen. Ongoing analyses from MA.17, investigating how estrogen and progesterone receptor status and the length of time since finishing tamoxifen influence the effectiveness of letrozole, and studies evaluating the safety and efficacy of 10 years of extended aromatase inhibitor therapy, will help to optimize extended adjuvant therapy and improve outcomes for women with HR+ early breast cancer.