British journal of cancer
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British journal of cancer · Feb 2004
Clinical TrialMonitoring temozolomide treatment of low-grade glioma with proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
Assessment of low-grade glioma treatment response remains as much of a challenge as the treatment itself. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS) and imaging were incorporated into a study of patients receiving temozolomide therapy for low-grade glioma in order to evaluate and monitor tumour metabolite and volume changes during treatment. Patients (n=12) received oral temozolomide (200 mg m(-2) day(-1)) over 5 days on a 28-day cycle for 12 cycles. ⋯ The dominant metabolite in long echo time spectra was choline. At 12 months, a significant reduction in the mean choline signal was observed compared with the pretreatment (P=0.035) and 3-month scan (P=0.021). The reduction in the tumour choline/water signal paralleled tumour volume change and may reflect the therapeutic effect of temozolomide.
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British journal of cancer · Feb 2004
ReviewGefitinib ('Iressa', ZD1839) and new epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors.
The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a promising target for cancer therapy and a number of EGFR-targeted agents have been developed. Those most advanced in development are the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors gefitinib ('Iressa', ZD1839) and erlotinib ('Tarceva', OSI-774), and the monoclonal antibody cetuximab ('Erbitux', IMC-C225). This review provides a clinical overview of these agents, highlighting their antitumour activities in different tumour types. ⋯ Gefitinib is the agent with the most extensive clinical experience, particularly in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Recently, gefitinib became the first-approved EGFR-targeted agent, for use in patients with previously treated advanced NSCLC in Japan, the USA and other countries. Further studies are required to explore the full potential of these novel agents either as monotherapy or combination therapy.