British journal of cancer
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British journal of cancer · Sep 2009
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative StudyA randomised phase III trial comparing gemcitabine with surgery-only in patients with resected pancreatic cancer: Japanese Study Group of Adjuvant Therapy for Pancreatic Cancer.
This multicentre randomised phase III trial was designed to determine whether adjuvant chemotherapy with gemcitabine improves the outcomes of patients with resected pancreatic cancer. ⋯ The current results suggest that adjuvant gemcitabine contributes to prolonged DFS in patients undergoing macroscopically curative resection of pancreatic cancer.
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British journal of cancer · Sep 2009
Preoperative downstaging chemoradiation with concurrent irinotecan and capecitabine in MRI-defined locally advanced rectal cancer: a phase I trial (NWCOG-2).
The aim of this study was to investigate the safety of neoadjuvant chemoradiation using radiotherapy (RT) combined with concurrent capecitabine and irinotecan for locally advanced rectal cancer before surgery. ⋯ In patients with poor-risk MRI-defined locally advanced rectal cancer threatening or involving the mesorectal fascia, preoperative chemoradiation based on RT at 45 Gy in 25 daily fractions over 5 weeks with continuous daily oral capecitabine at 650 mg m(-2) b.i.d. days 1-35 and weekly IV irinotecan at 60 mg m(-2) weeks 1-4, provides acceptable acute toxicity and postoperative morbidity with encouraging response and curative resection rates.
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British journal of cancer · Sep 2009
Intact and cleaved forms of the urokinase receptor enhance discrimination of cancer from non-malignant conditions in patients presenting with symptoms related to colorectal cancer.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancer-related morbidity and mortality in developed countries. It is known that early detection results in improved survival, and consequently there is a need for improved diagnostic tools in CRC. The plasma level of soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) was proposed as a marker in CRC patients. This study was undertaken to evaluate the individual molecular forms of suPAR as discriminators in a group of patients undergoing endoscopical examination following symptoms related to colorectal cancer. ⋯ The findings confirm reports on increased uPAR expression in cancer patients and in particular elevated levels of suPAR in blood from CRC patients and indicate that suPAR levels in blood are increasing during carcinogenesis. Although none of the measured uPAR forms were cancer specific, our findings suggest that uPAR expression could be useful in the early detection of CRC when combined with other markers and clinical variables.