British journal of cancer
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British journal of cancer · Dec 2008
Rates of inclusion of teenagers and young adults in England into National Cancer Research Network clinical trials: report from the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) Teenage and Young Adult Clinical Studies Development Group.
Poor inclusion rates into clinical trials for teenagers and young adults (TYA; aged 13-24 years) have been assumed but not systematically investigated in England. We analysed accrual rates (AR) from 1 April 2005 up to 31 March 2007 to National Cancer Research Network (NCRN) Phase III trials for the commonest tumour types occurring in TYA and children: leukaemia, lymphoma, brain and central nervous system, bone sarcomas and male germ cell tumours. AR for 2005-2007 were 43.2% for patients aged 10-14 years, 25.2% for patients aged 15-19 years, and 13.1% for patients aged 20-24 years in the tumour types analysed. ⋯ Other possible influences, such as difficulties associated with the consent of TYA require further evaluation. Closer dialogue between those involved in planning and running trials for children and for adults is necessary to improve trial availability and recruitment. Further research is required to identify trends in trial availability and accrual for those tumours constituting the remaining 26% of TYA cancers.
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British journal of cancer · Oct 2008
Pathways to diagnosis for Black men and White men found to have prostate cancer: the PROCESS cohort study.
Black men in England have three times the age-adjusted incidence of diagnosed prostate cancer as compared with their White counterparts. This population-based retrospective cohort study is the first UK-based investigation of whether access to diagnostic services underlies the association between race and prostate cancer. Prostate cancer was ascertained using multiple sources including hospital records. ⋯ Prostate-specific antigen levels were comparable at diagnosis, although Black men had higher levels when compared with same-age White men (P<0.001). In conclusion, we found no evidence of Black men having poorer access to diagnostic services. Differences in the run-up to diagnosis are modest and seem insufficient to explain the higher rate of prostate cancer diagnosis in Black men.
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British journal of cancer · Sep 2008
Phase I study of epirubicin, cisplatin and capecitabine plus matuzumab in previously untreated patients with advanced oesophagogastric cancer.
To evaluate the safety, tolerability, efficacy, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the humanised antiepidermal growth factor receptor monoclonal antibody matuzumab combined with epirubicin, cisplatin and capecitabine (ECX) in patients as first-line treatment for advanced oesophagogastric cancer that express epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). This was a phase I dose escalation study of matuzumab at 400 and 800 mg weekly and 1200 mg every 3 weeks combined with ECX (epirubicin 50 mg m(-2), cisplatin 60 mg m(-2) on day 1 and capecitabine 1000 mg m(-2) daily). Patients were treated until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity or for a maximum of eight cycles. ⋯ Objective response rates of 65% (95% confidence interval (CI): 43-82), disease stabilisation of 25% (95% CI: 11-47) and a disease control rate (CR + PR + SD) of 90% were achieved overall. The MTD of matuzumab in combination with ECX was 800 mg weekly, and at this DL it was well-tolerated and showed encouraging antitumour activity. At the doses evaluated in serial skin biopsies, matuzumab decreased phosphorylation of EGFR and MAPK, and increased phosphorylation of STAT-3.