The oncologist
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Enhancing the effectiveness of docetaxel for men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) is an unmet clinical need. Preclinical studies demonstrated that high-dose pantoprazole can prevent or delay resistance to docetaxel via the inhibition of autophagy in several solid tumor xenografts. ⋯ To date, no docetaxel combination regimen has reported superior efficacy over docetaxel alone in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). The PANDORA trial has demonstrated that the combination of high dose pantoprazole with docetaxel is tolerable, but the clinical activity was not sufficient to warrant further testing. The chemotherapy standard of care for men with mCRPC remains docetaxel with prednisone. Future studies of autophagy inhibitors will need to measure autophagy inhibition accurately and determine the degree of autophagy inhibition required to produce a meaningful clinical response.
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Peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) are central venous catheters (CVCs) that are commonly used in onco-hematologic settings for chemotherapy administration. As there is insufficient evidence to recommend a specific CVC for chemotherapy administration, we aimed to ascertain PICC-related adverse events (AEs) and identify independent predictors of PICC removal in patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy. ⋯ These findings provide clinicians with evidence that peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) are safe for chemotherapy administration. They also suggest that clinicians should limit the use of open systems when long chemotherapy regimens are scheduled. Moreover, alternatives to PICCs should be considered when administering chemotherapy to young men.
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The benefit of repeat lumpectomy for ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR) after breast conserving surgery is currently inconclusive. ⋯ Although mastectomy has been regarded as the standard treatment for ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR) after breast conserving surgery, many patients diagnosed with small and early-detected recurrent tumor might be technically suitable for a less invasive surgical procedure. However, different studies have drawn inconsistent conclusions. The present study is a population-based analysis, which demonstrated the overall unfavorable impact of repeat lumpectomy over mastectomy on survival outcomes for patients with IBTR. However, patients with small IBTR (≤1 cm) that can tolerate radiation therapy may be the optimal candidates for repeat lumpectomy.
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Regorafenib is a multikinase inhibitor with antiangiogenic effects that improves overall survival (OS) in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) after failure of standard therapies. We investigated the efficacy and safety of regorafenib in antiangiogenic therapy-naïve chemotherapy-refractory advanced colorectal cancer. ⋯ The multikinase inhibitor regorafenib improved overall survival in the phase III CORRECT and CONCUR trials in heavily pretreated patients with treatment-refractory metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Exploratory subgroup analysis from CONCUR suggested that regorafenib treatment prior to targeted therapy (including bevacizumab) may improve outcomes. In this single-center, single-arm phase IIb study, regorafenib demonstrated antitumor activity in 59 antiangiogenic-naïve patients with chemotherapy-refractory mCRC. Further studies should assess the efficacy of regorafenib in this patient population, as well as explore the reasons behind improved outcomes among patients who had a metabolic response and those who developed hand-foot skin reaction.
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Peripheral neuropathy is the dose-limiting toxicity of many oncology drugs, including paclitaxel. There is large interindividual variability in the neuropathy, and several risk factors have been proposed; however, many have not been replicated. Here we present a comprehensive study aimed at identifying treatment and physiopathology-related paclitaxel-induced neuropathy risk factors in a large cohort of well-characterized patients. ⋯ Peripheral neuropathy is a common adverse effect of many cancer drugs, including chemotherapeutics, targeted therapies, and immune checkpoint inhibitors. About 40% of survivors of cancer have functional deficits caused by this toxicity, some of them irreversible. Currently, there are no effective treatments to prevent or treat this neuropathy. This study, performed in a large cohort of well-characterized patients homogenously treated with paclitaxel, identified concomitant medications, comorbidities, and demographic factors associated with peripheral neuropathy. These factors could serve to identify patients at high risk of severe neuropathy for whom alternative non-neurotoxic alternatives may be considered.