The oncologist
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
FDA drug approval summary: bevacizumab plus FOLFOX4 as second-line treatment of colorectal cancer.
On June 20, 2006, the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved bevacizumab (Avastin; Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA), administered in combination with FOLFOX4 (5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin) for the second-line treatment of metastatic carcinoma of the colon or rectum. ⋯ Patients treated with the bevacizumab combination were also reported, based on investigator assessment, to have significantly longer progression-free survival. There were no new bevacizumab safety signals. The most serious, and sometimes fatal, bevacizumab toxicities are gastrointestinal perforation, wound-healing complications, hemorrhage, arterial thromboembolic events, hypertensive crisis, nephrotic syndrome, and congestive heart failure.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Oral glutamine is effective for preventing oxaliplatin-induced neuropathy in colorectal cancer patients.
Oxaliplatin is effective in the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (MCRC) patients; however, severe neurotoxicity develops frequently. To assess the efficacy of oral glutamine for preventing neuropathy induced by oxaliplatin, a pilot study was performed. A total of 86 patients with MCRC treated at Taipei Veterans General Hospital were enrolled. ⋯ By adding glutamine, interference with activities of daily living was lower (16.7% versus 40.9%), and need for oxaliplatin dose reduction was lower (7.1% versus 27.3%). There were no significant between-group differences in response to chemotherapy (52.4% versus 47.8%), electrophysiological abnormalities, grade 3-4 non-neurological toxicities (26.2% versus 22.8%), or survival. These data indi-cate that oral glutamine significantly reduces the incidence and severity of peripheral neuropathy of MCRC patients receiving oxaliplatin without affecting response to chemotherapy and survival.
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Editorial Biography Historical Article
Bruce Chabner awarded the Bob Pinedo Prize: a celebration of translational research and patient care excellence.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Intravenous ferric gluconate significantly improves response to epoetin alfa versus oral iron or no iron in anemic patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy.
To evaluate the safety and efficacy of intravenous (IV) sodium ferric gluconate complex (FG), oral ferrous sulfate, or no iron to increase hemoglobin (Hb) in anemic cancer patients receiving chemotherapy and epoetin alfa. ⋯ For cancer patients with chemotherapy-related anemia receiving epoetin alfa, FG produces a significantly greater increase in Hb and Hb response compared with oral iron or no iron, supporting more aggressive treatment with IV iron supplementation for these patients.
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Worldwide, approximately 1.3 billion individuals are current smokers, and smoking is the second major cause of death. Currently, lung cancer is the most common type of cancer in Europe, and the third in the U. S. ⋯ The central role of epidermal growth factor (EGF) and its receptor (EGFR) in lung carcinogenesis is well recognized. Genetic polymorphisms are variants in individual genomes that may be responsible for different functional molecular roles and contribute to variability in drug pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic processes. Herein, we review the literature on EGF and EGFR functions and activities, particularly the current role of their functional polymorphisms as related to NSCLC.