International journal of clinical oncology
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Int. J. Clin. Oncol. · Feb 2015
Hypofractionated chemoradiotherapy with temozolomide as a treatment option for glioblastoma patients with poor prognostic features.
Although the optimal treatment of frail glioblastoma patients is still controversial, previous randomized trials have excluded such patients. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and safety of hypofractionated radiotherapy (RT) with concomitant temozolomide for glioblastoma patients with poor prognostic features. ⋯ Concurrent chemoradiotherapy with temozolomide, the current standard treatment after surgery for glioblastoma, could be shortened without increasing side effects for patients with poor prognostic features.
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Int. J. Clin. Oncol. · Feb 2014
Predictive significance of mean apparent diffusion coefficient value for responsiveness of temozolomide-refractory malignant glioma to bevacizumab: preliminary report.
Recurrent glioblastoma after initial radiotherapy plus concomitant and adjuvant temozolomide is problematic. Here, patients with temozolomide-refractory high-grade gliomas were treated with bevacizumab (BV) and evaluated using apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) for response. ⋯ Bevacizumab monotherapy is effective in patients with temozolomide-refractory recurrent gliomas and tumor mean ADC value can be a useful marker for prediction of BV response and survival.
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Int. J. Clin. Oncol. · Feb 2014
Safe lumbar puncture under analgo-sedation in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) undergo multiple lumbar punctures (LPs) during their course of treatment for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. LP is a stressful and painful procedure, affecting the quality of life of these children. Procedural analgo-sedation might improve the child's comfort and prevent the child's movements, reducing the risk of traumatic lumbar puncture with blasts (TLP+), mainly at diagnosis, when higher numbers of blast cells are circulating in the peripheral blood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of procedural analgo-sedation in children with ALL. ⋯ To strongly improve comfort and quality of life of children with ALL and reduce the risk of TLP+ mainly at diagnosis, we recommend performing the lumbar punctures under analgo-sedation because it is a safe and effective procedure.
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A questionnaire-based survey on chemotherapy-induced anemia (CIA) in cancer patients was conducted between September and November 2010. The number of patients treated with chemotherapy, rate of blood transfusion, volume of blood transfused, severity of anemia, and factors affecting blood transfusion were analyzed according to the type of cancer, in an attempt to clarify the current status of CIA in Japan. During the survey period, among the eight types of cancer analyzed (breast, lung, stomach, colorectal, liver, gynecologic cancer, urologic cancer, and malignant lymphoma), chemotherapy was given to 5.4-13.6 % (mean 9.2 %) of patients, among whom 1.6-24.0 % (mean 7.5 %) required blood transfusion. ⋯ There was no significant difference in the ratio of adverse events following blood transfusion in this survey compared with that in the nationwide survey. The present results demonstrate the strict restriction of red blood cell transfusion to cancer patients with CIA. Therefore, there is a need to consider the use of alternative therapies to allogeneic blood transfusion, such as erythropoiesis-stimulating agents, to increase Hb levels, and consequently improve the quality of life in cancer patients with CIA.
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Int. J. Clin. Oncol. · Jan 2014
Controlled Clinical TrialA single-center analysis of the survival benefits of adjuvant gemcitabine chemotherapy for biliary tract cancer.
Surgical resection is the only curative treatment of biliary tract cancer (BTC). However, the prognosis of BTC remains unsatisfactory. The aim of this study is to evaluate the benefits of adjuvant gemcitabine chemotherapy for BTC. ⋯ Adjuvant gemcitabine chemotherapy for BTC may be effective, particularly for patients with stage III and ICC.