Oncology Ny
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Over 25,000 people are diagnosed with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) in the United States annually. SCLC is a highly aggressive tumor with a propensity for early metastases and a high case-fatality rate. Systemic treatment with etoposide plus a platinum agent is recommended for all stages of this disease and has been a standard first-line therapy for SCLC since the 1980s. ⋯ Topotecan remains the only US Food and Drug Administration-approved therapy for recurrent disease. Amrubicin has demonstrated single-agent activity in multiple phase II trials in both chemotherapy-sensitive and -refractory relapse. The past 2 decades have been marked by an improved understanding of SCLC biology, and these discoveries are reflected in the number and diversity of novel therapies entering early-phase testing in this disease.
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The treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) has changed dramatically from the 1980s, when only fluorouracil (5-FU) was available for treatment and the median survival was at best 12 months, to a time when mCRC is considered more of a chronic disease in which the median survival is now reported in excess of 2 years. This review traces the evolution of treatment in this setting, including studies of single-agent vs combination treatment with 5-FU/leucovorin, irinotecan, oxaliplatin, and capecitabine, comparisons of simultaneous and sequential regimens, and the role of targeted agents such as bevacizumab, cetuximab, and panitumumab.