Expert opinion on pharmacotherapy
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Expert Opin Pharmacother · Jan 2013
Review Meta AnalysisSecond-line treatments for the management of advanced renal cell carcinoma: systematic review and meta-analysis.
A systematic review/meta-analysis was conducted to assess the effectiveness and safety of second-line treatments for advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC), which includes the vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitor axitinib. ⋯ Results from the present study suggest that axitinib will be an important treatment option to extend PFS in the management of advanced RCC in the second-line setting. Ongoing research will define the optimal treatment algorithm leading to a patient-focused treatment strategy.
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Novel compounds targeting various aspects of fibrogenesis have been developed consequent to the increasing knowledge of the pathogenetic mechanisms of the interstitial lung diseases (ILDs). The authors review the evolution of treatment approaches in the ILDs, informed by recent placebo-controlled trials, and discuss current clinical trials in which emerging pathogenetic mechanisms are targeted as novel therapeutic agents. ⋯ In IPF, significant treatment effects have been reported with pirfenidone, nintedanib and N-acetylcysteine. Combinations of these pleiotropic agents, along with future monotherapies, in 'oncological regimens' may hold the key to more effective IPF treatment. In disorders other than IPF, there is an ongoing need for the controlled evaluation of traditional anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive therapies. 'Cohort enrichment' (the selective recruitment of patients most likely to progress) holds the key to the identification of worthwhile treatment benefits.