Expert review of anticancer therapy
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Expert Rev Anticancer Ther · Mar 2009
ReviewTreatment of Barrett's esophagus with high-grade dysplasia.
The incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma is increasing in the USA, now accounting for at least 4% of US cancer-related deaths. Barrett's esophagus is the main risk factor for the development of esophageal adenocarcinoma. The annual incidence of development of adenocarcinoma in Barrett's esophagus is approximately 0.5% per year, representing at least a 30-40-fold increase in risk from the general population. ⋯ The addition of laparoscopic esophagectomy adds a less invasive surgical resection to the treatment armanentarium. Esophagectomy will remain the gold-standard treatment of Barrett's esophagus with high-grade dysplasia until clinical research validates the role of endoscopic therapies. Current treatment strategies for Barrett's esophagus with high-grade dysplasia will be reviewed.
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Expert Rev Anticancer Ther · Feb 2009
ReviewEndocrine therapy for the treatment of postmenopausal women with breast cancer.
The treatment of women with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer has advanced significantly in the past decade. Tamoxifen was the gold standard hormonal therapy for breast cancer until the introduction of aromatase inhibitors and fulvestrant. ⋯ Here, we briefly review the recent clinical trials supporting the use of these agents in both the adjuvant and metastatic settings. We will discuss possible mechanisms of resistance to endocrine agents that could be exploited therapeutically to improve the outcome for patients with hormone receptor-positive breast cancers.
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Expert Rev Anticancer Ther · Dec 2008
ReviewSalvage of local recurrence after primary thermal ablation for small renal masses.
The management of renal tumors has evolved rapidly over the last two decades, with the ascendance of nephron-sparing surgery (NSS), largely spurred by the increased incidental detection of small renal masses (SRMs) and evidence that preservation of renal parenchyma reduces the risk of chronic kidney disease. The field of NSS itself has advanced beyond the standard of open partial nephrectomy, with the application of minimally invasive techniques, such as laparoscopy and thermal ablation. ⋯ With recent studies indicating that surgical excision of previously ablated kidneys can be complicated by significant fibrosis, clinicians who advocate thermal ablation must be cognizant of the sequelae of this treatment modality and versed on the potential difficulties associated with salvage surgery. We provide, herein, an assessment of the efficacy and limitations of primary thermal ablation and strategies for salvage treatment of local recurrence in this growing patient population.
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Expert Rev Anticancer Ther · Nov 2008
ReviewIntraperitoneal hyperthermic chemotherapy: an evolving paradigm for the treatment of peritoneal surface malignancies.
Unfortunately, advanced colorectal cancer is often present at the time the disease is diagnosed. Many intra-abdominal malignancies spread throughout the peritoneal cavity, which is known as carcinomatosis. Peritoneal carcinomatosis is uniformly a terminal disease with a median survival of 6 months. ⋯ Although the first clinical series of peritoneal perfusion were small, Japanese trials, which utilized IPHC for prophylaxis in patients with gastric adenocarcinoma, Fujimoto was the first to report an improvement in survival for established gastric cracinomatosis. This early work provided the proof-of-principle for what has evolved into current management with aggressive cytoreduction and IPHC. The present review will outline the rationale, current practice and future directions of IPHC in the management of peritoneal surface malignancies.
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Expert Rev Anticancer Ther · Nov 2008
ReviewFosaprepitant: a neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.
Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is a distressing and common adverse event associated with cancer treatment. Updated antiemetic guidelines were published in 2008 by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and, in 2006, by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, which have included the use of the new and more effective antiemetic agents 5-hydroxytryptamine-3 (5-HT(3)) receptor antagonist and neurokinin (NK)-1 receptor antagonist. Aprepitant is a selective NK-1 receptor antagonist approved as part of combination therapy with a corticosteroid and a 5-HT(3) receptor antagonist for the prevention of acute and delayed CINV in patients receiving moderately and highly emetogenic chemotherapy. ⋯ Fosaprepitant in the dose of 115 mg has been approved by the US FDA, the EU and the Australian authorities on day 1 of a 3-day oral aprepitant regimen, with oral aprepitant administered on days 2 and 3. Fosaprepitant may be a useful parenteral alternative to oral aprepitant. Further study is needed to clarify the utility of fosaprepitant in the prevention of CINV and to clarify optimal dosing regimens that may be appropriate substitutes for oral aprepitant.