Oncology
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Dysregulation of human epidermal growth factor receptor (ErbB/HER) pathways by over-expression or constitutive activation can promote tumor processes including angiogenesis and metastasis and is associated with poor prognosis in many human malignancies. In addition to cancer, ErbB signaling has also been implicated in cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. ⋯ Accordingly, the ErbB receptor family with their most prominent members EGFR and HER-2 represents validated targets for anti-cancer therapy, and anti-ErbB MoAbs (cetuximab, panitumumab, and trastuzumab) and TKIs (gefitinib, erlotinib, and lapatinib) have now been approved for the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer, squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, advanced non-small-cell lung cancer, as well as pancreatic and breast cancer. Although results have been encouraging, more work remains to be done.
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Multicenter Study
Phase IV study of bevacizumab in combination with infusional fluorouracil, leucovorin and irinotecan (FOLFIRI) in first-line metastatic colorectal cancer.
Bevacizumab (Avastin) significantly improves overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) when combined with first-line irinotecan (IFL) plus bolus 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and leucovorin (LV) in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC). This open-label, phase IV trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of first-line bevacizumab in combination with IFL and infusional 5-FU/LV (FOLFIRI). ⋯ Bevacizumab combined with first-line FOLFIRI is an effective and well-tolerated therapy option for patients with metastatic CRC.
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HER2-positive breast cancer is characterized by high chemosensitivity. Anthracycline-based chemotherapy is recognized as a very effective adjuvant treatment in HER2-positive disease. One of the possible explanations is the co-amplification of TOPO II-alpha and HER2. ⋯ Trastuzumab added to chemotherapy administered for one year is associated with improvement in disease-free survival and sometimes in overall survival compared to chemotherapy alone. Efficacy of trastuzumab in the adjuvant setting seems to be increased if administered concomitantly with chemotherapy instead of sequentially. However, the interpretation of longer follow-up results is difficult because of a large crossover from the control arm to trastuzumab.
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This study was conducted to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Korean version of the Quality of Life questionnaire cervical cancer module (QLQ-CX24), developed by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC). ⋯ The Korean version of the EORTC QLQ-CX24 was found to be a reliable and a valid measure of quality of life among survivors of cervical cancer when administered in a large survey setting.
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Lhermitte's phenomenon, characterized by 'electric-shock' sensations precipitated by neck flexion, may develop during oxaliplatin treatment. Limited cases have been described previously and the pathophysiology underlying Lhermitte's phenomenon in oxaliplatin-treated patients has not been established. ⋯ Lhermitte's phenomenon represents a severe presentation of oxaliplatin-induced neurotoxicity, associated with generalized nerve dysfunction in the absence of structural spinal abnormalities.