A phase II trial of a biweekly combination of paclitaxel and gemcitabine in metastatic breast cancer

BACKGROUND: Many emerging new drugs have recently been trialled for treatment of early and advanced breast cancer. Among these new agents paclitaxel and gemcitabine play a crucial role, mostly in patients with relapsed and metastatic disease after failure of chemotherapy with antracyclines. METHODS: A phase II study was started in order to evaluate the activity and toxicity of a combination of paclitaxel and gemcitabine in a biweekly schedule on metastatic breast cancer patients previously treated with antracyclines. RESULTS: Twenty-five patients received paclitaxel (150 mg/mq) by 3-hours infusion, followed by gemcitabine (2000 mg/mq) given as a 60 min i.v. infusion (day 1–14) for a maximum of eight cycles. In all patients treatment was evaluated for toxicity and efficacy; four patients (16%) achieved a complete response, 12 (48%) a partial response giving an overall objective response rate of 64%. Stable disease was documented in 5 patients (20%) and progressive disease occurred in 4 patients (16%). CONCLUSION: The schedule of treatment was safe and tolerable from a haematological and non-haematological point of view. These data confirm that the combination of gemcitabine and paclitaxel on a biweekly basis is an effective and well-tolerated regimen in breast cancer patients with prior therapeutic exposure to antracyclines

Fertility-Sparing Options in Young Women with Cervical Cancer.

Cervical cancer (CC) is the fourth most frequent tumor and the fourth most common cause of cancer death among women worldwide. Furthermore, more than 40 % of women with early CC are affected during reproductive age and wish to remain fertile. Thus, many patients demand a more conservative policy for managing these lesions in order to have an uneventful pregnancy in the near future. For this reason, interest in fertility preservation strategies has been increasing, and the number of published studies on this topic has grown significantly. Conization was the first fertility-sparing surgical procedure tested in stage IA1 CC. However, in recent decades, other strategies have been tested, particularly for more advanced tumors. The aim of this review is to analyze the main techniques performed in patients with CC who are eligible for fertility-sparing surgery, with particular attention paid to open questions and controversies