Pegylated liposomal doxorubicin in the management of ovarian cancer

Among the pharmaceutical options available for treatment of ovarian cancer, much attention has been progressively focused on pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD), whose unique formulation, which entraps conventional doxorubicin in a bilayer lipidic sphere surrounded by a polyethylene glycol layer, prolongs the persistence of the drug in the circulation and potentiates intratumor drug accumulation. These properties enable this drug to sustain its very favorable toxicity profile and to be used safely in combination with other drugs. PLD has been already approved for treatment of advanced ovarian cancer patients failing first-line platinum-based treatment. Moreover, phase III trials have been already completed, and results are eagerly awaited, which hopefully will expand the range of PLD clinical application in this neoplasia both in front-line treatment, and in the salvage setting in combination with other drugs. Moreover, attempts are continuing to enable this drug to be combined with novel cytotoxic drugs and target-based agents. This review aims at summarizing the available evidence and the new perspectives for the clinical role of PLD in the management of patients with epithelial ovarian cancer

Phase II study of the combination carboplatin plus celecoxib in heavily pre-treated recurrent ovarian cancer patients

Cyclooxygenase-2 overexpression is associated with poor outcome and resistance to platinum-based chemotherapy in ovarian cancer. We evaluated the antitumor activity and safety of the combination carboplatin plus the COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib in recurrent heavily-treated OC patients

Nature-Based Options for Improving Urban Environmental Quality: Using Black Poplar Trees for Monitoring Heavy Metals Pollution in Urbanized Contexts

Several researchers recognize the importance of plants as effective tools for environmental biomonitoring. The black poplar (Populus nigra L.) often emerges as a useful bioindicator of air quality in urban environments, where this tree species is widely employed for urban areas. Here, we used ICP-MS analysis to assess the presence and concentration of trace elements, with a special focus on heavy metals (HMs), in black poplar leaves and soil samples from three urbanized sites showing varying degrees of environmental quality. Specifically, the foliar concentrations of Zn (173.3 ppm), Cd (0.7 ppm), Co (1.1 ppm) and As (0.2 ppm) exceeded reference values for unpolluted sites, indicating potential environmental hazards. Additionally, we correlated the foliar concentrations of HMs with those quantified in soil and with air quality data provided by the regional air quality-monitoring network. Subsequently, we estimated the values of foliar fluctuating asymmetry, and evaluated their relationships with HM concentrations in both leaves and soil. Our results suggest that element concentrations in black poplar leaves are related to soil contamination and atmospheric quality, and the extent depends on the proximity to relevant pollution sources. Furthermore, the study species showed a pronounced accumulation capacity for some HMs (i.e., Zn, Cd) commonly found in particulate matter. The extent of foliar fluctuating asymmetry is related to atmospheric quality and HM soil concentration, possibly because of the growth anomalies induced by this kind of environmental contamination. Overall, our data indicate the study species can supply an effective biomonitoring service in urbanized contexts, offering valuable insights into the occurrence and biological implications of heavy metal contamination

Quality of life and emotional distress in early stage and locally advanced cervical cancer patients: a prospective, longitudinal study

This prospective, longitudinal study investigates QoL issues and emotional distress in early stage cervical cancer (ECC) patients undergoing radical surgery (RS) and in locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) patients triaged to chemoradiation (CT/RT) followed by RS

Evaluation of quality of life and emotional distress in endometrial cancer patients: A 2-year prospective, longitudinal study

The aim of the study was to prospectively, and longitudinally assess Quality of Life (QoL) and emotional distress in a large series of endometrial cancer (EC) patients

Prospective multimodal imaging assessment of locally advanced cervical cancer patients administered by chemoradiation followed by radical surgery. The PRICE (PRospective Imaging of CErvical cancer and neoadjuvant treatment) study 2: the role of ultrasound after chemoradiation to assess residual tumor

Abstract Not Availabl

Long-term prospective longitudinal evaluation of emotional distress and quality of life in cervical cancer patients who remained disease-free 2-years from diagnosis

BACKGROUND: A long-term prospective assessment of QoL in cervical cancer patients is still lacking. Here, we provide the first 2-years prospective, longitudinal study evaluating emotional distress and QoL in early stage (ECC) and locally advanced (LACC) cervical cancer patients who remained disease-free 2-years from diagnosis. METHODS: The questionnaires: Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Global Health Status items of EORTC QLQ-C30 (GHS), and EORTC QLQ-CX24 (CX24) have been administered by a dedicated team of psycho-oncologists, administered at baseline, and after 3, 6, 12 and 24 months from surgery The Generalized Linear Model for repeated measure was used to analyze modifications of QoL measures over time. RESULTS: In both groups, an early reduction of the percentage of patients with anxiety levels 6511 was observed at the 3-month evaluation (ECC: 25.7% at baseline Vs 14.7% after 3 months, p value=0.001; LACC: 22.2% at baseline Vs 15.4% after 3 months, p value=0.001). Despite this favorable trend, after 2 years from diagnosis, 11.9% of ECC and 15.6% of LACC patients still showed an anxiety score 6511. No significant changes over time were observed in term of Depression levels. Focusing on QoL issues, mean GHS and Sexual Activity scores showed an improvement over time in both groups compared to baseline (GHS: 5.7% difference for ECC, p value=0.001, and 11.0% in LACC, p value=0.001; SXA: 13.9% difference for ECC, p value=0.001; and 6.1% in LACC, p value=0.008). On the other hand, Body Image mean scores were significantly impaired by chemoradiation administration in LACC patients, without long-term recovery (7.5% difference, p value=0.001). Finally, in both groups, lymphedema (LY) and menopausal symptoms (MS) showed an early worsening which persisted 2-year after surgery (LY: 19.5% difference for ECC, p value=0.014, and 27.3% in LACC, p value=0.001; MS: 14.4% difference for ECC, p value=0.004, and 16.0% in LACC, p value=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Despite a significant improvement over time, elevated anxiety levels are still detectable at 24 months after surgery in approximately 10% of cervical cancer patients. Much more attention should be focused on surgical/medical approaches able to minimize the negative impact of lymphedema and menopausal symptoms on QoL