17 research outputs found

    Angiosarcoma: a case report of gingival disease with both palatine tonsils localization

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    Angiosarcomas are one of the rarest subtypes of sarcomas; those are malignant vascular tumors arising from vascular endothelial cells. Occurrence of intra-oral angiosarcoma is extremely rare (0.0077% of all cancers in Europe). We present here, to our knowledge, the first case of a 83-year-old man with gingival and both palatine tonsils localization of a grade-two angiosarcoma discovered after a two months history of a painful lesion followed by hematoma and spontaneous bleeding. Chemotherapy with paclitaxel and hemostatic radiotherapy were inefficient and he died seven months after the first symptoms. It is essential to use the vascular markers, such as CD34, CD31, ERG and FLI1, for a correct histological diagnosis, which remains difficult because it displays a wide range of morphological appearances and multiple patterns may be present in the same tumor. The main prognostic factors are chronic pre-existing lymphedema and tumor size greater than five centimeters. Malignancy grade and stage classification should be provided in all cases in which this is feasible because of predictive meaning. When possible, wide surgical resection with negative margins remains the cornerstone for the treatment of localized angiosarcomas, but despite the improvement of surgical techniques the prognosis is poor with more than half of patients died within the first year. Adjuvant radiotherapy is the standard treatment of high–grade (two and three), deep lesions, regardless of size, because it improved the local recurrence-free survival. For advanced disease, if possible, metastasectomy should be considered. The first-line chemotherapy with doxorubicin or paclitaxel should be discussed compared to best supportive care according to patient comorbidities and preference

    Ixabepilone, a novel epothilone analog in the treatment of breast cancer.

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    International audienceBACKGROUND: Natural epothilones and their analogs promote tumor cell death by binding to tubulin and stabilizing microtubules, causing cell death. Ixabepilone (BMS-247550, Ixempra) is an epothilone analog that optimizes the properties naturally observed with epothilone B. OBJECTIVE: To provide an overview of the results achieved by ixabepilone in metastatic breast cancer. METHODS: A PubMed search was performed to provide an extensive review of all published data on ixabepilone, in addition to all data reported from international congresses, from 2003 to 2007. RESULTS/CONCLUSION: There is a clear need for new agents active against resistant metastatic breast cancer and ixabepilone might be a welcome new compound in this situation

    [Pemetrexed development in oncology]

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    International audienceThe pemetrexed disodium (Alimta), LY231514) is the first antifolate able to inhibit at the same time the synthesis of purins and pyrimidins. Many therapeutic tests were carried out in clinical situations where the methotrexate and the fluorouracil had been the proof of their effectiveness. It then showed an interesting activity in a great number of tumours but with very different profiles of tolerance according to the studies and pathologies. The explanation will come in 2001 by the description from the relation between the vitamin deficiencies among treated patients and occurred from toxicities. The two randomized studies carried out in the malignant pleural mesothelioma and the non small cell lung cancer made it possible to establish its utility and to record the pemetrexed in these clinical situations. Others axes of development remain possible, but the results are stanby or to confirm as in squamous-cell cancer in the head and neck and breast, digestive or urinary tracts cancer. In all the cases, the optimization of the pemetrexed in terms of amount/methods of administration and associations possible because of its profile of tolerance makes of it a molecule of chemotherapy with a future

    Safety profile of new anticancer drugs.

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    International audienceImportance of the field: The development of targeted anticancer therapies stems from advances in molecular biology. New agents range from antibodies that form complexes with antigens on the surface of the cancer cell to small molecules that have been engineered to block key enzymatic reactions. The interaction of the antibody or drug with its target inhibits key pathways involved in cell proliferation or metastasis, or activates pathways leading to cell death. Such pathways constitute ideal pharmacological targets. Clinical benefits from these novel therapeutic strategies are striking for patients with metastatic diseases. Areas covered: This review analyses the main toxicities among most common targeted therapies that have been approved by the FDA or European Medicines Agency for their clinical utilisation in solid tumours treatment. What the reader will gain: Here, the main toxicity and safety data among new anticancer targeted therapies are described. Data are organised through the pathways targeted by the drugs. Take home message: The emergence of new targeted anticancer therapies promises more efficient and less toxic therapies. Generally, they are well tolerated, toxicities are commonly mild to moderate and can be handled rapidly. However, if most of these adverse events are manageable, life threatening and fatal complications can still occur

    Anticancer therapy in patients with porphyrias: evidence today.

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    International audienceBACKGROUND: Porphyrias are rare diseases, and for these patients every administration of drugs may induce an acute attack of porphyria. The list of safe compounds allowed in these patients is available for clinicians from specific websites cited in the text. OBJECTIVES: However, data concerning anticancer therapy in patients with such diseases remain poor. Therefore any publications can help clinicians to deal with this very specific group of patients. METHODS: In our institution, three patients received docetaxel and hematologic growth factors (erythropoietin and GCSF) without unexpected toxicities. Aromatase inhibitors (anstrozole and letrozole) were also given in one patient without any related problem. CONCLUSION: The present observation adds some useful data for the possible treatment of cancer in patients with porphyria

    Open-label, randomized multicentre phase II study to assess the efficacy and tolerability of sunitinib by dose administration regimen (dose modification or dose interruptions) in patients with advanced or metastatic renal cell carcinoma: study protocol of the SURF trial

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    Abstract Background Sunitinib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor approved in the first-line metastatic renal cell carcinoma (MRCC) setting at the dose of 50 mg daily for 4 weeks followed by a pause of 2 weeks. Due to toxicity, this standard schedule (50 mg daily 4/2) can induce up to 50% of sunitinib dose modification (reduction and/or interruption). The current recommendation in such case is to reduce the dose to 37.5 mg per day (standard schedule 4/2). Recent data highlight an alternative schedule: 2 weeks of treatment followed by 1 week of pause (experimental schedule 2/1). The SURF trial is set up to evaluate prospectively experimental schedule 2/1 when toxicity occurs. This article displays the key elements of the study protocol. Methods/design SURF [NCT02689167] is a prospective, randomized, open-label phase IIb study. Patients are included at sunitinib initiation while receiving standard schedule 4/2 (50 mg daily) according to the marketing authorization indication. When a dose adjustment of sunitinib is required, patients are randomized between standard schedule 4/2 (37.5 mg daily) and experimental schedule 2/1 (50 mg daily). Key eligibility criteria are the following: patients with locally advanced inoperable or MRCC who are starting first-line treatment with sunitinib, with histologically or cytologically confirmed renal cancer clear cell variant or with a clear cell component, and with Karnofsky performance status ≥70%. The primary objective is to assess the median duration of sunitinib treatment (DOT) in each group. The key secondary objectives are progression-free survival, overall survival, time to randomization, objective response rate, safety, sunitinib dose intensity, health-related quality of life, and the description of main drivers triggering randomization. We hypothesized that experimental schedule 2/1 would result in an improvement in median DOT from 6 to 8.5 months. It was estimated that 112 patients would be needed in each arm during 24 months. In order to take into account the possibility of treatment discontinuation before randomization, 248 patients are necessary. Discussion The SURF trial is asking a pragmatic question adapted to the current practice on what is the best way to adapt sunitinib when treatment-related adverse events occur. The results of the SURF trial will bring high-value data to support the use of an alternative schedule in sunitinib treatment. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02689167. Registered on 26 February 2016
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