Liposomal doxorubicin: a phase II trial

Abstract. Background and aim oft he work In patìents with disseminated endometrial carcinoma, doxorubicin is used as a single agent or in combination therapy. We have carried out a phase II clinical trial of liposomal doxorubicin in first-line therapy of women with disseminated endometrial carcinoma. Methods: Betwecn September 2001 and May 2003, 22 patìents with histologically confirmed disseminated endometrial carci¬noma, were enrolled in this study. Eleven patìents had been previously treated with radiatìon, none of them had been treated with chemotherapy. Liposomal doxorubicin (40 mg/m2) was intravenously administered at 4 week intervals until toxicity or progression. Results: The most common adverse events were fatigue, ane¬mia, pain, and dermatologic toxicity (EPP). Eight patìents (36%) achieved a tumor regression (Complete response, CR 3; Partial response, PR 5), ten (46%) maintained stable disease, and four (18%) experienced in-creasing disease. Conclusion: Liposomal doxorubicin has a lower cardiologie toxicity than doxorubicin with a similar response rate in patients with disseminated endometrial carcinoma, (www.actabiomedica.it

Cytoreductive surgey and ovarian carcinoma

Purpose of investigation:the aim of this study is to demostrate if cytoreductive surgery in patients with ovarian carcinoma increases overall surviva

Frequency of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in Non-Valvular Atrial Fibrillation

Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is significantly related to adverse clinical outcomes in patients at high risk of cardiovascular events. In patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), data on LVH, that is, prevalence and determinants, are inconsistent mainly because of different definitions and heterogeneity of study populations. We determined echocardiographic-based LVH prevalence and clinical factors independently associated with its development in a prospective cohort of patients with non-valvular (NV) AF. From the "Atrial Fibrillation Registry for Ankle-brachial Index Prevalence Assessment: Collaborative Italian Study" (ARAPACIS) population, 1,184 patients with NVAF (mean age 72 \ub1 11 years; 56% men) with complete data to define LVH were selected. ARAPACIS is a multicenter, observational, prospective, longitudinal on-going study designed to estimate prevalence of peripheral artery disease in patients with NVAF. We found a high prevalence of LVH (52%) in patients with NVAF. Compared to those without LVH, patients with AF with LVH were older and had a higher prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, and previous myocardial infarction (MI). A higher prevalence of ankle-brachial index 640.90 was seen in patients with LVH (22 vs 17%, p = 0.0392). Patients with LVH were at significantly higher thromboembolic risk, with CHA2DS2-VASc 652 seen in 93% of LVH and in 73% of patients without LVH (p <0.05). Women with LVH had a higher prevalence of concentric hypertrophy than men (46% vs 29%, p = 0.0003). Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that female gender (odds ratio [OR] 2.80, p <0.0001), age (OR 1.03 per year, p <0.001), hypertension (OR 2.30, p <0.001), diabetes (OR 1.62, p = 0.004), and previous MI (OR 1.96, p = 0.001) were independently associated with LVH. In conclusion, patients with NVAF have a high prevalence of LVH, which is related to female gender, older age, hypertension, and previous MI. These patients are at high thromboembolic risk and deserve a holistic approach to cardiovascular prevention