RESUMEN
Background and Aim: The combination of cetuximab with platinum and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) chemotherapy prolongs survival in patients with metastatic or recurrent squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). Biweekly (once in 2 weeks) administration of cetuximab requires fewer hospital visits and decreases treatment costs; therefore, it is more convenient both for the patients and for the healthcare providers. Here, we assessed the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of an alternative biweekly regimen of cetuximab in combination with platinum and 5-FU chemotherapy as a first-line treatment for these patients. Methods and Materials: Medical records of patients with metastatic or recurrent non-nasopharyngeal SCCHN who were treated with a biweekly regimen of cetuximab (500 mg/m2 on day 1), cisplatin (40 mg/m2 on day 1) or carboplatin (target area under the curve 3.5 mg/ml × min on day 1), folinic acid (400 mg/m2 on day 1), and 5-FU (400 mg/m2 bolus on day 1 followed by continuous infusion of 2,400 mg/m2 5-FU over 46 h) were retrospectively reviewed. Survival estimates were calculated with the Kaplan–Meier method. Results: In total, 60 patients were included. The median age of the patients was 60.5. The objective response rate was 53.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 40.7–65.9). The median progression-free survival duration was 6.8 months (95% CI = 5.5–8.1) and the median overall survival duration was 13.3 months (95% CI = 8.4–18.2). The most common grade 3 or 4 adverse events were neutropenia (28.3%) and leucopenia (13.3%). Grade 3 or 4 rash was observed in 3.3% of the patients. Conclusion: Biweekly administration of cetuximab, cisplatin, and 5-FU is an effective regimen with a favorable toxicity profile for the first-line treatment of metastatic or recurrent SCCHN. These results warrant further evaluation of this regimen in prospective trials.
RESUMEN
To investigate the frequency and significance of pulmonary nodules in patients with colorectal cancer [CRC]. Medical records of 1,344 patients with CRC who underwent thoracic computerized tomography scans between January 2003 and December 2009 were reviewed. Those with any distant metastatic disease or who were already known to have pulmonary malignancies were excluded. Number, size, shape and location of the nodules were evaluated. A multivariate analysis was performed to determine the predictive factors for evidence of metastases. Results: Of the 1,344 patients, 55 [4.09%] had nodules that met the criteria of an indeterminate pulmonary nodule. The mean follow-up time was 25 +/- 17.9 months and the mean time to develop pulmonary metastasis was 15.5 +/- 6.4 months. The nodules of 17 [30.9%] patients showed pro-gression at follow-up; 8 had metastasized. Multivariate analysis showed multiple indeterminate pulmonary nodules [p = 0.006] of parenchymal localization [p = 0.016] with an irregular border [p = 0.002], which is predictive of metastatic disease. Conclusion: Our study has shown that multiple indeterminate pulmonary nodules with an irregular border in a parenchymal location were more likely to represent metastatic disease. However, the frequency of the occurrence of indeterminate pulmonary metastases of CRC was low