Paclitaxel+BEP (T-BEP) regimen as induction chemotherapy in poor prognosis patients with nonseminomatous germ cell tumors: a phase II study.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate paclitaxel, bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin (T-BEP) in patients with poor-prognosis nonseminomatous germ cell tumor (NSGCT). Paclitaxel is an active treatment of nonseminomatous germ cell tumors. METHODS: The present study was an open-label, single-center, Phase II study. Chemotherapy-naive patients received T-BEP (paclitaxel 175 mg/m2 [day 2], cisplatin 20 mg/m2 [days 1-5], etoposide 100 mg/m2 [days 1-5], bleomycin 30 IU [days 1, 3, and 5]), and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor 300 µg (days 6-10). The number of cycles (range 4-6) was dependent on the normalization of tumor markers. Secondary resection was planned for patients with tumor marker-negative partial remission. Assessments included radiologic response, tumor markers, and safety. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS) 1 year after chemotherapy. RESULTS: Of 51 patients, 49 completed chemotherapy and were evaluable for response: 12 (25%) had a complete response, 29 (59%) were marker-negative (tumor marker normalization) and 3 (6%) were marker-positive (tumor marker decrease for ≥1 month) incomplete responders, and 5 (10%) had progressive disease. A total of 37 patients underwent secondary resection. After the treatment of 27 patients, an unplanned analysis showed inappropriate toxicity at cycle 1 (grade 3-4 infection [6 patients] resulting in 2 toxic deaths), which led to treatment modification (BEP [cycle 1], T-BEP [subsequent cycles]), with no further toxic deaths observed. Grade 3-4 adverse events included neutropenia (71%), febrile neutropenia (33%), and infection (14%). During the first year after chemotherapy, 1 patient was lost to follow-up, and 21 patients relapsed. The PFS rate at 1 year after chemotherapy was 58% (29 of 50 patients). CONCLUSIONS: T-BEP did not improve PFS in patients with poor-prognosis NSGCT. The administration of T-BEP from cycle 1 resulted in excessive toxicity but was administered safely from cycle 2.

A prognostic model in patients treated for metastatic gastric cancer with second-line chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND: This retrospective study was carried out to evaluate the prognostic significance of clinical factors in patients treated for metastatic gastric cancer with second-line chemotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We evaluated the prognostic significance of various clinical factors in 126 patients, who were treated with second-line chemotherapy. RESULTS: Median progression-free and overall survival (OS) for second-line chemotherapy were 3.3 and 5.3 months, respectively, with an overall response rate of 11.1%. Multivariate analysis identified three independent prognostic factors: performance status: Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group zero to one [hazard ratio (HR) 2.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.7-5.4], hemoglobin (Hb) level: >/=10 g/dl (HR 2.2, 95% CI 2.1-2.4) and time-to-progression (TTP) under first-line therapy: >/=5 months (HR 0.5, 95% CI 0.3-0.8). From the obtained data, a prognostic index was constructed, dividing the patients into three risk groups: good (n = 40), intermediate (n = 36) and poor risk group (n = 56). The median survival for good, intermediate and poor risk groups were 13.5, 6.0 and 2.9 months, respectively, whereas the 1-year OS rates were 50.2%, 14.2% and 2.6%, respectively (P = 0.00001). CONCLUSIONS: With inadequate data from randomized controlled trials at the moment, our report indicates that second-line chemotherapy is effective and beneficial in patients with good performance status, higher Hb level along with higher TTP under first-line therapy.

[Docetaxel in the treatment of metastatic gastric cancer].

Since the late 1990s, docetaxel (Dtx), an antitubular drug, has been studied as a tool for the treatment of GC. Maximum effectiveness of docetaxel as monotherapy amounted to 24%, with a median survival of 7 months. Two-drug combinations were developed containing docetaxel with 5-fluorouracil (DF) and docetaxel with cisplatin (DC). They proved effective in 43 and 33% of the cases respectively and ensured a similar median survival of 9-10 months. Clinical studies of a three-component combination containing docetaxel, 5-fluorouracil and cisplatin (DCF) as first-line therapy of metastatic GC were carried out in the XXIst century and showed its efficacy in 50% of the cases with a median survival of 10-12 months. The DCF regimen may be considered as a new standard for the treatment of patients with metastatic GC and satisfactory health status (ECOG 0-1). The combination is being modified to improve its toxicity profile by substituting oxaliplatin for cisplatin and oral fluoropyrimidines for i.v. 5-fluorouracil.

[Targeted drugs for the treatment of disseminated colonic cancer].

5-Fluorouramcil has been the medicine of choice for systemic treatment of metastatic colonic cancer for the last 35 years. Objective positive results of this therapy were documented in 30% of the cases, it delayed the development of active disease by 4 months, and ensured a 6 month survival. Introduction of irinotecan, oxaliplatin, capecitabine, S = 1, and other drugs into clinical practice improved overall efficiency of therapy to 40-50%, increased time till progression of the disease to 6 months and survival to 15 months. Targeted drugs (bevacizumab, cetuximab) combined with the known chemotherapeutic programs (FOLFOX, FOLFIRI, XELIRI, XELFOX, etc.) showed even higher therapeutic effect, i.e. overall efficiency 50-60%, time to progression 10 months and survival of more than 1.5 years. Panitumumab is an active agent to be used in the third-line therapy.