Long term improved quality of life by a 2-week group physical and educational intervention shortly after breast cancer chemotherapy completion. Results of the 'Programme of Accompanying women after breast Cancer treatment completion in Thermal resorts' (PACThe) randomised clinical trial of 251 patients.

BACKGROUND: Quality of life (QoL) after breast cancer is nowadays a major challenge. Complementary interventions are necessary because of frequent depression symptoms after treatment and also to favour return to activity. Besides, radio-chemotherapy has side-effects like weight gain and fatigue. Several strategies including group behavioural-educational interventions, physical training and/or dietary education, have been tested to answer these difficulties with moderate success in the long run. METHODS: Two hundred and fifty-one non-metastatic patients were accrued after chemotherapy in a prospective randomised multicenter trial between 2008 and 2010, testing a 2-week intervention in SPA centres. Intervention comprised group physical training, dietary education and physiotherapy. Selected patients were in complete remission. QoL was evaluated with SF36 questionnaire, anxiety and depression with the hospital anxiety and depression (HAD) one. Anthropometric measures and QoL evaluations were obtained before randomisation and every 6 months during 3 years. RESULTS: Two hundred and twenty patients were evaluable at 1 year. Intervention increased SF36 score by 9.5 points (p=0.000006), 4.6 (p=0.032) and 6.2 (p=0.028) respectively at 6, 12 and 24 months. Effect size (ES) was 0.63 [0.37; 0.90], 0.29 [0.03; 0.55] and 0.41 [0.04; 0.78]. Anxiety score was shortly minored by intervention (6-month ES=-0.24 [-0.42; -0.05]) and depression score more durably: ES=-0.45 [-0.72; -0.18], -0.34 [-061; -0.08], and -0.26 [-0.63; 0.11] at 6, 12 and 24 months. CONCLUSION: This 2-week group intervention seemed to durably influence QoL of breast cancer patients treated by chemotherapy. Differences, smaller at 12 months than at six, suggest that a second but shorter intervention could help maintain the 6-month benefits.

Pharmacokinetic study in carboplatin, cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil regimen for advanced oesophageal cancer.

A chemotherapy using carboplatin, cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil in continuous infusion for advanced oesophageal cancer showed a high response rate in a previous feasibility study. The overall CT-scan response rate of 85% was obtained with a haematological dose-limiting toxicity: neutropenia and thrombopenia grade 3-4 of 23% and 30% respectively. In order to correlate myelosuppression with pharmacokinetic parameters, a pharmacological study was undertaken. The area under curve (AUC) of ultrafiltrable platinum and the residual rate of total platinum in 16 patients were tested. The measured creatinine clearance was found to be predictive of the subsequent myelosuppression. Plasma samples were using daily using the atomic absorption spectrometry technique. A strong relationship in individual patients was underlined between the AUC of ultrafiltrable platinum or residual rate of total platinum and the lowest platelet count for the first 3 days of treatment (p < 0.05). Conversely, the threshold value of the AUC at day one and residual rate at days two and three were calculated to prevent a highly probable haematotoxicity. Therefore, an optimal dose of carboplatin is determined in relation to the renal function of each patient.