Non-AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma: A single-institution experience.

AIM: To evaluate the outcomes and potential prognostic factors in patients with non-acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related Kaposi's sarcoma (KS). METHODS: Patients with histologically proven non-AIDS-related KS treated with systemic chemotherapy were included in this retrospective analysis. In some cases, the human herpes virus 8 status was assessed by immunohistochemistry. The patients were staged according to the Mediterranean KS staging system. A multivariable model was constructed using a forward stepwise selection procedure. A P value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant, and all tests were two-sided. RESULTS: Thirty-two cases were included in this analysis. The average age at diagnosis was 70 years, with a male/female ratio of approximately 2:1. Eighty-four percent of the cases had classic KS. All patients received systemic chemotherapy containing one of the following agents: vinca alkaloid, taxane, and pegylated liposomal doxorubicin. Ten patients (31.5%) experienced a partial response, and a complete response was achieved in four patients (12.4%) and stable disease in sixteen cases (50%). Two patients (6.2%) were refractory to the systemic treatment. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 11.7 mo, whereas the median overall survival was 28.5 mo. At multivariate analysis, the presence of nodular lesions (vs macular lesions only) was significantly related to a lower PFS (hazard ratio: 3.09; 95%CI: 1.18-8.13, P = 0.0133). CONCLUSION: Non-AIDS-related KS appears mostly limited to the skin and is well-responsive to systemic therapies. Our data show that nodular lesions may be associated with a shorter PFS in patients receiving chemotherapy.

Potential value of Gleason score in predicting the benefit of cabazitaxel in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

AIM: This study aimed to identify predictive/prognostic factors in castration-resistant prostate cancer patients treated with cabazitaxel. PATIENTS & METHODS: Patients were enrolled from March 2011 to December 2011 in an international expanded access program. In January 2012, when cabazitaxel became commercially available, a prospective study was initiated at University Federico II of Naples and at Rionero in Vulture Hospital. RESULTS: Forty-seven patients were enrolled in this study. Patients received a median of nine cycles of cabazitaxel. Median progression-free survival was 7.0 months (95% CI: 5.7-8.0). Seventeen patients were still alive at the time of the analysis, with a median overall survival of 14 months (95% CI: 11-16). At multivariate analysis, a higher Gleason score (≥ 8) appeared to be associated with prolonged progression-free survival (hazard ratio: 0.36; 95% CI: 0.18-0.72); however, the higher Gleason score showed no statistical impact on overall survival. CONCLUSION: We hypothesize that the Gleason score has the potential to be incorporated in the clinical decision-making process for definition of treatment strategy in docetaxel-pretreated castration-resistant prostate cancer patients. We encourage further experimentation in this setting.