Cancer chemotherapy and pharmacology
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Cancer Chemother. Pharmacol. · Dec 2017
ReviewThe dawn of "immune-revolution" in children: early experiences with checkpoint inhibitors in childhood malignancies.
Modern immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors has changed clinical practice of adult patients with advanced cancer. Blockade of CTLA-4 and PD-1 pathways have shown survival benefits in different diseases. In children, combination of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy have improved survival rates of solid tumors. ⋯ Currently, the treatment of these patients is almost exclusively based on standard chemotherapy. The significant proportion of pediatric cancers with high number of mutations and subsequent high expression of neoantigens, together with the potential prognostic role of the immunosuppressive checkpoint molecules (CTLA-4, PD-L1) can represent a promising rationale that support the use of checkpoint inhibitors. We made a revision about emerging data regarding safety and activity of checkpoint inhibitors in children with solid tumors.
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Cancer Chemother. Pharmacol. · May 2016
ReviewThe selective estrogen receptor modulators in breast cancer prevention.
Persistently increased blood levels of estrogens are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. Selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) are a class of compounds that act on the estrogen receptor (ER). ⋯ A broader educational effort is needed to alert women and primary care physicians that SERMs are available to reduce breast cancer risk.
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To describe the emergence of targeted therapies that have led to significant breakthroughs in cancer therapy and completed or ongoing clinical trials of novel agents for the treatment of patients with advanced cancer. ⋯ Combinations of targeted, immunomodulating, antiangiogenic, or chemotherapeutic agents are in clinical development. Innovative adaptive study design is used to expedite effective drug development.
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Cancer Chemother. Pharmacol. · Oct 2014
ReviewShould EGFR mutations be tested in advanced lung squamous cell carcinomas to guide frontline treatment?
There is no argument over using epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation status to guide the frontline treatment for advanced lung adenocarcinoma (LADC); however, the role of the testing in lung squamous cell carcinoma (LSQC) remains controversial. Currently, the guidelines/consensus statements regarding EGFR mutation testing in LSQC are not consistent among different oncology societies. American Society of Clinical Oncology recommends performing EGFR mutation testing in all patients; European Society for Medical Oncology, College of American Pathologists/International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer/Association for Molecular Pathology, and National Comprehensive Cancer Network suggest for some selected group. ⋯ Available data showed that the response rate and progression-free survival in EGFR mutant LSQC patients treated with EGFR-TKI are not better than that observed in patients treated with platinum-doublet chemotherapy in the first-line setting. Therefore, in contrast to advanced LADC, EGFR mutation testing may not be necessarily performed upfront in advanced LSQC because not only the mutation rate is low, but also the predictive value is insufficient. For LSQC patients with known sensitizing-EGFR mutations, both conventional chemotherapy and EGFR-TKI are acceptable frontline treatment options.
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Cancer Chemother. Pharmacol. · May 2012
Review Meta AnalysisThe efficacy and safety of melatonin in concurrent chemotherapy or radiotherapy for solid tumors: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Recently, melatonin has been associated with cancer both in vitro and in vivo. However, the value of melatonin in the treatment of cancer remains disputable. Hence, we performed a systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of melatonin in solid tumor cancer patients and observed its effect on tumor remission, 1-year survival, and side effects due to radiochemotherapy. ⋯ Melatonin as an adjuvant therapy for cancer led to substantial improvements in tumor remission, 1-year survival, and alleviation of radiochemotherapy-related side effects.