Anticancer research
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Chemotherapy is currently the standard-of-care for non-oncogene-driven advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Due to improvements in chemotherapeutic choices and supportive care, patients currently typically undergo multiple lines of chemotherapy as their disease progresses. Although treatments have improved over recent years, limited benefits are seen, especially in patients receiving later-line chemotherapy, as response rates can be low, response duration short and survival poor. ⋯ Combinatorial approaches with other immune checkpoint inhibitors, chemotherapy, or targeted-agents are being explored in ongoing clinical trials, and may improve outcome in NSCLC. The emerging data not only offer the hope of a better cancer therapy but also provide evidence that changes our understanding on how the host immune system interacts with human cancer. It is therefore conceivable that agents blocking the CTLA-4/PD-1/PD-L1 axis will provide valuable additions to the growing armamentarium of targeted-agents.
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Anticancer research · May 2015
ReviewRandomized Trials of Systemic Medically-treated Malignant Mesothelioma: A Systematic Review.
Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare but aggressive malignancy mainly localized to the pleura. Malignant mesothelioma grows highly invasive into surrounding tissue and has a low tendency to metastasize. The median overall survival (OS) of locally advanced or metastatic disease without treatment is 4-13 months but, during recent years, improvement in survival has been achieved since treatment for patients with mesothelioma has improved with better palliative care, systemic medical treatment, surgery and improved diagnostics methods. The present review aims at describing available data from randomized trials considering systemic medical treatment for this patient category.
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Anticancer research · Mar 2015
ReviewTopics in chemotherapy, molecular-targeted therapy, and immunotherapy for newly-diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme.
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common primary brain tumor in adults, and it is associated with poor survival. The standard therapy for newly-diagnosed GBM is radiotherapy with concurrent temozolomide following maximal surgical resection. To improve the outcome of these patients, combinations of the standard therapy plus molecular-targeted agents have been tested in clinical trials. ⋯ Phase II data have indicated the potential efficacy of talampanel combined with the standard therapy for patients with newly-diagnosed GBM, and these findings are awaiting validation in phase III trials. In addition, phase II trials have demonstrated that adjuvant immunotherapy is effective and tolerable for treatment of patients with GBM. In this article, we discuss topics in chemotherapy, molecular-targeted therapy, and immunotherapy for patients with newly-diagnosed GBM.
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Anticancer research · Mar 2014
ReviewEndothelial dysfunction as a determinant of trastuzumab-mediated cardiotoxicity in patients with breast cancer.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in females in the UK and has greater severity in patients who overexpress human epidermal growth receptor 2 (HER2) proteins in the breast tissue. Trastuzumab is a humanised monoclonal antibody and is targeted towards blocking the HER2 pathway and effectively reduces the recurrence of breast cancer and associated mortality. ⋯ In the present review, we summarise the pathways that are implicated in the development of CHF in patients receiving trastuzumab. We also highlight the role of trastuzumab-mediated endothelial dysfunction and CHF.
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Anticancer research · Mar 2014
ReviewGenetic and epigenetic aspects of breast cancer progression and therapy.
Although breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease that is challenging to characterize and treat, the recent explosion of genetic and epigenetic research may help improve these endeavors. In the present review, we use genetic diversity to characterize and classify different types of breast cancer. We also discuss genetic and epigenetic changes that are involved in the development of different breast cancer types and examine how these changes affect prognosis. ⋯ Next, we examine potential drug therapies directed at epigenetic changes, as such epigenetic drug treatments may prove useful for treating patient-specific tumors, breast cancer progenitor cells, and drug-resistant cells. Lastly, we discuss on mechanisms of carcinogenesis, including a novel hypothesis outlining the role of epigenetics in the development of cancer progenitor cells and metastasis. Overall, breast cancer subtypes may have a similar epigenetic signal that promotes cancer development, and treatment may be most effective if both epigenetic and genetic differences are targeted.