Gan to kagaku ryoho. Cancer & chemotherapy
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Gan To Kagaku Ryoho · Jun 2005
Review[Recent development in research and management of cancer anorexia-cachexia syndrome].
Cachexia is among the most debilitating and life-threatening aspects of cancer, and is more common in children and elderly patients. Associated with anorexia, fat and muscle tissue wasting, psychological distress, and a lower quality of life, cachexia arises from a complex interaction between the cancer and the host. This process results from a failure of the adaptive feeding response seen in simple starvation and includes cytokine production, release of lipid-mobilizing and proteolysis-inducing factors, and alterations in intermediary metabolism. ⋯ The use of psychological and behavioral interventions in cancer is increasing, and recent studies have suggested that some of these techniques may affect quality of life and, perhaps, survival rates. Evaluations of relaxation, hypnosis, and short-term group psychotherapy have suggested some benefit with regard to anorexia and fatigue, although the population most likely to benefit from these interventions has not yet been determined. Because weight loss shortens the survival time of cancer patients and decreases performance status, effective therapy would extend patient survival and improve quality of life.
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Some three hundred thousand of patients die of cancers yearly and at least 20-40%, i. e., 60,000-120,000 of them suffered from brain metastases. Those with such metastases have a generally poor outcome with a median survival of 1-2 months with steroids only, and approximately 6 months with whole-brain radiation therapy (WBRT). The results of important and historical clinical trials including surgery, WBRT, stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), and chemotherapy are reviewed. ⋯ However, many clinical studies have revealed that SRS+WBRT is superior to WBRT or SRS alone in survival time and local control rates. The accurate incident rates of radiation-induced dementia or neurological deficit are still unclear, so the problem and possible avoidance of an additional WBRT after surgery or SRS are discussed. To improve neurologic function and survival, the treatment for patients with brain metastases should be selected with accurate knowledge of EBM.
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Gan To Kagaku Ryoho · Mar 2005
ReviewCost-effectiveness of letrozole versus tamoxifen as first-line hormonal therapy in treating postmenopausal women with advanced breast cancer in Japan.
The objective of this study is to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of letrozole compared with tamoxifen as first-line therapy in post-menopausal women with advanced breast cancer in Japan. A Markov analytical model was developed to estimate life-year (LY) expectancies, using key transition probabilities obtained from the results of a multinational phase III trial, a literature review and a Japanese medical expert panel. ⋯ The total expected costs were 3,644,588 yen (33,133 US dollars) for letrozole arm and 3,322,111 yen (30,201 US dollars) for tamoxifen arm, resulting in a mean incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of 546,571 yen (4,969 US dollars) per life-year gained, while the 5 th percentile of ICER showed letrozole dominating tamoxifen and the 95th percentile was 2,310,593 yen (21,005 US dollars). The results suggest that letrozole is a clinically beneficial and cost-effective treatment option when compared with tamoxifen in first-line therapy for advanced breast cancer in Japan.
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Gan To Kagaku Ryoho · Mar 2005
Review[Imatinib therapy for patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia].
Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is a clonal hematopoietic disorder caused by the reciprocal translocation between chromosome 9 and 22. As a result of this translocation, a novel fusion gene, BCR-ABL, is created on Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome, and the constitutive activity of the BCR-ABL protein tyrosine kinase plays a critical role in the disease pathogenesis. Imatinib mesylate, a selective BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitor, was first given to a patient with CML in June 1998. ⋯ Based upon the results of early phase I and II studies, a phase III study (IRIS Study) that was randomized to first-line imatinib (400 mg/day) or to standard treatment with interferon+low-dose Ara-C, was conducted on 1,106 patients newly diagnosed (within 6 months) with chronic-phase CML. After median follow-up of 30 months, imatinib showed significantly superior tolerability, hematologic and cytogenetic responses (major cytogenetic response, 90%; complete cytogenetic response, 82%), and overall survival (95% without censoring allo-HSCT). Although imatinib is the first-line therapy and has changed the paradigm of CML treatment strategy, questions remain as to the meaning of cytogenetic and molecular response, curability, optimal dose, and relation with allo-HSCT.