Clinical advances in hematology & oncology : H&O
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Glioblastomas are highly vascular tumors. Recent preclinical and clinical investigations have demonstrated that agents targeting angiogenesis may have efficacy in this type of tumor. ⋯ Unfortunately, treatment inevitably fails. Further studies are needed to understand mechanisms of tumor resistance and to identify other therapeutic targets that mediate angiogenesis.
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Clin Adv Hematol Oncol · May 2009
ReviewThe diagnosis and management of polycythemia vera, essential thrombocythemia, and primary myelofibrosis in the JAK2 V617F era.
The chronic myeloproliferative disorders, polycythemia vera, essential thrombocythemia, and primary myelofibrosis, are clonal stem cell disorders that occur at a low frequency and mimic not only each other clinically, but also many benign and malignant hematopoietic disorders as well. The discovery that many patients with polycythemia vera, essential thrombocythemia, and primary myelofibrosis express a mutation in the Janus Kinase 2 gene (JAK2 V617F), a kinase essential for the normal development of erythrocytes, granulocytes, and platelets, provided a molecular explanation for the unregulated hematopoiesis typical of these disorders, a diagnostic test that distinguishes them from other types of myeloproliferative disorders, and an opportunity to develop targeted therapy that could potentially avoid the toxicities associated with the conventional chemotherapeutic agents currently employed in their treatment. In this review, we discuss the molecular basis of polycythemia vera, essential thrombocythemia, and primary myelofibrosis, their diagnosis and their management in the context of the JAK2 V617F mutation.
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Clin Adv Hematol Oncol · Jun 2008
ReviewNeuropathy associated with microtubule inhibitors: diagnosis, incidence, and management.
Microtubule inhibitor (MTI)-based chemotherapies used in the treatment of breast cancer--including vinca alkaloids, taxanes, and epothilones--are known to be associated with peripheral neuropathy. The incidence and severity of neuropathy, most frequently sensory in nature, depend on the agent used, absolute and cumulative drug dose, administration schedule, and presence of comorbidities. Although some first-generation vinca alkaloids, such as vincristine, were associated with severe mixed sensory/motor neuropathy, the deficits associated with newer agents in this class (eg, vinflunine) are generally milder and limited to distal sensory signs and symptoms. ⋯ Epothilones, a new class of MTI, may be associated with grade 3/4 peripheral neuropathy; however, the neuropathy associated with ixabepilone, a novel epothilone B analog, is generally mild to moderate and reversible to baseline or grade 1 levels. The neuropathy induced by MTI therapy is best managed with dose adjustments and/or treatment delay. This article provides an overview of the incidence, characteristics, and management of MTI-associated neurotoxicities for known vinca alkaloids and taxanes, as well as newer agents, such as vinflunine and ixabepilone.
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Clin Adv Hematol Oncol · Sep 2007
ReviewTrastuzumab for early breast cancer: current status and future directions.
The human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is overexpressed/amplified in up to 25% of breast cancer patients, and this feature is associated with an aggressive phenotype, a high recurrence rate, and reduced survival. Until recently, combination chemotherapy was the most effective and only adjuvant treatment for HER2-positive patients. Trastuzumab, a monoclonal antibody directed against the HER2 extracellular domain, has recently demonstrated highly reproducible and astonishing benefit in halving the recurrence rate and reducing mortality in five adjuvant breast cancer trials. ⋯ Though trastuzumab has been able to significantly improve clinical outcomes of many patients with early breast cancer, the reality is that an unacceptable proportion will still relapse. Beyond trastuzumab, what is the next step for these HER2-positive breast cancers? This review first discusses the individual results of the five adjuvant trastuzumab studies in terms of efficacy and safety, highlighting their similarities and differences. It also evaluates the current status of trastuzumab as a result of these studies and explores the possible future direction for HER2-positive breast cancers in light of recent advances in translational oncology.