Seminars in oncology
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Seminars in oncology · Feb 1999
ReviewA review of the efficacy and safety of docetaxel as monotherapy in metastatic breast cancer.
To date, although statistically significant, the overall impact of adjuvant chemotherapy on the survival of women with nonmetastatic breast cancer has been disappointing. Hence, new agents that have shown good activity against metastatic disease should be assessed quickly in the adjuvant setting. Docetaxel (Taxotere; Rhône-Poulenc Rorer, Antony, France) is one of the most promising drugs that has emerged in recent years, with phase II studies in previously untreated metastatic breast cancer indicating a high overall response rate of approximately 60%. ⋯ The high activity of docetaxel provides a compelling rationale for its study as a component of adjuvant therapies. Investigators in Brussels and Dublin have recently demonstrated the feasibility of two candidate adjuvant programs. Large phase II adjuvant trials involving docetaxel are now being assessed.
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Seminars in oncology · Feb 1999
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical TrialA phase III study of irinotecan (CPT-11) versus best supportive care in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who have failed 5-fluorouracil therapy. V301 Study Group.
In a prospective multicenter trial, 279 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who had failed 5-fluorouracil therapy were randomized 2:1 to receive either best supportive care (BSC) plus treatment with the topoisomerase I inhibitor, irinotecan (CPT-11; Rhône-Poulenc Rorer, Antony, France), at a dose of 350 mg/m2 every 3 weeks or BSC alone. Overall survival, the primary end point of the study, was significantly improved in patients receiving the irinotecan treatment. Only 14% of patients receiving BSC alone were alive at 1 year compared with 36% in the irinotecan group. ⋯ Appreciable deterioration in global quality of life (50% reduction from baseline) occurred significantly later in the irinotecan-treated patients than in the controls. Additionally, quality of life analyses of all symptoms, except diarrhea, mean scores were significantly in favor of patients assigned to irinotecan treatment than those assigned to BSC. This is the first time that the benefit of second-line chemotherapy has been demonstrated by a randomized controlled trial in advanced colorectal cancer.
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Seminars in oncology · Feb 1999
ReviewIncorporation of paclitaxel and carboplatin in combined-modality therapy for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer.
Combined chemotherapy and thoracic radiation therapy has emerged as a primary treatment option for locally advanced, unresectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Randomized trials and subsequent metaanalyses have shown a clear survival benefit with platinum-based combination chemotherapy administered sequentially or concurrently with hyperfractionated thoracic radiation over radiation alone. Paclitaxel (Taxol; Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, NJ) and carboplatin recently have been evaluated in numerous phase 1/11 trials at various doses in both sequential and concurrent schedules with thoracic radiation in patients with locally advanced and unresectable NSCLC. ⋯ Numerous phase II and III trials are currently planned or under way to further define the efficacy of this novel combination of paclitaxel/carboplatin in combined-modality programs in an attempt to determine the optimal administration sequence of chemotherapy and thoracic radiation. These combined-modality programs are now being integrated into trials for early stage, potentially resectable disease. Thus, NSCLC is in fact a systemic disease requiring a multidisciplinary approach for optimal management.
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Seminars in oncology · Feb 1999
ReviewComparing irinotecan with best supportive care and infusional 5-fluorouracil: a critical evaluation of the results of two randomized phase III trials.
Two randomized phase III trials have been conducted in colorectal cancer patients with nonbulky metastatic disease who have failed first-line therapy with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). In one trial, the use of 350 mg/m2 irinotecan was shown to significantly prolong survival relative to best supportive care. Patients receiving irinotecan also experienced higher quality of life than the controls. ⋯ The results of these trials have implications for everyday clinical practice. When appropriate, irinotecan should be offered to patients who have failed 5-FU. Irinotecan should be the reference arm for future studies of investigational second-line drugs; the potential of irinotecan (alone or in combination) in the first-line and adjuvant treatment of colorectal cancer now needs to be evaluated.
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Seminars in oncology · Feb 1999
ReviewReview of paclitaxel/carboplatin in advanced non-small cell lung cancer.
The management of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has advanced in the last two decades. The greatest benefit has been achieved with the development of newer chemotherapeutic agents with single-agent response rates > or =20%. Recent research has focused on adding these newer agents to established drugs for NSCLC, like cisplatin and carboplatin, yielding notable improvement in response and survival rates. ⋯ Phase III trials are under way to establish the specific role of this regimen in NSCLC. The success of this combination also is being expanded through studies investigating its combination in triplets with newer agents, with follow-up therapy via sequential regimens, and by the addition of biologically based treatments. The results of these trials will determine the preferred treatment approach to NSCLC for the next decade.