Seminars in oncology
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Although rare, cardiotoxicity is a significant complication of cancer treatment. The incidence and severity of cardiotoxicity are dependent on the type of drugs used, dose and schedule employed, and age of patients, as well as the presence of coexisting cardiac diseases and previous mediastinal irradiation. Anthracyclines are among one of the most active agents in oncology, but their use is often hampered by their cumulative dose-limiting cardiotoxicity. ⋯ Existing methods of minimizing cardiotoxicity include the use of protective agents such as dexrazoxane, different preparations of anthracyclines such as liposomal formulations, and alternative scheduling techniques. Assessment of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) with two-dimensional (2D)-echocardiography or radionuclide ventriculography (RNVG) remains the most pragmatic means of monitoring for cardiotoxicity. The increasing number of long-term survivors of pediatric cancers, as well as the use of trastuzumab, taxanes, and anthracyclines in adjuvant treatment of breast cancer, means that more than ever, cardiotoxicity will remain an important issue for clinicians.
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Seminars in oncology · Feb 2006
ReviewDiagnosis, management, and evaluation of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.
Peripheral neuropathy induced by cancer chemotherapy represents a large unmet need for patients due to the absence of treatment that can prevent or mitigate this common clinical problem. Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) diagnosis and management is further compounded by the lack of reliable and standardized means to diagnose and monitor patients who are at risk for, or who are symptomatic from, this complication of treatment. ⋯ The incidence and severity of CIPN is commonly under-reported by physicians as compared with patients. The development of new and reliable methods for the assessment of CIPN as well as safe and effective treatments to prevent this complication of treatment would represent important medical advancements for cancer patients.
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Despite slow clinical progress, efforts to develop specific nontoxic cancer gene therapies are increasing exponentially. Adenoviral vectors are one of the most popular vehicles for gene transfer currently being used in worldwide clinical trials for cancer. ⋯ In addition, novel approaches to tumor killing have also been explored, which will have greater potency and selectivity than currently available treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation. This review discusses the basic concepts behind the use of adenoviral vectors for cancer gene therapy and their potential for clinical application, as well as ongoing and completed clinical trials.
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Seminars in oncology · Dec 2005
ReviewFront-line therapy for advanced colorectal cancer: emphasis on chemotherapy.
For four decades, 5-fluorouracil was the only option available for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. It provided a response rate of 15% to 20%, with a median survival of approximately 1 year. ⋯ Use of two to three lines of combination therapies has raised the median survival to almost 2 years. New and promising targeted and cytotoxic therapies are currently being studied and will ideally continue to extend the median survival as well as improve the quality of life of patients with colorectal cancer.