No abstract

Switching to anastrozole after the first 2 to 3 years of treatment is well tolerated and significantly improves event-free and recurrence-free survival in postmenopausal patients with early breast cancer.

No abstract

Introduction: The HER2/neu proto-oncogene encodes a transmembrane receptor protein involved in the development and progression of the majority of cancers. Prior studies have shown that HER2/neu oncogene is overexpressed in approximately 15–30% of ovarian carcinomas. However findings regarding the overexpression and prognosis are still conflicting. Methods: Our retrospective study was performed on 194 ovarian carcinoma tissues obtained at the time of first surgery. The staining procedure for HER2/neu overexpression was performed using a polyclonal antibody. Results: HER2/neu overexpression was found in 53 out of 194 (27.3%) investigated cases of which 26 (13.4%) carcinomas were weakly positive (score 1+) and 27 (13.9%) moderately (score 2+) to intensely positive (score 3+). No significant relationship was found between HER2/neu score and main clinical and pathological features. Significant difference in overall survival was evident between negative women (0/1+) and positive women (2+/3+): 48 and 29 months, respectively (p = 0.04). In multivariate analysis HER2/neu overexpression appeared to be the only variable significantly correlated with progression and death. CA125 normalization at 3 and 6 months appeared a strong predictor of progression and survival. Conclusion: In this study HER2/neu overexpression was associated with an increased risk of progression and death, especially among women with FIGO Stage I and II ovarian carcinoma.

Using proteomic analysis of the nuclear matrix (NM), we found that heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K (hnRNP K), a member of the hnRNP family with pleiotropic functions, was differentially expressed in prostate cancer (PCa) tissues. This study aimed to characterise the expression of hnRNP K and its subcellular localisation in PCa, utilising immunohistochemical and quantitative western blot techniques. Furthermore, the hnRNP K expression was studied in human PCa cell lines in order to determine its modulation by bicalutamide, the anti-androgen widely used in PCa therapy. Immunohistochemical staining of paraffinembedded tissues showed that hnRNP K was overexpressed in PCa, where it was localised both in the cytoplasm and in the nucleus. Staining of non-tumour tissues showed exclusively nuclear localisation and a less intense or absent signal. Immunoblot analysis demonstrated that the hnRNP K level within the NM was higher in PCa compared with non-tumour tissues and closely correlated with Gleason score (P ¼ 0.008). Higher expression within the NM was significantly (P ¼ 0.032) associated with poor prognosis. In two-dimensional western blot analysis hnRNP K presented several isoforms; the one with pI 5.1 was the most differently expressed between non-tumour and PCa tissues. Preliminary results indicate that hnRNP K can be modulated in vitro by a non-steroidal antiandrogen. Taken together, our findings suggest that hnRNP K has potential implications at the diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic levels in PCa.

PURPOSE The aim of this multicenter randomized study was to compare conventional therapy with conventional plus high-dose therapy (HDT) and autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT) as front-line treatment for poor-prognosis non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). PATIENTS AND METHODS Between October 1991 and June 1995, 124 patients, aged 15 to 60 years, with diffuse intermediate- to high-grade NHL (Working Formulation criteria), stages II bulky (> or = 10 cm), III, or IV were enrolled. Sixty-one patients were randomized to receive etoposide, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, prednisone, and bleomycin (VACOP-B) for 12 weeks and cisplatin, cytarabine, and dexamethasone (DHAP) as a salvage regimen (arm A), and 63 to receive VACOP-B for 12 weeks plus HDT and ABMT (Arm B). RESULTS There was no significant difference in terms of complete remissions (CRS) in the two groups: 75% in arm A, and 73% in arm B. The median follow-up observation time was 42 months. The 6-year survival probability was 65% in both arms. There was no difference in disease-free survival (DFS) or progression-free survival (PFS) between the two groups. DFS was 60% and 80% (P = .1) and PFS was 48% and 60% (P = .4) for arms A and B, respectively. Procedure feasibility was the major problem. In arm B, 29% of enrolled patients did not undergo HDT and ABMT. A statistical improvement in terms of DFS (P = .008) and a favorable trend in terms of PFS (P = .08) for intermediate-/high- plus high-risk group patients assigned to HDT and ABMT was observed. CONCLUSION In this study, conventional chemotherapy followed by HDT and ABMT as front-line therapy seems no more successful than conventional treatment in terms of overall results. However, our results suggest that controlled studies of HDT plus ABMT should be proposed for higher risk patients.

No abstract

Anastrozole did not significantly reduce the incidence of bicalutamide-induced gynecomastia and breast pain. In contrast, tamoxifen was effective, without increasing adverse events, at least in the short-term follow-up. These data support the need for a larger study to determine any effect on mortality.