Complementary and alternative therapies for neoplastic diseases treatment and prevention receive increasing attention from the medical community. Prostate cancer (PC) is the most frequently diagnosed malignancy and the second major cause of male death in industrialized countries. The chemopreventive properties and clinical safety of curcumin, a polyphenolic derivative, have already been established. However, curcumin regimen value in addition to conventional hormone refractory (HR) PC treatment remains largely unknown. This review article summarizes mechanisms by which curcumin may decrease HRPC aggressive proliferation and potentiate activity of taxane therapy. Our analysis suggests that curcumin alone has a therapeutic value in HRPC. In combination with a taxane agent, this compound may enhance cytotoxicity and retard PC cell resistance to taxane. As a consequence, a rationale is provided for considering the possible benefits of curcumin regimen in combination with taxane therapy in HRPC patients.

Although preliminary results suggest that allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo HCT) for ovarian cancer (OC) is a feasible procedure, the low patient number in previous studies had limited ability to evaluate the true benefit of allo HCT in OC. This retrospective multicenter study included 30 patients with OC allografted between 1995 and 2005 to determine the outcome of patients with OC treated with allo HCT. Prior to allo HCT, patients were in complete response (n 5 1), partial response (n 5 7), stable disease (n 5 11) or had progressive disease (n 5 13). An objective response (OR) was observed in 50% (95% CI, 33-67) of patients. Three patients of responding patients had an objective response following the development of acute graft-versus-host disease (aGvHD). The cumulative incidence of chronic GvHD (cGVHD) was 34% (95% CI, 18-50). Transplant relative mortality rates were 7 and 20% on day 100 and 1 year, respectively. With a median follow-up of 74.5 months (range 16-148), median progression free survival (PFS) was 6 months and median overall survival (OS) was 10.4 months. Patients who developed cGvHD following allo HCT had a significant OS improvement compared to those who did not (17.6 months vs. 6.5 months, p 5 0.042). However, PFS was not similarly significantly improved in patients who developed cGvHD (12 months versus 3.7 months, p 5 0.81). Allo HCT in OC may lead to graft-versus-OC effects. Their clinical relevance remains to be shown.Ovarian cancer (OC), the fifth-leading cause of death for women in the United States and Europe, is the most deadly of the gynecologic malignancies. 1 Current systemic therapy consists of a combination of carboplatin and paclitaxel. Even after extensive surgery and chemotherapy, up to 50% of patients suffer from relapsing disease. Median overall survival (OS) for patients after recurrence is $2 years. 2 To improve outcome, high-dose chemotherapy regimens have been tried usually based on carboplatin combinations. These appear to delay relapse but have no influence on OS. [3][4][5] Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo HCT) is an effective therapy for many hematological malignancies. The therapeutic benefit of allogeneic transplantation relies not only on high-dose chemotherapy administered before transplantation but also is largely related to an immune-mediated graft-versus-leukemia effect, due to transplantation of the donor's immune system along with the hematopoietic tissue. Recent data from experimental animal models and from preliminary clinical experience suggest that a graft-versus-tumor effect, analogous to the graft-versusleukemia effect, may be generated against solid tumors such as renal cell cancer, breast cancer and OC. 6 Regarding OC, immunotherapy agents such as systemic or intraperitoneal interleukin-2 7-9 and adoptive transfer of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes 10 have been used with success, testifying to the

Purpose: Objective was to assess indication, feasibility and efficacy of double allograft with reduced intensity conditioning. Patients and Methods: All double allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) after reduced intensity regimen reported to Promise database were retrospectively studied. Because of the initial lack of clinical and biological data in the Registry, all centers were contacted to improve the database. Results: 66 double mini-allografts were realized in 25 french transplant centers. At this time, 35 mini-allografts presented complete informations corresponding to 14 transplant centers. Diagnosis was LAM (n=15), aplasic anemia (n=5), MDS and/or MPS (n=5), LAL (n=2), Myeloma (n=2), ovarian cancer (n=1), LNH (n=2), LLC (n=1), LMC (n=1) and Hodgkin lymphoma (n=1). Median age at first transplantation was 49.3 years [12.75–64.9] with a median time from diagnosis to first transplant of 22.9 months [3.6–163.7]. Disease status before transplant was progression (n=5), partial response (n=3), complete response (n=18), induction failure (n=2) and chronic phase (n=2). The 5 aplasic anemias were not evaluable for this status. Most patients received fludarabine (n=31), SAL (n=22), busulfan (n=15) based regimen. Graft source was PBSC in 74% of grafts. Median age of donor was 42 years [4–68]. HLA relation of donor with patient was identical sibling (n=22), match unrelated (n=10) or mismatch unrelated (n=3). Second allograft indication was relapse (n=22), lost of graft (n=7), no engraftment (n=5) or residual disease (n=1). Eihgty percents of patients underwent a different conditioning. It was similar for only 7 patients (same n=1, increase SAL dose n=1, SAL addition n=2, dose reduction n=1). Median time between the two allografts was of 7.6 month [1.1–61.0]. Source of stem cells and donor were changed in 13.6% and 37% of allograft respectively. The median time to reach an absolute neutrophil count of 0.5 × 109/l and platelet count of 50 × 109/l was shorter after second allograft (21.4 days [12.4–759.5] versus 16.8 days [6.2–105.4] and 16.3 days [9.3– 71.3] versus 14.26 [3.1–83.7]) with no significant difference. Overall incidence of acute GvH was similar after the two allografts (34% versus 43%). However, acute GvH grade III–IV proportion seems to be higher after second allograft (8% versus 40%). Similarly, proportion of chronic GvH was 23% versus 27% with an increase of extensive GvH after second allograft (50% versus 66%). Response was improved by second allograft in five patients (15%) and allowed to engraftment in 3 patients (7%). To date, 8 patients are still alive. 14 patients died from progression and 11 of TRM (3 multiple organ failure, 5 respiratory failure, 2 fungal infection and 1 rejection) giving a TRM proportion of 31%. With a median follow-up of 57.1 months [21.9–128.8], the median overall survival (OS) was of 24 months [2–71]. Delay greater than 7.7 months and same source of stem cell between two mini-allografts improved OS (50 months versus 9 months, p = 0.0085 and 28 months versus 14 months, p=0.11). Conclusions: Our preliminary results suggests response improvement after double AHSCT with reduced conditioning. However, TRM proportion was high.

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