No abstract

Although patupilone has not demonstrated superiority over pegylated liposomal doxorubicin in a large Phase III trial in relapsed or refractory ovarian cancer, its evaluation is continuing in a range of other malignancies, especially in primary or secondary tumors of the CNS.

No abstract

Oesophageal cancer is the eighth most common cancer diagnosed worldwide, with almost half a million new cases diagnosed each year. Despite improvements in surgical and radiotherapy techniques and refinements of chemotherapeutic regimens, long-term survival, even from localized oesophageal cancer, remains poor. Surgical resection alone remains the standard approach for very early stage disease (stage I), but whilst surgery remains fundamental to the treatment of stage II-III resectable adenocarcinoma, multimodality therapy with chemotherapy or chemoradiation (CRT) is internationally accepted as the standard of care. Data from two large, randomized phase III trials support the use of perioperative combination chemotherapy in lower oesophageal and oesophagogastric junction adenocarcinomas, but the contribution of the adjuvant therapy is uncertain. There are conflicting data from randomized studies of a purely neoadjuvant approach; however, recent meta-analyses have demonstrated that chemotherapy or CRT given prior to radical surgery improves survival in patients with adenocarcinoma of the oesophagus. Neoadjuvant CRT but not chemotherapy alone is also beneficial for patients with squamous cell carcinoma. Definitive CRT has emerged as a useful option for the treatment of resectable squamous cell carcinoma of the oesophagus, avoiding potential surgical morbidity and mortality for most patients, with salvage surgery reserved for those with persistent disease. In this review, we focus on the pharmacotherapy of resectable oesophageal and oesophagogastric junction cancers and how clinical trials and meta-analyses inform current clinical practice.

Even though the blood coagulation pathway may be activated in more aggressive disease related to an elevated CTC count, in this study, we did not find any association between CTCs and plasma concentrations of tPA.

ANXA2 stromal expression might play a key role in aggressive tumor phenotype associated with increased EMT CTCs release, however, other factors beyond ANXA2 are responsible for coagulation activation mediated by CTCs in breast cancer patients.

Východiska: Syndróm hornej dutej žily (superior vena cava obstruction-SVCO) je spôsobený obštrukciou prietoku v hornej dutej žile. V súčasnosti najčastejšou príčinou je karcinóm pľúc alebo iná malignita rastúca expanzívne v hornom mediastine. SVCO je jeden z urgentných stavov u onkologických pacientov a vyžaduje neodkladnú dia gnostiku a liečbu. Prípad 1: Sedemdesiat deváť ročného pacienta s nemalobunkovým karcinómom pľúc vpravo, IIIB štádium, po dvoch cykloch chemoterapie sme prijali k hospitalizácii pre klinické známky SVCO. U pacienta sme indikovali urgentnú rádioterapiu na oblasť tumoru. Pre progredujúci klinický stav počas rádioterapie sme pristúpili k implantácii samoexpanzibilného stentu do hornej dutej žily s rýchlym ústupom klinických ťažkostí. Prípad 2: V druhom prípade ide o 56ročnú pacientku s novodia gnostikovaným difúznym veľkobunkovým B lymfómom vo IV. štádiu s postihnutím mediastina. Pacientka bola s klinickými známkami SVCO privezená na našu chemoterapeutickú ambulanciu ešte pred zahájením onkologickej liečby. Pacientka udávala rozvoj opuchu viečok, tváre a úporného kašľa v priebehu dvoch dní. CT vyšetrenie ukázalo tumor mediastina s kompresiou vena cava superior. U pacientky bola indikovaná urgentná chemoterapia v schéme R-CHOP, ktorá viedla k rýchlemu vymiznutiu príznakov SVCO. Záver: Syndróm hornej dutej žily je urgentný stav u onkologických pacientov spôsobený externým útlakom hornej dutej žily najčastejšie pľúcnym karcinómom, lymfómom alebo, zriedkavejšie, trombózou centrálneho venózneho katétra. Stav vyžaduje promptnú liečbu a multidisciplinárnu spoluprácu medzi radiačnými a klinickými onkológmi a intervenčnými rádiológmi. Kľúčové slová syndróm hornej dutej žily-karcinóm pľúc nemalobunkový-lymfom B bunkový-rádioterapia-chemoterapia nádorov-stenty Summary Background: Superior vena cava syndrome (SVCO) is caused by compression of superior vena cava and restriction of blood flow to the heart. The most common underlying condition in cancer patients is lung cancer or other malignancy expanding in the upper mediastinum. SVCO belongs to oncological emergencies and requires a prompt dia gnostic work up and treatment. Case 1: A 79year old man with a history of right sided stage IIIB nonsmall cell lung cancer, after two cycles of chemotherapy, was admitted to hospital with clinical signs of SVCO. The initial radiotherapy brought no relief of symptoms and due to deterioration of patient's status during the treatment we proceeded to self expanding caval stent insertion. This was followed by immediate resolution of SVCO symptoms. Case 2: In the second case we describe a 56year old female with a newly dia gnosed diffuse large B cell lymphoma who presented with SVCO symptoms when referred to our outpatient chemotherapy department. She had no history of previous treatment and she complained of a rapid face and eyelid edema and intractable cough in the last two days. CT scan revealed mediastinal mass compressing the superior vena cava. Urgent antilymphoma chemotherapy (RCHOP schedule) was commenced and yiel...

Východiská: Paraneoplastické syndrómy často predchádzajú dia gnózu malignity. Ich včasná dia gnostika môže viesť ku skorému rozpoznaniu okultného karcinómu ešte v kuratívnon štádiu. Diferenciálna dia gnostika zriedkavej paraneoplastickej vaskulitídy vyžaduje multidisciplinárnu spoluprácu medzi internistami-reumatológmi, rádiodia gnostikmi a onkológmi. Prípad: 41-ročná pacientka s karcinómom cervixu uteru IVB štádium (paraaortálna lymfadenopatia) s klinickými i rádiologickými známkami akútnej vaskulitídy bola prijatá na naše oddelenie k onkologickej liečbe. Začalo sa s chemorádioterapiou, súčasne bola podávaná kortikoterapia. Počas liečby sme pozorovali zmiernenie príznakov vaskulitídy. Pri ďalších dispenzárnych kontrolách sa stav pacientky viac nezlepšoval, čo nás viedlo k podozreniu relapsu malígneho ochorenia, ktoré sa potvrdilo CT vyšetrením. Zahájená paliatívna chemoterapia však nepriniesla očakávaný efekt a kvôli zhoršujúcemu sa výkonnostnému stavu bola ukončená. Záver: Aktivita vaskulitídy bola u našej pacientky pomerne úzko spojená s aktivitou malígneho ochorenia. Rozpoznanie paraneoplastického syndrómu má význam nielen v dia gnostike malignity, ale aj počas dispenzárnych kontrol. Kľúčová slová karcinóm krčka maternice-paraneoplastický syndróm-vaskulitída-angiografi a Summary Background: Paraneoplastic syndromes precede the dia gnosis of malignancy. Early detection of paraneoplastic syndrome may lead to detection of malignancy in its early and potencially curable stage. Diff erential dia gnostic process of rare paraneoplastic vasculitis requires multidisciplinar cooperation between rheumatologists, radiologists and oncologists. Case: 41-year-old female patient with cervical cancer in stage IVB (paraaortic lymphadenopathy) and clinical symptoms of acute vasculitis was admitted to our ward for oncological treatment. Chemoradiotheraphy was initiated concurently with corticotherapy. During the treatment we observed alleviation of vasculitis-related symptoms. Ongoing follow-up, however, brought no further improvement in vasculitis-related symptoms. This lead us to suspiction of recurrence, confi rmed on CT scan. Paliative chemotherapy was without any eff ect and due to worsening performance status was terminated. Conclusion: The activity of vasculitis was closely associated with the activity of primary malignant disease. Early recognition of paraneoplastic syndrome may contribute not only to dia gnosis of malignancy, but is helpfull during follow-up of these patients.