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Paclitaxel-carboplatin is a feasible regimen for outpatients with ovarian cancer and has a better toxicity profile than paclitaxel-cisplatin.

The study failed to demonstrate superiority of any drug in terms of efficacy, but the vinorelbine combination had significantly fewer adverse effects and should be considered as an alternative first-line option.

GD compared with docetaxel demonstrated increased TTP in metastatic breast cancer. However, RR and OS were similar. Thus, the addition of gemcitabine failed to demonstrate any clinically meaningful benefit when combined with docetaxel.

2 AbstractPurpose: The prognosis of ipsilateral supraclavicular lymph node recurrence after early breast cancer appears to be worse than for other loco-regional recurrences, but better than for distant metastases. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between different types of salvage treatment and primary patient characteristics, treatment response, and survival after supraclavicular recurrence (SR) in a large patient population. Results: The median follow-up time for progression after SR was 25 months.Complete remission was 76% among patients receiving excision surgery, 67% with combined loco-regional and systemic therapy, and 48% with systemic therapy alone. Median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival was 18 and 29 months, respectively. The 5-year PFS probability was 15%. In univariate analysis, combination salvage therapy, negative nodal status, and low malignancy grade were related to longer PFS. In multivariate analysis, salvage therapy and malignancy grade remained independent factors for survival. Conclusions:The prognosis of SR is generally poor. However, it appears to be a curable condition. An independent marker of improved outcome is local and systemic combination salvage treatment, which can be considered.3

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Summary. Recent studies have demonstrated a high frequency of minor glomerular leakage of albumin in cancer patients. Pathogenic mechanisms of increased urinary albumin excretion (UAE) in malignancies remain to be clarified. We have attempted to identify whether microalbuminuria in lymphoma patients is associated with inflammatory mediators and the acute‐phase response. UAE, urinary excretion of β2‐microglobulin and IgG, and serum levels of interleukin 6 (IL‐6), tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF‐alpha) and C‐reactive protein (CRP) were determined in 113 patients with newly diagnosed non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma. We demonstrated a high frequency of microalbuminuria (≥ 20 μg/min) and UAE correlated strongly with serum levels of CRP, IL‐6 and TNF‐alpha. UAE, CRP, IL‐6 and TNF‐alpha were significantly higher in patients with advanced disease stage, B symptoms and in high‐risk patients according to the International Prognostic Index. Urinary excretion of β2‐microglobulin was unaffected in patients with increased UAE. However, UAE was significantly correlated with urinary excretion of IgG, suggesting an altered size selectivity of the glomerular filtration barrier. This is the first study that shows a direct correlation between microalbuminuria and proinflammatory cytokines in malignancies, indicating a pathogenic relationship between inflammation and glomerular leakage of albumin. Future efforts should focus on the pathophysiological cause–effect mechanisms and larger studies are needed to confirm the clinical significance of UAE.

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