Cancer Treatment Today

Because irinotecan penetrates the brain-blood barrier and has an effect in primary brain cancer, there is some interest in using it for brain metastasis, especially for lung cancer and breast cancer. Most studies of irinotecan had been for brain mets of small(SCLC) and non-small cell lung cancer(NSMCLC) and not breast cancer and have had mixed results. One study reported complete responses with irinotecan-based chemotherapy for brain metastases in

Lay Summary: Adjuvant chemotherapy is now standard for lung cancer. There is evidence to recommend platinum-based chemotherapy regimens as post-operative adjuvant therapy in the management of patients with completely resected stage II and IIIA NSCLC. Cisplatin-based treatment is preferred, although a carboplatin-based regimen can be used as an alternative if there is a contraindication to cisplatin. There is uncertainty about a benefit to patients

Lay Summary: Treating with new chemo drugs after first attempt at chemo fails in non-small cell lung cancer is supported by credible evidence.   Two randomized clinical trials have been reported that addressed the issue of second-line treatment in patients with advanced NSCLC that progresses after they have received first-line platinum-based chemotherapy. Both trials used docetaxel because this agent had shown significant activity in this patient

Palliative chemotherapy for metastatic lung cancer is now standard. Platinum-based combinations were the first regimens to convincingly have an impact on survival and have been the standard of care in NSCLC. A European study showed that gemcitabine/cisplatin was essentiall equivalent to paclitaxel and a platin and the former became standard in Europe whereas the latter is most often used in the USA. More recently Avastin has been shown to add to

Treating with new chemo drugs after first attempt at chemo fails in non-small cell lung cancer is supported by credible evidence. I will discuss second line chemoing. Two randomized clinical trials have been reported that addressed the issue of second-line treatment in patients with advanced NSCLC that progresses after they have received first-line platinum-based chemotherapy. Both trials used docetaxel because this agent had shown significant activity

Tarceva  is FDA approved after standard chemo has failed. It is being studied for first line therapy of lung cancer instead of chemotherapy. This drug has been studied primarily in stage IV, when it has spread but recently it has been also studied, for maintenance, once treatment with chemotherapy had stopped. Studies, such as the Saturn trial,  have been encouraging for maintenance and suggest prolongation of PFS but not overall survival. On April

After encouraging initial reports, a phase III trial found a combination of Avastin and Tarceva did not extend lung cancer patients' survival, Roche Holding AG and Genentech was cited by Reuters as saying on Tuesday October 7, 2008. The trial included 120 patients. One group was treated with standard chemotherapy consisting of Taxotere® (docetaxel) plus Alimta® (pemetrexed), a second group was treated with Taxotere/Alimta/Avastin, and the third