1,721,039 research outputs found

    Early onset of hypertension and serum electrolyte changes as potential predictive factors of activity in advanced hcc patients treated with sorafenib: Results from a retrospective analysis of the HCC-AVR group

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    Hypertension (HTN) is frequently associated with the use of angiogenesis inhibitors targeting the vascular endothelial growth factor pathway and appears to be a generalized effect of this class of agent. We investigated the phenomenon in 61 patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) receiving sorafenib. Blood pressure and plasma electrolytes were measured on days 1 and 15 of the treatment. Patients with sorafenib-induced HTN had a better outcome than those without HTN (disease control rate: 63.4% vs. 17.2% (p=0.001); progression-free survival 6.0 months (95% CI 3.2-10.1) vs. 2.5 months (95% CI 1.9-2.6) (p<0.001) and overall survival 14.6 months (95% CI9.7-19.0) vs. 3.9 months (95% CI 3.1-8.7) (p=0.003). Sodium levels were generally higher on day 15 than at baseline (+2.38, p<0.0001) in the group of responders (+4.95, p <0.0001) compared to patients who progressed (PD) (+0.28, p=0.607). In contrast, potassium was lower on day 14 (-0.30, p=0.0008) in the responder group (-0.58, p=0.003) than in those with progressive disease (-0.06, p=0.500). The early onset of hypertension is associated with improved clinical outcome in HCC patients treated with sorafenib. Our data are suggestive of an activation of the renin-angiotensin system in patients with advanced disease who developed HTN during sorafenib treatment

    Panitumumab for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer: A review

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    In recent years, the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) has evolved significantly with the increase of new therapeutic options, leading to an improved median survival for these patients. In particular, the identification of molecular targets in tumor cells has led to the introduction of biological drugs for the treatment of mCRC. Panitumumab is a fully human monoclonal antibody that binds the EGF receptor of tumor cells and inhibits downstream cell signaling with antitumor effect on inhibition of tumor growth. Its use has been approved by randomized clinical trials as monotherapy in chemorefractory patients or combined with chemotherapy in the treatment of RAS wild-type mCRC, where it demonstrated a significant improvement in survival and response rate. The purpose of this review is to analyze the use and efficacy profile of panitumumab, particularly focusing on recently reported data on its use, and future perspectives in patients with mCRC

    Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis

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    The present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed

    Trattamento del carcinoma del pancreas. Attualità e prospettive

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    Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is still one of the deadliest solid malignancies, with an extremely poor prognosis, with a 1-year survival rate of approximately 20%. Low survival rates of PDAC mainly derive from late diagnosis, with only a minority of patients amenable to surgery, as well as high rates of relapse and lack of effective treatments for advanced disease stages. As a result, there is an urgent need for the development of new effective therapies. At present, the greatest step towards an improvement of treatment has been made with the introduction of two combination chemotherapy regimens, namely FOLFIRINOX (folinic acid, 5-fluorouracil, irinotecan and oxaliplatin) and gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel. However, current research is also taking a multidirectional approach aiming at developing new treatment options, such as the use of agents targeting the oncogenic network signaling of KRAS or the extracellular matrix, as well as immune therapies

    Variations on the Author

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    “Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship

    The "angiogenetic ladder", step-wise angiogenesis inhibition in metastatic colorectal cancer

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    The number of anti-angiogenic drugs who demonstrated activity in metastatic colorectal cancer patients is arising but there is still much debate on which is the optimal use of this class of agents, with particular emphasis given on when (meant as in which line of treatment) and how (meant as in duration of treatment). We sampled the data of randomised phase II-III trials employing this type of drugs, with particular emphasis on trying to "highlight" situations where anti-angiogenetic treatment could provide most benefit. The review displays all relevant clinical data regarding the use of anti-angiogenic drugs in metastatic colorectal cancer and comments on potential implications of these trials in everyday clinical practice
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