Intestinal microbiota mediate toxicity of irinotecan (CPT-11) cancer therapies and cause systemic infection after CPT-11-induced loss of barrier function. The intestinal microbiota and their functions are thus potential targets for treatment to mitigate CPT-11 toxicity. However, microbiota changes during CPT-11 therapy remain poorly described. This study analysed changes in intestinal microbiot...

Anal intraepithelial neoplasia (AIN) is a premalignant lesion of the anal mucosa that is a precursor to anal cancer. Although anal cancer is relatively uncommon, rates of this malignancy are steadily rising in the United States, and among certain high risk populations the incidence of anal cancer may exceed that of colon cancer. Risk factors for AIN and anal cancer consist of clinical factors a...

Interleukin-11 (IL-11) is a pleiotropic growth factor with a prominent effect on megakaryopoiesis and thrombopoiesis. The receptor for IL-11 is a heterodimer of the signal transduction unit gp130 and a specific receptor component, the alpha-chain (IL-11R alpha). Two genes potentially encode the IL-11R alpha: the IL11Ra and IL11Ra2 genes. The IL11Ra gene is widely expressed in hematopoietic and ...

Objectives: The Active Hexose Correlated Compound (AHCC), is produced from mushroom mycerium and rich in alpha glucans was administered to the cancer patients along with chemotherapy to see if it is having any beneficial effects on the final outcome in terms of reducing side effects of chemotherapy, maintaining the general condition and having effect on tumor control. Methods: Twenty five patie...

Book Reviews J.L. Meyer, J.M. Vaeth (eds.) Radiotherapy/Chemotherapy Interactions in Cancer Treatment Frontiers of Radiation Therapy and Oncology, vol. 26 Karger, Basel 1992. XII + 202 pp.; SFr. 198DM 237.-/$ 158.50 ISBN 3-8055-5493-1 The book is divided into two parts. In the first, comprising 4 articles, basic experimental results on the interactions of radiotherapy and chemotherapy are discu...

BACKGROUND This study was performed to evaluate the pharmacokinetics, bioequivalence, and feasibility of a combined oral formulation of 5-flurouracil (5-FU) and eniluracil (Glaxo Wellcome Inc., Research Triangle Park, North Carolina), an inactivator of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD). The rationale for developing a combined eniluracil/5-FU formulation oral dosing form is to simplify treat...

INTRODUCTION Hypercalcemia is mainly caused by bone resorption due to either secretion of cytokines including parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) or bone metastases. However, hypercalcemia may occur in patients with or without bone metastases. The present study aimed to describe the effect of chemotherapy treatment, regimens and doses on calcium levels among breast and lung cancer patie...

AIMS This study aimed to evaluate the role of pretreatment 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (18F-FDG-PET-CT) as a predictor of disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS) in locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LANPC) patients treated definitively with docetaxel-based induction chemotherapy followed by concurrent chemoradiation (CRT). MATERIALS AND METHODS ...

Recent evidence demonstrated CIN4 as a predictive marker of anthracycline benefit in early breast cancer. An analysis of the NCIC CTG MA.21 clinical trial was performed to test the role of existing CIN gene expression signatures as prognostic and predictive markers in the context of taxane based chemotherapy.RNA was extracted from patients in cyclophosphamide, epirubicin and flurouracil (CEF) a...

Advanced gastric carcinoma remains an incurable disease with a median survival of 6 to 9 months, and available therapeutic approaches are predominantly palliative. In small controlled trials, systemic chemotherapy has improved survival and quality of life of patients with advanced gastric carcinoma when compared with best supportive care. Patients with good performance status (Zubrod < or = 2),...