The regulator of G-protein signaling (RGS) pathway plays an important role in signaling transduction, cellular activities, and carcinogenesis. We hypothesized that genetic variations in RGS gene family may be associated with the response of late-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients to chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy. We selected 95 tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) i...

BACKGROUND Of patients with non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), around one third are locally advanced at the time of diagnosis. Because only a proprotion of stage III patients can be cured by surgery, in order to improve the outcomes, sequential or concurrent chemoradiation, or concurrent chemoradiation with induction or consolidation is offered to the patients with locally advanced NSCLC. Toda...

BACKGROUND To analyze the impact of weight loss before and during chemoradiation on survival outcomes in patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer. METHODS From 07/1994-07/2000 a total of 224 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck were randomized to either hyperfractionated radiation therapy alone or the same radiation therapy combined with two cycles of concomit...

According to the eighth edition of the tumor-node-metastasis classification, stage III non-small cell lung cancer is subdivided into stages IIIA, IIIB, and IIIC. They represent a heterogeneous group of bronchogenic carcinomas with locoregional involvement by extension of the primary tumor and/or ipsilateral or contralateral lymph node involvement. Surgical indications have not been definitely e...

Despite the available prevention and early detection strategies, squamous-cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix is still diagnosed as locally advanced disease in a considerable proportion of patients. As a potent sensitizer of cancer cells, cisplatin has been the "traditional partner" of external beam irradiation in this setting for more than two decades. Induction chemotherapy strategies follow...

BACKGROUND Treatment for advanced stage oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) includes combined chemoradiation therapy or surgery followed by radiation therapy alone or in combination with chemotherapy. The goal of this study was to utilize available evidence to examine survival outcome differences in patients with advanced stage OPSCC treated with these different modalities. METHODS ...

CONTEXT Gemcitabine and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) sensitize tumor cells to radiation. Furthermore, 5-FU enhances the cytotoxic effect of gemcitabine. OBJECTIVE We report the efficacy and the toxicity of concurrent chemoradiation with gemcitabine and 5-FU in the treatment of patients with locally advanced, unresectable pancreatic cancer. PATIENTS Thirty-two patients (20 men, 12 women; median age...

PURPOSE The combination of radiation with chemotherapy is the most effective therapy for unresectable pancreatic cancer. To improve upon this regimen, we combined the selective Checkpoint kinase 1 (Chk1) inhibitor MK8776 with gemcitabine-based chemoradiation in preclinical pancreatic cancer models. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN We tested the ability of MK8776 to sensitize to gemcitabine-radiation in ho...

BACKGROUND/AIM As therapy for locally advanced nonsmall cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) improves, brain metastases (BM) still remain a great problem. The aim of the study was to analyze risk factors for BM in patients with locally advanced NSCLC after chemoradiation therapy. METHODS Records for 150 patients with non-resectable stage IIIA/IIIB NSCLC treated with combined chemoradiation therapy wer...

Current practice guidelines recommend the combination of chemotherapy and thoracic radiation for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Previous meta-analyses have shown that concurrent chemoradiation (CCRT) may be superior to sequential chemoradiation (SCRT). However, few previous in vitro studies have analyzed these two treatment schedules. In the current study, four lung cancer...