Publications (96) View all
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Article: Sjögren's syndrome and aromatase inhibitors treatment: is there a link?
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ABSTRACT: -Clinical and experimental rheumatology 04/2013; · 2.15 Impact Factor -
Article: CEA and CA19.9 as early predictors of progression in advanced/metastatic colorectal cancer patients receiving oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy and bevacizumab.
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ABSTRACT: We evaluated the changes of the tumor markers CEA and CA19.9 as early predictors of progression in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients participating in a clinical study and receiving chemotherapy and bevacizumab (Bev). Seventy-two patients had high baseline CEA or CA19.9 serum levels. By ROC analyses, the areas under the curves were 0.83 for variable CEA cutoff values for distinguishing progressive disease (PD) versus stable disease (SD)/partial remission (PR)/complete remission (CR), and 0.80 for variable CA19.9 cutoff values for distinguishing PD versus SD/PR/CR. Rises in CEA and CA19.9 may early signal the occurrence of progression in mCRC patients receiving chemotherapy and Bev.Cancer Investigation 01/2012; 30(1):65-71. · 1.85 Impact Factor -
Article: Dose/dense metronomic chemotherapy with fractioned cisplatin and oral daily etoposide enhances the anti-angiogenic effects of bevacizumab and has strong antitumor activity in advanced non-small-cell-lung cancer patients.
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ABSTRACT: We designed a translational clinical trial to investigate whether a dose/dense chemotherapy regimen is able to enhance in patients with non-small-cell-lung-cancer (NSCLC) the anti-angiogenic effects of bevacizumab, a murine/human monoclonal antibody to the vasculo-endothelial-growth-factor (VEGF). We also evaluated the antitumor activity of this combination. The combined treatment induced a significant decline in the blood-perfusion of primary tumor (NMR-study); in serum levels of VEGF, angiopoietin-1, thrombospondin-1; and in the number of VEGF-transporting cells. In the group of 40 patients who received bevacizumab an objective response and a disease stabilization rate of 77.5% (95% CI, 75.63-93.17) and 15%, respectively, were recorded with a time to progression of 7.6 mo. Grade I-II hematological toxicity was the most common adverse event. Four early deaths within 3 mo, three cases of pneumonia, and six cases of mood depression at higher bevacizumab dosage were observed. The most active biological and maximum tolerated dose were 5 and 7.5 mg/kg, respectively. Forty-eight patients (42 males and six females) with stage III B/IV NSCLC, a mean age of 68 y, and ECOG <or=2 were enrolled in the study. They received every 3 w fractioned cisplatinum (30 mg/sqm, days 1-3) and oral etoposide (50 mg, days 1-15) and were divided in five cohorts receiving different bevacizumab dosages (0; 2.5; 5; 7.5; and 10 mg/kg) on day 3. The combination of bevacizumab with a dose/dense chemotherapy regimen resulted moderately safe but showed significant anti-angiogenic and antitumor activity.Cancer biology & therapy 05/2010; 9(9):685-93. · 2.64 Impact Factor -
Article: Regulatory (FoxP3+) T-cell tumor infiltration is a favorable prognostic factor in advanced colon cancer patients undergoing chemo or chemoimmunotherapy.
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ABSTRACT: Antitumor immune response and chemotherapy-induced immunomodulation in colon cancer patients represented the rationale to design new strategies, like GOLFIG chemoimmunotherapy (gemcitabine, oxaliplatin, 5-fluorouracil/folinic acid, granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor, and aldesleukine), that resulted a safe and very active regimen. Antitumor activity and immunity feedback to GOLFIG were strictly correlated with the best outcome observed in patients with autoimmunity signs, increase of central memory T cells, and decrease of regulatory T cells (Treg) in the peripheral blood. We thus investigated a potential correlation between the Treg tumor infiltration at diagnosis and the clinical outcome in a current randomized phase 3 trial aimed to compare the GOLFIG regimen with the standard FOLFOX chemotherapy (GOLFIG-2). An immunohistochemistry study was carried out to quantify the infiltration of Treg/FoxP3+ T lymphocytes in tumor samples of 57 patients enrolled in the GOLFIG-2 trial. Treg tumor infiltration scores were correlated with overall survival, treatment-relative survival, and progression-free survival (PFS). Higher Treg tumor infiltration scores were associated with a better prognosis in the whole series (Treg high score vs. low score: overall survival=mean 43.2 mo vs. 28.6 mo, P=0.0005) and a better outcome after treatment (Treg high score vs. low score: PFS=mean 15.8 mo vs. 8.8 mo, P=0.0009; treatment-relative survival=mean 23.1 mo vs. 18.2 mo, P=0.004). PFS was significantly longer in GOLFIG high versus all other subgroups (mean 18.1 mo vs. 9.9 mo, P=0.01). Our results suggest that a higher FoxP3+ T-lymphocyte tumor infiltration score is a favorable prognostic factor in colon cancer patients undergoing chemo or chemoimmunotherapy.Journal of immunotherapy (Hagerstown, Md.: 1997) 04/2010; 33(4):435-41. · 3.20 Impact Factor -
Article: Thymidine phosphorylase expression in metastatic sites is predictive for response in patients with colorectal cancer treated with continuous oral capecitabine and biweekly oxaliplatin.
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ABSTRACT: The primary objective of this study was to determine the activity and safety profile of biweekly oxaliplatin combined with continuous oral capecitabine in the first-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer. A secondary endpoint was to investigate the correlation between thymidylate synthase and thymidine phosphorylase (TP) expression in metastatic tissues and tumor response. Forty-one patients received oral capecitabine 1331 mg/m every day combined with intravenous oxaliplatin 85 mg/m every 2 weeks. The overall response rate was 58.5% [95% confidence interval (CI): 43.3-73.6%], the median progression-free survival 9.4 months (95% CI: 7.7-11.2 months) and the median survival 22.3 months (95% CI: 16.1-27.5 months). There were no grade 4 toxicities, and grade 3 toxicity was also uncommon. High TP expression in metastatic tissue was significantly associated with response to treatment (P=0.019), and also with a trend towards a better median progression-free survival and overall survival compared with patients expressing low TP (P=0.056; P=0.073). This study suggests that biweekly oxaliplatin and continuous oral capecitabine is an active and well-tolerated chemotherapy regimen in the first-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer. Moreover, these findings add to a growing body of evidence that patients with high levels of intratumoral TP expression are the ideal candidates for capecitabine-based chemotherapy.Anti-cancer drugs 12/2009; 21(3):313-9. · 2.23 Impact Factor
