Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 122 in total

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  1. Cheng AL, Li J, Vaid AK, Ma BB, Teh C, Ahn JB, et al.
    Clin Colorectal Cancer, 2014 Sep;13(3):145-55.
    PMID: 25209093 DOI: 10.1016/j.clcc.2014.06.004
    Colorectal cancer (CRC) is among the most common cancers worldwide, but marked epidemiological differences exist between Asian and non-Asian populations. Hence, a consensus meeting was held in Hong Kong in December 2012 to develop Asia-specific guidelines for the management of metastatic CRC (mCRC). A multidisciplinary expert panel, consisting of 23 participants from 10 Asian and 2 European countries, discussed current guidelines for colon or rectal cancer and developed recommendations for adapting these guidelines to Asian clinical practice. Participants agreed that mCRC management in Asia largely follows international guidelines, but they proposed a number of recommendations based on regional 'real-world' experience. In general, participants agreed that 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) infusion regimens in doublets can be substituted with UFT (capecitabine, tegafur-uracil) and S1 (tegafur, 5-chloro-2,4-dihydroxypyridine and oxonic acid), and that the monoclonal antibodies cetuximab and panitumumab are recommended for KRAS wild type tumors. For KRAS mutant tumors, bevacizumab is the preferred biological therapy. FOLFOX (folinic acid, 5-FU, and oxaliplatin) is preferred for initial therapy in Asian patients. The management of mCRC is evolving, and it must be emphasized that the recommendations presented here reflect current treatment practices and thus might change as more data become available.
    Matched MeSH terms: Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use*
  2. Wong KK, Gascoyne DM, Brown PJ, Soilleux EJ, Snell C, Chen H, et al.
    Leukemia, 2014 Feb;28(2):362-72.
    PMID: 23884370 DOI: 10.1038/leu.2013.224
    We previously identified autoantibodies to the endocytic-associated protein Huntingtin-interacting protein 1-related (HIP1R) in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients. HIP1R regulates internalization of cell surface receptors via endocytosis, a process relevant to many therapeutic strategies including CD20 targeting with rituximab. In this study, we characterized HIP1R expression patterns, investigated a mechanism of transcriptional regulation and its clinical relevance in DLBCL patients treated with immunochemotherapy (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone, R-CHOP). HIP1R was preferentially expressed in germinal center B-cell-like DLBCL (P<0.0001) and inversely correlated with the activated B-cell-like DLBCL (ABC-DLBCL) associated transcription factor, Forkhead box P1 (FOXP1). HIP1R was confirmed as a direct FOXP1 target gene in ABC-DLBCL by FOXP1-targeted silencing and chromatin immunoprecipitation. Lower HIP1R protein expression (≤ 10% tumoral positivity) significantly correlated with inferior overall survival (OS, P=0.0003) and progression-free survival (PFS, P=0.0148) in R-CHOP-treated DLBCL patients (n=157). Reciprocal expression with ≥ 70% FOXP1 positivity defined FOXP1(hi)/HIP1R(lo) patients with particularly poor outcome (OS, P=0.0001; PFS, P=0.0016). In an independent R-CHOP-treated DLBCL (n=233) microarray data set, patients with transcript expression in lower quartile HIP1R and FOXP1(hi)/HIP1R(lo) subgroups exhibited worse OS, P=0.0044 and P=0.0004, respectively. HIP1R repression by FOXP1 is strongly associated with poor outcome, thus further understanding of FOXP1-HIP1R and/or endocytic signaling pathways might give rise to novel therapeutic options for DLBCL.
    Matched MeSH terms: Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use
  3. Hor SY, Lee SC, Wong CI, Lim YW, Lim RC, Wang LZ, et al.
    Pharmacogenomics J, 2008 Apr;8(2):139-46.
    PMID: 17876342
    Previously studied candidate genes have failed to account for inter-individual variability of docetaxel and doxorubicin disposition and effects. We genotyped the transcriptional regulators of CYP3A and ABCB1 in 101 breast cancer patients from 3 Asian ethnic groups, that is, Chinese, Malays and Indians, in correlation with the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of docetaxel and doxorubicin. While there was no ethnic difference in docetaxel and doxorubicin pharmacokinetics, ethnic difference in docetaxel- (ANOVA, P=0.001) and doxorubicin-induced (ANOVA, P=0.003) leukocyte suppression was observed, with Chinese and Indians experiencing greater degree of docetaxel-induced myelosuppression than Malays (Bonferroni, P=0.002, P=0.042), and Chinese experiencing greater degree of doxorubicin-induced myelosuppression than Malays and Indians (post hoc Bonferroni, P=0.024 and 0.025). Genotyping revealed both PXR and CAR to be well conserved; only a PXR 5'-untranslated region polymorphism (-24381A>C) and a silent CAR variant (Pro180Pro) were found at allele frequencies of 26 and 53%, respectively. Two non-synonymous variants were identified in HNF4alpha (Met49Val and Thr130Ile) at allele frequencies of 55 and 1%, respectively, with the Met49Val variant associated with slower neutrophil recovery in docetaxel-treated patients (ANOVA, P=0.046). Interactions were observed between HNF4alpha Met49Val and CAR Pro180Pro, with patients who were wild type for both variants experiencing least docetaxel-induced neutropenia (ANOVA, P=0.030). No other significant genotypic associations with pharmacokinetics or pharmacodynamics of either drug were found. The PXR-24381A>C variants were significantly more common in Indians compared to Chinese or Malays (32/18/21%, P=0.035) Inter-individual and inter-ethnic variations of docetaxel and doxorubicin pharmacokinetics or pharmacodynamics exist, but genotypic variability of the transcriptional regulators PAR, CAR and HNF4alpha cannot account for this variability.
    Matched MeSH terms: Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use*
  4. Hassan BA, Yusoff ZB, Hassali MA, Othman SB, Weiderpass E
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2012;13(9):4373-8.
    PMID: 23167346
    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 patients with hypercalcemia.

    METHODS: We carried a review of medical records of breast and lung cancer patients hospitalized in years 2003 and 2009 at Penang General Hospital, a public tertiary care center in Penang Island, north of Malaysia. Patients with hypercalcemia (defined as a calcium level above 10.5 mg/dl) at the time of cancer diagnosis or during cancer treatment had their medical history abstracted, including presence of metastasis, chemotherapy types and doses, calcium levels throughout cancer treatment, and other co-morbidity. The mean calcium levels at first hospitalization before chemotherapy were compared with calcium levels at the end of or at the latest chemotherapy treatment. Statistical analysis was conducted using the Chi-square test for categorical data, logistic regression test for categorical variables, and Spearman correlation test, linear regression and the paired sample t tests for continuous data.

    RESULTS: Of a total 1,023 of breast cancer and 814 lung cancer patients identified, 292 had hypercalcemia at first hospitalization or during cancer treatment (174 breast and 118 lung cancer patients). About a quarter of these patients had advanced stage cancers: 26.4% had mild hypercalcemia (10.5-11.9 mg/dl), 55.5% had moderate (12-12.9 mg/dl), and 18.2% severe hypercalcemia (13-13.9; 14-16 mg/dl). Chemotherapy lowered calcium levels significantly both in breast and lung cancer patients with hypercalcemia; in particular with chemotherapy type 5-flurouracil+epirubicin+cyclophosphamide (FEC) for breast cancer, and gemcitabine+cisplatin in lung cancer.

    CONCLUSION: Chemotherapy decreases calcium levels in breast and lung cancer cases with hypercalcemia at cancer diagnosis, probably by reducing PTHrP levels.

    Matched MeSH terms: Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use
  5. Wong KK, Gascoyne DM, Soilleux EJ, Lyne L, Spearman H, Roncador G, et al.
    Oncotarget, 2016 Aug 16;7(33):52940-52956.
    PMID: 27224915 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.9507
    FOXP2 shares partially overlapping normal tissue expression and functionality with FOXP1; an established diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) oncogene and marker of poor prognosis. FOXP2 is expressed in the plasma cell malignancy multiple myeloma but has not been studied in DLBCL, where a poor prognosis activated B-cell (ABC)-like subtype display partially blocked plasma cell differentiation. FOXP2 protein expression was detected in ABC-DLBCL cell lines, and in primary DLBCL samples tumoral FOXP2 protein expression was detected in both germinal center B-cell-like (GCB) and non-GCB DLBCL. In biopsies from DLBCL patients treated with immunochemotherapy (R-CHOP), ≥ 20% nuclear tumoral FOXP2-positivity (n = 24/158) correlated with significantly inferior overall survival (OS: P = 0.0017) and progression-free survival (PFS: P = 0.0096). This remained significant in multivariate analysis against either the international prognostic index score or the non-GCB DLBCL phenotype (P < 0.05 for both OS and PFS). Expression of BLIMP1, a marker of plasmacytic differentiation that is commonly inactivated in ABC-DLBCL, did not correlate with patient outcome or FOXP2 expression in this series. Increased frequency of FOXP2 expression significantly correlated with FOXP1-positivity (P = 0.0187), and FOXP1 co-immunoprecipitated FOXP2 from ABC-DLBCL cells indicating that these proteins can co-localize in a multi-protein complex. FOXP2-positive DLBCL had reduced expression of HIP1R (P = 0.0348), which is directly repressed by FOXP1, and exhibited distinct patterns of gene expression. Specifically in ABC-DLBCL these were associated with lower expression of immune response and T-cell receptor signaling pathways. Further studies are warranted to investigate the potential functional cooperativity between FOXP1 and FOXP2 in repressing immune responses during the pathogenesis of high-risk DLBCL.
    Matched MeSH terms: Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use*
  6. Masir N, Akhter A, Roshan TM, Florence CS, Abdul-Rahman F, Tumian NR, et al.
    J Clin Pathol, 2019 Sep;72(9):630-635.
    PMID: 31189540 DOI: 10.1136/jclinpath-2019-205837
    AIMS: Heightened B-cell receptor (BCR) activity in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is well established, and a subset of patients with relapsed DLBCL can benefit from BCR-targeted therapies. Universal outreach of such emerging therapies mandates forming a global landscape of BCR molecular signalling in DLBCL, including Southeast Asia.

    METHODS: 79 patients with DLBCL (nodal, 59% and extranodal, 41%) treated with rituximab combined with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone (R-CHOP) therapy were selected. Expression levels of BCR and linked signalling pathway molecules were inter-related with Lymph2Cx-based cell of origin (COO) types and overall survival (OS).

    RESULTS: Activated B-cell (ABC) type DLBCL constituted 49% (39/79) compared with germinal centre B-cell (GCB) type DLBCL (29/79; 37%) and revealed poor prognosis (p=0.013). In ABC-DLBCL, high BTK expression exerted poor response to R-CHOP, while OS in ABC-DLBCL with low BTK expression was similar to GCB-DLBCL subtype (p=0.004). High LYN expression coupled with a poor OS for ABC-DLBCL as well as GCB-DLBCL subtypes (p=0.001). Furthermore, high coexpression of BTK/LYN (BTKhigh/LYNhigh) showed poor OS (p=0.019), which linked with upregulation of several genes associated with BCR repertoire and nuclear factor-kappa B pathway (p<0.01). In multivariate analysis, high BTK and LYN expression retained prognostic significance against established clinical predictive factors such as age, International Prognostic Index and COO (p<0.05).

    CONCLUSIONS: Our data provide a clear association between high BCR activity in DLBCL and response to therapy in a distinct population. Molecular data provided here will pave the pathway for the provision of promising novel-targeted therapies to patients with DLBCL in Southeast Asia.

    Matched MeSH terms: Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use*
  7. Gan GG, Subramaniam R, Bee PC, Chin EF, Abdul-Halim H, Tai MC
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2014;15(4):1703-6.
    PMID: 24641394
    BACKGROUND: The current standard treatment for patients with newly diagnosed diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is rituximab combined with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisolone (CHOP). A significant number of patients were not treated with recommended dose of rituximab due to limited financial resources in Malaysia. This study evaluates the efficacy of R-CHOP like chemotherapy in Malaysian patients with DLBCL.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study comprised a retrospective analysis of patients with DLBCL treated at a single centre. The outcome was compared with patients who were treated with R-CHOP like and CHOP like chemotherapy. Patients who were treated with lower dose of rituximab was subanalysed for outcome.

    RESULTS: A total of 86 patients who had CHOP-like chemotherapy were included. Only 39 (45%) patients had rituximab and only 12 (29%) patients had the recommended dose. The overall response (OR) and complete response (CR) rates were 88% and 81% respectively. There was no significant difference in OR and CR in patients who had rituximab and those without rituxmab. Those with International Prognostic Index (IPI) score of ≤ 2 had significant higher CR rate, progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (p<0.001).

    CONCLUSIONS: The lack of significant improvement in CR and DFS in our patients may be due to an inadequate dose of rituximab.

    Matched MeSH terms: Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use*
  8. Lee WC, Yusof MM, Lau FN, Phua VC
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2013;14(6):3941-4.
    PMID: 23886211
    BACKGROUND: The use of preoperative chemoirradiation is the commonest treatment strategy employed in Malaysia for locally advanced rectal cancer. We need to determine the local control and survival rates for comparison with established rates in the literature.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study analyzed all newly diagnosed patients with rectal adenocarcinoma who underwent long course preoperative radiotherapy (RT) at the Department of Radiotherapy and Oncology, Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL) between 1st January 2004 and 31st December 2010. The aim of the study was to determine the radiological response post radiotherapy, pathological response including circumferential resection margin (CRM) status, 3 years local control, 3 years overall survival (OS) and 3 years disease free survival (DFS). Statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS software. Kaplan-Meier and log rank analysis were used to determine survival outcomes.

    RESULTS: A total of 507 patients with rectal cancer underwent RT at HKL. Sixty seven who underwent long course preoperative RT were eligible for this study. The median age at diagnosis was 60 years old with a range of 26-78 years. The median tumour location was 6 cm from the anal verge. Most patients had suspicion of mesorectum involvement (95.5%) while 28.4% of patients had enlarged pelvic nodes on staging CT scan. All patients underwent preoperative chemo-irradiation except for five who had preoperative RT alone. Only 38 patients underwent definitive surgery (56.7%). Five patients were deemed to be inoperable radiologically and 3 patients were found to have unresectable disease intraoperatively. The remaining 21 patients defaulted surgery (31.3%). The median time from completion of RT to surgery was 8 weeks (range 5.6 to 29.4 weeks). Fifteen patients (39.5%) had surgery more than 8 weeks after completion of RT. Complete pathological response was noted in 4 patients (10.5%). The pathological CRM positive rate after RT was 18.4%. With a median follow-up of 38.8 months, the 3 year local control rate was 67%. The 3 years rate for CRM positive (<2 mm), CRM clear (>2 mm) and pCR groups were 0%, 88.1% and 100% respectively (p-value of 0.007). The 3 year OS and DFS were 57.3% and 44.8% respectively.

    CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the approach of long course preoperative chemoirradiation for rectal cancer needs to be re-examined in our local setting. The high rate of local recurrence is worrying and is mainly due to patient defaulting post-preoperative chemoirradiation or delayed definitive surgery.
    Matched MeSH terms: Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use*
  9. Kua VF, Ismail F, Chee Ee Phua V, Aslan NM
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2013;14(2):1121-6.
    PMID: 23621198
    BACKGROUND: Palliative chemotherapy with cisplatin/5-fluorouracil (5FU) is the commonest regimen employed for metastatic and recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (SCCHN) and nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). However, this regimen is cumbersome requiring 5 days of admission to hospital. Carboplatin/5FU may be an alternative regimen without compromising survival and response rates. This study aimed to compare the efficacy and toxicity of carboplatin/5FU regimen with the cisplatin/5FU regimen.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study looked at patients who had palliative chemotherapy with either cisplatin/5FU or carboplatin/5FU for metastatic and recurrent SCCHN and NPC. It included patients who were treated at UKMMC from 1st January 2004 to 31st December 2009 with either palliative IV cispaltin 75 mg/m2 D1 only plus IV 5FU 750 mg/m2 D1-5 infusion or IV Carboplatin AUC 5 D1 only plus IV 5FU 500 mg/m2 D1-2 infusion plus IV 5FU 500 mg/m2 D1-2 bolus. The specific objectives were to determine the efficacy of palliative chemotherapy in terms of overall response rate (ORR), median progression free survival (PFS) and median overall survival (OS) and to evaluate the toxicities of both regimens.

    RESULTS: A total of 41 patients were eligible for this study. There were 17 in the cisplatin/5FU arm and 24 in the carboplatin/5FU arm. The ORR was 17.7 % for cisplatin/5FU arm and 37.5 % for carboplatin/5FU arm (p-value=0.304). The median PFS was 7 months for cisplatin/5FU and 9 months for carboplatin/5FU (p-value=1.015). The median OS was 10 months for cisplatin/5FU arm and 12 months for carboplatin/5FU arm (p-value=0.110). There were 6 treatment-related deaths (6/41=14.6%), four in the carboplatin/5FU arm (4/24=16.7%) and 2 in the cisplatin/5FU arm (2/17=11.8%). Grade 3 and 4 hematologic toxicity was also more common with carboplatin/5FU group, this difference being predominantly due to grade 3-4 granulocytopenia (41.6% vs. 0), grade 3-4 anemia (37.5% vs. 0) and grade 3-4 thrombocytopenia (16.6% vs. 0).

    CONCLUSIONS: Carboplatin/5FU is not inferior to cisplatin/5FU with regard to its efficacy. However, there was a high rate of treatment-related deaths with both regimens. A better alternative needs to be considered.

    Matched MeSH terms: Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use
  10. Tan GH, Azrif M, Shamsul AS, Ho CC, Praveen S, Goh EH, et al.
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2011;12(10):2727-30.
    PMID: 22320982
    INTRODUCTION: Testicular cancer mainly affects young men worldwide. There is lack of published data on patients with this malignant condition from the Southeast Asian region. The aim of this study was therefore to determine the clinicopathologic features of testicular cancer patients treated in a Southeast Asian university hospital and their overall survival rate.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective study of testicular cancer patients treated between January 2001 and February 2011. Their epidemiological data, clinical presentation, pathologic diagnosis, stage of disease and treatment were gathered and the overall survival rate of this cohort was analyzed.

    RESULTS: Thirty-one patients were included in this study. The majority of them were of Malay ethnicity. The average age at presentation was 33.7 years. The commonest testicular cancer was non-seminomatous germ cell tumour, followed by seminoma, lymphoma and rhabdomyosarcoma. More than half of all testicular germ cell tumour (GCT) patients had some form of metastasis at diagnosis. All the patients were treated with radical orchidectomy. Adjuvant chemotherapy was given to those with metastatic disease. Four seminoma patients received radiotherapy to the para-aortic lymph nodes. The 5-year survival rate for all testicular cancers in this cohort was 83.9%. The survival rate was 88.9% in 5 years when GCT were analyzed separately.

    CONCLUSION: GCT affects patients in their third and fourth decades of life while lymphoma patients are generally older. Most of the patients treated for GCT are of Malay ethnicity. The majority have late presentation for treatment. The survival rate of GCT patients treated here is comparable to other published series in other parts of the world.

    Matched MeSH terms: Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use*
  11. Hassan BA, Yusoff ZB, Hassali MA, Othman SB
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2011;12(10):2753-8.
    PMID: 22320987
    INTRODUCTION: Anemia is considered as one of the most frequent hematological demonstration of malignant diseases, which lead to momentous impairment in every tissues and organs of cancer patients and put them under serious stress. This major problem may arise because of the underlining diseases (i.e., cancer diseases) or radiotherapy or chemotherapy treatment received. This present study tries to find the association between anemia onset and severity with different chemotherapeutics regimens used in the treatment of several solid cancers and to find the association of anemia onset and severity with different doses of these chemotherapeutics drugs.

    METHODS: This retrospective observational study was conducted in Penang General Hospital on 534 anemic solid cancer patients who were admitted between 2003 and 2009. The main statistical tests used were Chi-square test and Logistic regression test for categorical data. While for continues data the main statistical tests were Linear regression and correlation test. The significance of the result will be when the P<0.05, while the confidence interval for this study was 95%.

    RESULTS: FEC, 5-FU+5-FU, Docetaxel and Cisplatin+ 5-FU regimen has strong association and correlation with anemia onset and severity. However the associations and correlations with anemia severity were stronger than those with the onset. Different doses of 5-FU, cyclophosphamide, docetaxel and cisplatin play a critical role in anemia onset and severity.

    CONCLUSION: Monitoring and determination of hemoglobin levels for cancer patients treated with FEC, 5-FU+5-FU, Docetaxel, Cisplatin+ 5-FU specifically with high doses must be emphasized and a focus of particular attention.

    Matched MeSH terms: Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use*
  12. Azrif M, Ibrahim J, Aslan NM, Fong KV, Ismail F
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2011;12(1):157-62.
    PMID: 21517250
    INTRODUCTION: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy for locally advanced breast cancer is given with the aim of shrinking the disease sufficiently for surgery. However, many clinical trials investigating neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimens were conducted for operable breast cancer.

    METHODS AND MATERIALS: Patients with T3-4, N2 M0 breast cancer diagnosed between January 2005 and December 2008 and who received at least one cycle of neoadjuvant chemotherapy were eligible for this study. Thirty-four patients were identified from the Chemotherapy Daycare Records and their medical records were reviewed retrospectively. The neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimen administered was at the discretion of the treating oncologist. Breast tumour size and nodal status was assessed at diagnosis, at each cycle and before surgery.

    RESULTS: All 34 patients had invasive ductal cancer. The median age was 52 years (range 27-69). 65% had T4 disease and 76% were clinically lymph node positive at diagnosis. The median size of the breast tumour at presentation was 80 mm (range 42-200 mm). Estrogen and progesterone receptor positivity was seen in less than 40% and HER2 positivity, by immunohistochemistry, in 27%. The majority (85%) of patients had anthracycline based chemotherapy, without taxanes. The overall response rate (clinical CR+PR) was 67.6% and pathological complete responses were apparent in two (5.9%). 17.6% of patients defaulted part of their planned treatment. Recurrent disease was seen in 44.1% and the median time to relapse was 11.3 months. The three year disease free and overall survival rates were 52.5% and 58% respectively.

    CONCLUSION: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy for locally advanced breast cancer in a Malaysian setting confers response and pCR rates comparable to published clinical trials. Patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy are at risk of defaulting part of their treatment and therefore their concerns need to be identified proactively and addressed in order to improve outcomes.

    Matched MeSH terms: Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use*
  13. Chong HY, Taib NA, Rampal S, Saad M, Bustam AZ, Yip CH
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2010;11(4):913-7.
    PMID: 21133600
    BACKGROUND: Locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) is characterized by the presence of a large primary tumour (>5 cm) associated with or without skin or chest-wall involvement (T4) or with fixed (matted) axillary lymph nodes in the absence of any evidence of distant metastases. These cancers are classified as stage IIIA and IIIB according to the AJCC Staging System. Treatment of choice involves combinations of surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and/or hormonal therapy. Current guidelines recommend primary surgery or neoadjuvant therapy followed by surgery. The primary objective of this study was to compare the outcome of LABC patients subjected to neoadjuvant chemotherapy before surgery and those who underwent surgery as the primary treatment and to determine prognostic predictors. Secondary objectives were to evaluate the response after neoadjuvant therapy and to determine the treatment compliance rate.

    METHODS: This retrospective study of Stage III breast cancer patients was conducted over a 5 year period from 1998 to 2002. The survival data were obtained from the National Registry of Births and Deaths with the end-point of the study in April 2006. The Kaplan Meier method was applied for survival analysis. Cox regression analysis by stepwise selection was performed to identify important prognostic factors.

    RESULTS: Out of a 155 evaluable patients, 74 (47.7%) had primary surgery, 62 (40%) had neoadjuvant chemotherapy, 10 patients (6.5%) were given Tamoxifen as the primary treatment, while 9 patients (5.8%) defaulted any form of treatment. After neoadjuvant chemotherapy, 9 patients defaulted further treatment, leaving 53 evaluable patients. Out of these 53 evaluable patients, 5 patients (9.4%) had complete pathological response, 5 (9.4%) a complete clinical response, and 26 (49.1%) had partial response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The 5-year survival in the primary surgery group was 56.7 % compared to 44.7% in the neoadjuvant chemotherapy group (p<0.01). The important prognostic factors were race, size of tumour, nodal status, estrogen receptor status and response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

    CONCLUSION: Patients who had primary surgery had better survival than those who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy, which may be due to bias in the selection of patients for neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Out of a total of 155 patients, 25.1% defaulted part of the treatment, or did not receive optimal treatment, emphasizing the importance of psychosocial support and counselling for this group of patients.

    Matched MeSH terms: Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use*
  14. Fadilah SA, Muhaya M, Azlin I
    Med J Malaysia, 2007 Oct;62(4):349-51.
    PMID: 18551947 MyJurnal
    Irreversible optic nerve dysfunction associated with central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) is an unusual but important complication of Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia (WM). Acute visual loss in CRVO is mainly due the severe macular oedema. However, ischaemic optic neuropathy needs to be considered in patients with CRVO when, (i) there is a relative afferent papillary defect and central scotoma, (ii) the visual acuity is not consistent with the retinal pathology, and (iii) the visual defects persisted despite resolution of macular oedema following treatment of the hyperviscosity state. The ischaemic type of CRVO is associated with a poor visual prognosis and the presenting visual acuity has a prognostic role. We report the first description of irreversible unilateral optic nerve damage associated with CRVO in a patient with WM.
    Matched MeSH terms: Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use*
  15. Baskaran ND, Gan GG, Adeeba K
    Ann Hematol, 2008 Jul;87(7):563-9.
    PMID: 18437382 DOI: 10.1007/s00277-008-0487-7
    The purpose of this study was to determine if the Multinational Association for Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) risk-index score is able to predict the outcome of febrile neutropenia in patients with underlying hematological malignancy and to look at the other possible predictors of outcome. A retrospective study of 116 episodes of febrile neutropenia in patients who were admitted to the hematology ward of a local medical center in Malaysia between January 1st 2004 and January 31st 2005. Patient characteristics and the MASCC score were compared with outcome. The MASCC score predicted the outcome of febrile neutropenic episodes with a positive predictive value of 82.9%, a sensitivity of 93%, and specificity of 67%. Other predictors of a favorable outcome were those patients who had lymphomas versus leukemias, duration of neutropenia of less than 7 days, low burden of illness characterized by the absence of an infective focus and absence of lower respiratory tract infection, a serum albumin of >25 g/l, and the absence of gram-negative bacteremia on univariate analysis but only serum albumin level, low burden of illness, and presence of respiratory infection were significantly associated with unfavorable outcome after multivariate analysis. The MASCC score is a useful predictor of outcome in patients with febrile neutropenia with underlying hematological malignancies. This scoring system may be adapted for use in local settings to guide the clinical management of patients with this condition.
    Matched MeSH terms: Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use
  16. Shah Mohd Shah A, Mohamed Z, Abdullah A, Abdul Malek PM, Saidin N, Maskon O
    Cardiovasc. Pathol., 2007 Nov-Dec;16(6):351-3.
    PMID: 18005874
    A 16-year-old student presented with a 4-week history of progressive shortness of breath, loss of appetite, and occasional blood-tinged sputum. The chest X-ray revealed massive right-sided pleural effusion with cardiomegaly. An echocardiogram revealed a large pericardial mass with massive pericardial effusion. Subsequent computed tomography of the thorax revealed a large heterogeneous mass in the right lung with extension into the pericardium. Lung biopsy revealed primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET) with small round blue cells, Homer-Wright rosettes, and CD99 positivity. We discuss pericardial metastases of PNET and its implication in this patient.
    Matched MeSH terms: Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use
  17. Mirakhorli M, Rahman SA, Abdullah S, Vakili M, Rozafzon R, Khoshzaban A
    Mol Med Rep, 2013 Feb;7(2):613-7.
    PMID: 23232902 DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2012.1226
    Multidrug resistance protein 2 (MRP2), encoded by the ATP-binding cassette C2 (ABCC2) gene, is an efflux pump located on the apical membrane of many polarized cells, which transports conjugate compounds by an ATP-dependent mechanism. The correlation of G1249A ABCC2 polymorphism with the development of colorectal cancer (CRC) and poor prognosis was evaluated in patients who were treated with fluorouracil/-leucovorin (FL) plus oxaliplatin (FOLFOX-4). A total of 50 paraffin‑embedded tissue samples collected from CRC patients were analyzed to identify the polymorphism. Patients were in stage II/III and received postoperative FOLFOX-4 chemotherapy. As a control group, an equal number of unrelated healthy subjects were enrolled in the study. The polymorphism was genotyped by the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method, and results were compared with clinicopathological markers, early relapse and survival rates. During the 12 months of follow-up, local and distant recurrences were observed in 15 (30%) patients. No significant difference in the distribution of wild-type and polymorphic genotypes was observed between the patient and control groups and between the patients who experienced recurrence within 1 year and those who did not (all P>0.05). In conclusion, the G1249A polymorphism is not associated with CRC risk and early recurrence. However, significant correlation was observed between G1249A polymorphism and the overall survival and disease-free survival of the patients.
    Matched MeSH terms: Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use*
  18. Ng CV
    Ann Pharmacother, 2005 Jun;39(6):1114-8.
    PMID: 15886290
    To report 2 cases of hypersensitivity reactions associated with oxaliplatin treatment in Asian patients.
    Matched MeSH terms: Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use
  19. Leow CH, Liam CK
    Respirology, 2005 Nov;10(5):629-35.
    PMID: 16268917
    The aim of the study was to evaluate the response, survival advantage and toxicity profile of gemcitabine-carboplatin combination cytotoxic chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced and metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
    Matched MeSH terms: Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use*
  20. Yusof MM, Abdullah NM, Sharial MM, Zaatar A
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2016;17(3):973-8.
    PMID: 27039822
    BACKGROUND: Between October 2012 and February 2015, 25 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) (mean age, 57.0 ± 12.1 years) were granted access to aflibercept via the Aflibercept Named Patient Program at four centers.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: Here we reported the initial experience of aflibercept / FOLFIRI in combination. We evaluated treatment-related adverse events (AEs), progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).

    RESULTS: The majority of the patients experienced gastrointestinal toxicity (grade 1-2), with diarrhea (52%), mucositis (52%), and nausea/vomiting (20%) being largely observed. Neutropenia (16%) and febrile neutropenia (8%) were common grade 3-4 hematological events. Aflibercept-related toxicity was managed as per practice guidelines. No grade 5 event was reported. Median PFS was 6.12 months (95% CI, 4.80-7.20) and OS was 12 months (95% CI, 9.80-14.18). The partial response (PR), stable disease (SD), and progressive disease (PD) rates were 25% (95% CI: 23.4-27.0), 37.5% (95% CI: 31.6-43.3), and 37.5% (95% CI: 22.5-52.5), respectively.

    CONCLUSIONS: Aflibercept/FOLFIRI can be administered safely in a second line setting to Malaysian patients with mCRC, as the AEs experienced were generally reversible and manageable. The safety and efficacy outcomes were consistent with those observed in Western populations.

    Matched MeSH terms: Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use*
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