Treatment with the chemotherapeutic agent bevacizumab, a humanized mAb that neutralizes vascular endothelial growth factor, can lead to proteinuria and renal damage. The risk factors and clinical outcomes of renal adverse events are not well understood. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of published randomized, controlled trials to assess the overall risk for severe proteinuria with bevacizumab. We analyzed data from 16 studies comprising 12,268 patients with a variety of tumors. The incidence of high-grade (grade 3 or 4) proteinuria with bevacizumab was 2.2% (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.2 to 4.3%). Compared with chemotherapy alone, bevacizumab combined with chemotherapy significantly increased the risk for high-grade proteinuria (relative risk 4.79; 95% CI 2.71 to 8.46) and nephrotic syndrome (relative risk 7.78; 95% CI 1.80 to 33.62); higher dosages of bevacizumab associated with increased risk for proteinuria. Regarding tumor type, renal cell carcinoma associated with the highest risk (cumulative incidence 10.2%). We did not detect a significant difference between platinum- and non-platinum-based concurrent chemotherapy with regard to risk for high-grade proteinuria (P = 0.39). In conclusion, the addition of bevacizumab to chemotherapy significantly increases the risk for high-grade proteinuria and nephrotic syndrome.

The ferret cisplatin emesis model has been used for ~30 years and enabled identification of clinically used anti-emetics. We provide an objective assessment of this model including efficacy of 5-HT₃ receptor antagonists to assess its translational validity.

The objective of this work is to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of all randomized controlled trials comparing a single intravenous dose of palonosetron (PAL) 0.25 mg with other 5-HT(3)R in patients receiving moderately or highly emetogenic (MoHE) chemotherapy.

The use of anthracyclines is limited by the occurrence of cardiotoxicity. In an effort to prevent this cardiotoxicity, different anthracycline derivates have been studied.

To evaluate the efficacy and safety in treatment of ocular neovascularization by Bevacizumab versus Ranibizumab.

Preclinical cellular response profiling of tumor models has become a cornerstone in the development of novel cancer therapeutics. As efforts to predict clinical efficacy using cohorts of in vitro tumor models have been successful, expansive panels of tumor-derived cell lines can recapitulate an "all comers" efficacy trial, thereby identifying which tumors are most likely to benefit from treatment. The response profile of a therapy is most often studied in isolation; however, drug treatment effect patterns in tumor models across a diverse panel of compounds can help determine the value of unique molecular target classes in specific tumor cohorts. To this end, a panel of 19 compounds was evaluated against a diverse group of cancer cell lines (n = 311). The primary oncogenic targets were a key determinant of concentration-dependent proliferation response, as a total of five of six, four of four, and five of five phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway, insulin-like growth factor-I receptor (IGF-IR), and mitotic inhibitors, respectively, clustered with others of that common target class. In addition, molecular target class was correlated with increased responsiveness in certain histologies. A cohort of PI3K/AKT/mTOR inhibitors was more efficacious in breast cancers compared with other tumor types, whereas IGF-IR inhibitors more selectively inhibited growth in colon cancer lines. Finally, specific phenotypes play an important role in cellular response profiles. For example, luminal breast cancer cells (nine of nine; 100%) segregated from basal cells (six of seven; 86%). The convergence of a common cellular response profile for different molecules targeting the same oncogenic pathway substantiates a rational clinical path for patient populations most likely to benefit from treatment. Cancer Res; 70(9); 3677-86. (c)2010 AACR.

Post-chemotherapy nausea remains a significant burden to cancer patients. While some studies indicate that expecting nausea is predictive of experiencing nausea, there are a number of conflicting findings.

This meta-analysis was undertaken to assess the efficacy and safety of drug-eluting stents (DESs) compared to bare metal stents (BMSs) in saphenous vein graft (SVG) interventions. DESs decrease the risk of target vessel revascularization in native coronary arteries compared to BMSs. The ideal treatment strategy in patients with SVG disease is unknown. A search of the published reports was conducted to identify studies that compared DESs and BMSs in SVG intervention with a minimum follow-up of 6 months. A total of 19 studies (2 randomized trials and 17 registries), including 3,420 patients who had undergone SVG intervention (DESs, n = 1,489 and BMS, n = 1,931), met the selection criteria. The mean length of follow-up was 20 + or - 12 months. Using the fixed effect model, target vessel revascularization was less frequently performed in patients who had undergone SVG intervention with a DES than with a BMS (odds ratio [OR] 0.59, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.49 to 0.72). The incidence of myocardial infarction was lower in patients with a DES than in those with a BMS (OR 0.69, 95% CI 0.49 to 0.99). No differences were found in the risk of death (OR 0.78, 95% CI 0.59 to 1.02) or stent thrombosis (OR 0.41, 95% CI 0.15 to 1.11) between the 2 groups. In conclusion, these findings support the use of DESs in SVG lesions.

Moxibustion is a traditional Chinese method that uses the heat generated by burning herbal preparations containing Artemisia vulgaris to stimulate acupuncture points. Considering moxibustion is closely related to acupuncture, it seems pertinent to evaluate the effectiveness of moxibustion as a treatment of symptoms of cancer. The objective of this review was to systematically assess the effectiveness of moxibustion for supportive cancer care.

The previous individual patient data meta-analyses of chemotherapy in locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) showed that adding sequential or concomitant chemotherapy to radiotherapy improved survival. The NSCLC Collaborative Group performed a meta-analysis of randomized trials directly comparing concomitant versus sequential radiochemotherapy.

Sunitinib and sorafenib are oral vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) used in a vast range of cancers. Arterial thromboembolic events (ATE) have been described with these agents, although the overall risk remains unclear. We did a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the incidence and the relative risk (RR) associated with the use of sunitinib and sorafenib.

Life-threatening diarrhoea is observed in up to 25% of cancer patients receiving irinotecan. The associations between the UGT1A1*28 polymorphism and irinotecan-induced diarrhoea remains controversial because of conflicting data in the literature. Meta-analyses were performed on published data in terms of relationships between UGT1A1*28 and severe diarrhoea. We searched databases for relevant studies that were published in English or Chinese. Two reviewers extracted data and assessed methodological quality. UGT1A1*28 related odds ratios (ORs) were pooled by use of a fixed-effects model. The studies included were stratified into subgroups representing different races and irinotecan doses, and meta-regression analyses were performed to investigate the effect of study characteristics on the association between UGT1A1*28 and diarrhoea. Twenty trials including a total of 1760 cancer patients were included. The risk of severe diarrhoea at medium and high irinotecan doses was higher among patients with a UGT1A1*28/*28 genotype than among those with a UGT1A1*1/*1 genotype (OR=3.69, 95% confidence interval [CI]=2.00-6.83; P<0.001). Considering the patients with a UGT1A1*1/*28 genotype, the risk of toxicity was also higher than among those with a wild-type genotype at medium and high doses (OR=1.92, 95% CI=1.31-2.82; P=0.001). No association was observed between UGT1A1*28 and severe diarrhoea at low doses (<125 mg/m(2)). In conclusion, patients carrying UGT1A1*28 allele(s) are at an increased risk of irinotecan-induced severe diarrhoea. This increased risk is only apparent in those who are administrated with medium or high irinotecan doses.

There is clear evidence from two systematic reviews that radiotherapy (RT) reduces the risk of local recurrence in patients with resectable rectal cancer, though the data on survival are still equivocal.

The use of anthracyclines is limited by the occurrence of cardiotoxicity. In an effort to prevent this cardiotoxicity, different anthracycline derivates have been studied.

Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for more than 85% of all cases of lung cancer. The 5-year survival of patients presenting with advanced stage NSCLC is less than 15%, indicating that additional treatment options are needed. Bevacizumab is a recombinant humanized version of the murine anti-human vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) monoclonal antibody with a high binding specificity for VEGF.

Hypertension is associated with the use of bevacizumab, an angiogenesis inhibitor widely used in cancer therapy. Currently, the risk of severe hypertension associated with bevacizumab is unclear. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of published randomized-controlled clinical trials (RCTs) to assess the risk of high-grade hypertension in cancer patients treated with bevacizumab.

The objectives of this review are to compare the effectiveness and safety of radiochemotherapy (RTCT) with radiotherapy (RT) alone in locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC).

The risk of cardiovascular toxicities is a serious concern with the increased application of angiogenesis inhibitors in current cancer therapy. Arterial thromboembolic events (ATE) were associated with bevacizumab, an antibody against vascular endothelial growth factor. To determine the risk of ATE including cardiac ischemia and stroke, a systematic review and meta-analysis of published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was performed.

Pharmacological therapy has been considered as the first-line treatment for patients with uncomplicated benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of tamsulosin compared with a placebo for treating BPH.