Lung cancer is the leading cause of death in cancer patients. Clinical studies showed that a variety of acupoint stimulations have been extensively used for lung cancer patients, including needle insertion, injection with herbal extraction, plaster application, and moxibustion. However, the role of acupoint stimulation in lung cancer treatment was not fully reviewed.

Androgen-deprivation therapy is a commonly used treatment for men with prostate cancer; however, the adverse effects can be detrimental to patient health and quality of life. Exercise has been proposed as a strategy for ameliorating a range of these treatment-related adverse effects. We conducted a systematic review of the literature regarding the effects of exercise on treatment-related adverse effects in men receiving androgen-deprivation therapy for prostate cancer.

While various clinical and pharmacological determinants for chemotherapy-associated cognitive impairment have been identified, conflicting evidence suggests that cytokines might play an intermediary role. The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate the current evidence pertaining to the associations among chemotherapy, cytokines induction and cognitive impairment in cancer patients.

Chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia patients are heterogeneous in their risk of adverse outcomes. Management strategies are tailored according to level of risk. Many emerging predictors for risk stratification remain controversial being based on single studies only. A systematic review was conducted to determine the strength of association of all identified predictors. Studies were obtained from electronic databases, grey literatures and reference lists. Methodological quality of studies was assessed for internal validity and representativeness. Seven studies (four prospective and three retrospective cohorts) investigating 22 factors were reported. Fixed effects meta-analysis showed: hypotension and thrombocytopenia were significant predictors for high-risk. Additional predictors that might enhance performance of current models include: tachypnoea, presence of central venous catheter, duration and severity of neutropenia. Further research to investigate new factors/markers is needed to develop a robust prognostic model, which is the key to enhance patient safety.

The purpose of this pooled analysis was to synthesize all available data so as to evaluate the efficacy and safety of lenalidomide in patients with POEMS syndrome. Eligible articles were identified by a search in MEDLINE and ClinicalTrials.gov databases using a predefined combination. Eligible cases of patients treated in our department were additionally included. Overall, 51 patients were included. The median age of patients was 54.5 years (range: 32-79 years). Lenalidomide was given as first- or second-line treatment in 28.6% and 47.6% of patients, respectively. Hematological responses included complete response in 18.6%, very good partial response in 39.5% and partial response in 37.2% of cases. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) reduction was reported in all cases. Neuropathy improved in 92.0% of cases and stabilized in 8%. The progression-free survival (PFS) estimate at 12 months was 93.9%. Lenalidomide can represent a safe and effective option for the treatment of patients with POEMS.

With the wide application of targeted drug therapies, the relevance of prognostic and predictive markers in patient selection has become increasingly important. Bevacizumab is commonly used in combination with chemotherapy in the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer. However, there are currently no predictive or prognostic biomarkers for bevacizumab. Several clinical studies have evaluated bevacizumab-induced hypertension in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. This meta-analysis was performed to better determine the association of bevacizumab-induced hypertension with outcome in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, and to assess whether bevacizumab-induced hypertension can be used as a prognostic factor in these patients.

Angiogenesis has recently become a major target for the development of new antineoplastic drugs. The most serious adverse events linked to angiogenesis inhibitors are venous or arterial thromboembolism and haemorrhage. Thus, there is need to define with more certainty the impact of these new drugs in terms of adverse effects in neurological patients. The aim of the study is to assess the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) and bleeding in patients with malignant gliomas treated with bevacizumab with or without concomitant anticoagulant therapy. A review of published literature was performed in Medline, from which 476 records were identified. A total of 27 full-text articles, including retrospective analyses, retrospective reviews, and open label trials, were assessed for eligibility. The investigated drugs included bevacizumab alone, bevacizumab plus chemotherapy with/without concomitant radiation therapy; only two articles dealt with bevacizumab in association with anticoagulant treatment. A total of 2,208 patients with malignant gliomas, were identified and included in the analysis. From data it appears that patients receiving bevacizumab had a major risk of developing VTE that increased when bevacizumab is associated with radio-chemotherapy (4.27 vs 7.46 %). Regarding bleeding, data showed that patients treated with anticoagulant had a significantly increased risk of severe central nervous system (CNS) bleeding compared to patients not receiving anticoagulant therapy (0.6 vs 8.2 %). The use of bevacizumab combined with chemo-radiotherapy seems to be associated with a higher risk for VTE compared to patients receiving antiangiogenic therapy alone. The associated use of anticoagulants and bevacizumab far increases the risk of developing CNS and non-CNS bleeding higher than grade 3, compared to patients receiving bevacizumab alone.

When using molecularly targeted agents (MTAs), oncologists and patients face new and sometimes unexpected toxicities. Though ocular adverse events (OAEs) are not uncommon with chemotherapy, they are rarely severe or dose limiting. Ocular toxicity profile may differ with MTAs, indeed severe and dose limiting toxicities have been described with targeted therapies currently under investigation. Our study aimed to review OAEs experienced with MTAs approved in solid tumours. This review revealed that many OAEs, frequent and potentially severe, exist and concern most MTAs. The suggestion is prompt referral of patients with severe pain and/or visual impairment to the ophthalmologist since these symptoms can be associated with potentially severe OAE and need ophthalmic assessment. Oncologists must be aware of such events and their potential severity for better treatment and better diagnosis in daily practice as well as in clinical trials.

To review the etiology and assessment of chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment (CRCI). To explore current treatment and prevention strategies for CRCI and propose future research goals in the field of gynecologic oncology.

To describe the ocular side effects in patients receiving intravitreal injection therapy (IViT) for retinoblastoma.

Uterine fibroids, also called uterine leiomyomas or myomas, are the most common benign tumours in women of reproductive age. Albeit generally benign, uterine fi broids can have a major impact on women's health and quality of life by contributing to abnormal uterine bleeding and causing pelvic pressure symptoms (such as increased urinary frequency, pelvic pain and constipation). Traditional treatments for symptomatic fi broids include a variety of surgical techniques. However, because of the high recurrence rate, as well as possible pain and infertility caused by the formation of postoperative adhesions, this approach may not be advisable. Safer and more effective medical therapy has long been awaited. Both in vitro studies and clinical trials have suggested that use of the aromatase inhibitors (AIs), a class of anti-oestrogens, might inhibit fi broid growth, thereby eliminating the need for surgery.

Regorafenib is a novel multikinase inhibitor approved for use in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) and locally advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs). Hypertension is one of the major adverse events of this agent, but to date the incidence and risk of hypertension with regorafenib have not been systematically investigated. We have conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of published clinical trials to determine its overall incidence and risk.

Antineoplastic drugs for cancer are often associated with adverse events, which influence patients' physical health, quality of life and survival. However, the modelling of adverse events in cost-effectiveness analyses of antineoplastic drugs has not been examined.

To evaluate the use and objectives of expansion cohorts in phase I cancer trials and to explore trial characteristics associated with their use.

Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge (Danshen in Chinese) is a classical Huoxue Huayu (a traditional Chinese medical term means promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis) herb with 1000 years of clinical application. It mainly contains two groups of ingredients: the hydrophilic phenolic acids and the lipophilic tanshinones. Both groups have demonstrated multiple bioactivities, such as antioxidative stress, antiplatelet aggregation, anti-inflammation, among others. Recent data have demonstrated that its lipophilic compounds, especially the tanshinones, show potent anticancer activities both in vitro and in vivo. The anticancer effects of the hydrophilic phenolic acids have also been reported. Furthermore, tanshinones provide structural skeletons for chemical modifications, allowing for a series of derivatives of interests. This review provides a systematic summary of the anticancer profile and the underlying mechanisms of the bioactive compounds isolated from Danshen with special emphasis on tanshinones, aiming to bring new insights for further research and development of this ancient herb.

No randomized trials have directly compared dasatinib with nilotinib for the treatment of newly diagnosed chronic myeloid leukemia in the chronic phase. The objective of this study was to indirectly compare these therapies using evidence from randomized trials versus imatinib, the current standard of care.

Great improvements in diagnostics and treatment for malignant disease in childhood have led to a major increase in survival. However, childhood cancer survivors (CCS) are at great risk for developing adverse effects caused by multimodal treatment for their malignancy. Nephrotoxicity is one of these known (acute) side effects of several treatments, including cisplatin, carboplatin, ifosfamide, radiotherapy and nephrectomy, and can cause glomerular filtration rate impairment, proteinuria, tubulopathy and hypertension. However, evidence about the long-term effects of these treatments on renal function remains inconclusive. To reduce the number of (long-term) nephrotoxic events in CCS, it is important to know the risk of, and risk factors for, early and late renal adverse effects, so that ultimately treatment and screening protocols can be adjusted.

Several studies have demonstrated that sorafenib is effective in the treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We performed a systematic review of the efficacy and safety of sorafenib in Child-Pugh A patients with unresectable HCC. The value of sorafenib treatment in different subgroups was examined.

Emerging research suggests that preventative swallowing rehabilitation, undertaken before or during (chemo)radiotherapy ([C]RT), can significantly improve early swallowing outcomes for head and neck cancer (HNC) patients. However, these treatment protocols are highly variable. Determining specific physiological swallowing parameters that are most likely to be impacted post-(C)RT would assist in refining clear targets for preventative rehabilitation. Therefore, this systematic review (1) examined the frequency and prevalence of physiological swallowing deficits observed post-(C)RT for HNC, and (2) determined the patterns of prevalence of these key physiological deficits over time post-treatment. Online databases were searched for relevant papers published between January 1998 and March 2013. A total of 153 papers were identified and appraised for methodological quality and suitability based on exclusionary criteria. Ultimately, 19 publications met the study’s inclusion criteria. Collation of reported prevalence of physiological swallowing deficits revealed reduced laryngeal excursion, base-of-tongue (BOT) dysfunction, reduced pharyngeal contraction, and impaired epiglottic movement as most frequently reported. BOT dysfunction and impaired epiglottic movement showed a collective prevalence of over 75 % in the majority of patient cohorts, whilst reduced laryngeal elevation and pharyngeal contraction had a prevalence of over 50 %. Subanalysis suggested a trend that the prevalence of these key deficits is dynamic although persistent over time. These findings can be used by clinicians to inform preventative intervention and support the use of specific, evidence-based therapy tasks explicitly selected to target the highly prevalent deficits post-(C)RT for HNC.