The pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and safety of zoledronic acid (Zometa), a new-generation bisphosphonate, were evaluated in 36 patients with cancer and bone metastases. Zoledronic acid (by specific radioimmunoassay) and markers of bone turnover were determined in plasma and urine after three consecutive infusions (qx28 days) of 4 mg/5 min (n = 5),4 mg/l5 min (n = 7),8 mg/15 min (n = 12), or 16 mg/15 min (n = 12). Zoledronic plasma disposition was multiphasic, with half-lives of 0.2 and 1.4 hours representing an early, rapid decline of concentrations from the end-of-infusion C(max) to < 1% of C(max) at 24 hours postdose and half-lives of 39 and 4526 hours describing subsequent phases of very low concentrations between days 2 and 28 postdose. AUC0-24 h and C(max) were dose proportional and showed little accumulation (AUC0-24 h ratio between the third and first dose was 1.28). Prolonging the infusion from 5 to 15 minutes lowered C(max) by 34%, with no effect on AUC0-24 h. Urinary excretion of zoledronic acid was independent of infusion duration, dose, or number of doses, showing average Ae0-24 h of 38% +/- 13%, 41% +/- 14%, and 37% +/- 17%, respectively, after 4, 8, and 16 mg. Only trace amounts of drug were detectable in post 24-hour urines. Renal clearance (Ae0-24 h)/(AUC0-24 h) was on average 69 +/- 28,81 +/- 40, and 54 +/- 34 ml/min after 4,8, and 16 mg, respectively, and showed a moderate correlation (r = 0.5; p < 0.001) with creatinine clearance, which was 84 +/- 23, 82 +/- 25, and 80 +/- 40 ml/min for the dose groups at baseline. Adverse events and changes from baseline in vital signs and clinical laboratory variables showed no relationship in terms of type, frequency, or severity with zoledronic acid dose or pharmacokinetic parameters. Zoledronic acid produced significant declines from baseline in serum and/or creatinine-corrected urine C-telopeptide (by 74%), N-telopeptide (69%), pyridinium cross-links [19-33%), and calcium (62%), with an increasing trend (by 12%) in bone alkalinephosphatase. There was no relationship of the magnitude and duration of these changes with zoledronic acid dose, Ae0-24 h, AUC0-24 h or C(max). The antiresorptive effects were evident within 1 day postdose and were maintained over 28 days across all dose levels, supporting monthly dosing with 4 mg zoledronic acid.

Oral mucositis is the dose-limiting toxicity for patients receiving concurrent chemoradiotherapy regimens for tumors of the head and neck area. Currently, the management of established mucositis includes the use of topical anesthetics and systemic analgesics. Based on the clinical evidence of pain alleviation by topical morphine in patients with some inflammatory and painful conditions, a clinical study was undertaken to determine this effect on mucositis-associated pain.

A multi-center randomized phase III clinical trial was designed to evaluate the efficacy, clinical benefit response (CBR) and toxicity profile of germcitabine (GEM) or GEM plus cisplatin (CDDP) for locally advanced (LAPC) or metastatic pancreatic cancer (MPC).

In the Asia-Pacific region and elsewhere, almost 85% of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are inoperable at diagnosis and have a dismal prognosis. Tamoxifen (TMX) is believed to inhibit HCC positive for estrogen receptor (ER), but most HCCs are ER negative. Results of previous phase 3 trials in inoperable HCC have been conflicting and inconclusive. At higher doses, however, TMX inhibits HCC through ER-independent mechanisms. A multicenter randomized controlled trial was performed to assess the role of high-dose TMX versus placebo (P) in the treatment of patients with inoperable HCC with respect to survival and quality of life (QoL). A total of 329 patients from 10 centers in 9 countries in the Asia-Pacific region enrolled in a double-blind randomized controlled trial of TMX 120 mg/d (TMX120) against P as a control arm with an intermediate dosage of TMX 60 mg/d (TMX60) to assess possible dose response. An independent data monitoring committee reviewed all aspects of the trial. QoL was assessed using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 questionnaire. Three-month survival rates for the P, TMX60, and TMX120 groups were 44%, 41%, and 35%, respectively, with a statistically significant trend difference in survival across the 3 treatment regimens (P =.011). There was a significantly higher risk of death in the TMX120 group compared with the P group (hazard ratio, 1.39; 95% confidence interval, 1.07-1.81). Adverse drug reactions were reported in 3% (9 patients), and 8 patients were lost to follow-up. In conclusion, TMX does not prolong survival in patients with inoperable HCC and has an increasingly negative impact with increasing dose. No appreciable advantage to QoL with TMX was observed.

To evaluate the effect of telephone follow-up on the physical well-being dimension of health-related quality of life in patients with cancer.

Oral administration of etoposide is limited by the high degree of unpredictable variation in systemic availability. This pilot study was conducted to evaluate the potential of pretreatment with grapefruit juice for improving the use of oral etoposide.

Shortly before the all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) era, the GIMEMA cooperative group initiated a randomized study comparing idarubicin (IDA) alone with IDA plus arabinosylcytosine (Ara-C) as induction treatment in patients with newly diagnosed hypergranular acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). Of the 257 patients evaluable for induction treatment, 131 were randomized to receive IDA alone (arm A) and 126 to receive IDA + Ara-C (arm B). Treatment in arm A consisted of 10 mg/m(2) IDA daily for 6 consecutive days, whereas in arm B it consisted of 12 mg/m(2) IDA daily for 4 days combined with 200 mg/m(2) Ara-C daily in continuous infusion for 7 days. Once in complete remission (CR), patients received 3 consolidation courses of standard chemotherapy, and those still in CR at the end of the consolidation were randomized to receive or not receive 1 mg/kg 6-mercaptopurine daily and intramuscular injections of 0.25 mg/kg methotrexate weekly for 2 years. Overall, 100 (76.3%) patients in arm A and 84 (66.6%) patients in arm B achieved CR (P = NS). Event-free survival (EFS) rates were 35% and 23% for patients in arm A and arm B, respectively (P =.0352). Multivariate analysis revealed that EFS was favorably influenced by induction treatment with IDA alone (P =.0352) and unfavorably influenced by white blood cell (WBC) counts greater than 3000/microL (P =.0001) and increasing age (P =.0251). These results indicate that anthracycline monochemotherapy with IDA favorably influences the EFS of patients with newly diagnosed hypergranular APL.

This randomised study compared protracted venous infusion (PVI) fluorouracil (5-FU) with PVI 5-FU plus mitomycin C (MMC) in patients with advanced oesophago-gastric cancer.

To describe and to determine the robustness of our study evaluating the efficacy of OK-432 (Picibanil) as a therapeutic modality for lymphangiomas.

Bone metastases are a common cause of morbidity in patients with prostate carcinoma. We studied the effect of a new bisphosphonate, zoledronic acid, which blocks bone destruction, on skeletal complications in prostate cancer patients with bone metastases.

To investigate the effects of the dosage of anticancer agents during transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) on the T cell subsets in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

There is considerable evidence to support an immunopathogenic basis of psoriasis. However, changes such as altered angiogenesis have also been implicated in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. AE-941 (Neovastat; Aeterna Laboratories, Quebec City Quebec, Canada) is a naturally occurring product currently in clinical investigation that blocks two main mechanisms of angiogenesis activation, namely, vascular endothelial growth factor and matrix metalloproteinase. We hypothesized that psoriasis could be modulated by inhibiting the neovascularization of psoriatic plaques. We conducted a randomized dose-comparison trial to evaluate the safety and potential therapeutic benefit of AE-941, administered orally to patients with psoriasis. Forty-nine patients with psoriasis were enrolled and assigned to receive AE-941 at 30, 60, 120, or 240 mL/d for 12 weeks. Patients were followed up for another 12-week period. Improvement in the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score was observed in 50%, 41.7%, and 30.8% of the patients receiving 240, 120, and 60 mL/d, respectively. No patients receiving a dosage 30 mL/d showed a PASI score improvement. A statistically significant improvement with increasing dose was observed for the PASI score, severity of itch, and the physician's global assessment. The most commonly reported nonserious drug-related adverse events affected the gastrointestinal system in 12 of 49 patients (primarily nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, flatulence, and constipation) and the skin and appendages in 4 of 49 patients (primarily acne and rash). This randomized phase I/II study provides evidence that the antiangiogenic agent AE-941 offers a new therapeutic approach to the management of psoriasis.

Enteric coating of peppermint oil/caraway oil capsules avoids subjective discomfort to the patient caused by gastroesophgeal reflux. In order to confirm bioequivalence of an enteric coated formulation containing peppermint oil and caraway oil (Enteroplant) and an immediate release formulation of both oils, the pharmacokinetics of menthol and carvone after oral administration of the two formulations were studied in a randomized, two-period crossover study in 16 healthy male volunteers. The subjects received 180 mg peppermint oil and 100 mg caraway oil, once as 2 enteric coated capsules of the fixed combination preparation Enteroplant containing 90 mg peppermint oil and 50 mg caraway oil each (test) and once in the form of 5 capsules of an immediate release formulation (reference) containing 36 mg peppermint oil and 20 mg caraway oil each. The capsules were taken with 250 ml water after a 10 h fast. Both substances were determined in plasma by GC/MS after extraction. The limit of quantification was 10 ng/ml for menthol and 0.5 ng/ml for carvone. The mean maximum plasma levels for menthol were 1196 ng/ml after administration of the test medication and 1492 ng/ml after administration of the reference medication. The bioavailability with respect to the AUC was comparable after administration of test and reference preparation, the 90% confidence interval was 97 to 105%. As expected, there were considerable differences for Tmax. After application of the enteric coated form the maximum concentration was reached significantly later (3.0 h vs. 1.7 h) compared to the immediate release capsule. Corresponding data were also calculated for carvone. After application of the test medication the maxima of 14 ng/ml for both formulations were reached later (2.5 h vs. 1.3 h). The 90% confidence interval of the AUC for carvone was 79% to 119% and therefore slightly outside the acceptable range for bioequivalence of 80% to 125%. However, this fact should not be relevant, in particular since the dosage of the enteric coated capsule lies at the upper limit of the model text and positive clinical studies, also on the therapeutic equivalence of the two formulations, are available.

Three clinical trials on the use of tamoxifen to prevent breast cancer have reported mixed results. The overall evidence supports a reduction in the risk of breast cancer, but whether this benefit outweighs the risks and side-effects associated with tamoxifen is unclear.

It is common practice to administer acyclovir as prophylaxis to patients with hematologic malignancies during neutropenia; however, effective therapy requires frequent dosing, which is difficult in this setting. Valacyclovir has greater oral bioavailability and requires less frequent dosing.

Previously, we have shown that the combination of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and cisplatin (CAP) and single-agent carboplatin produce similar survival and progression-free survival rates in women with ovarian cancer. Subsequently, paclitaxel combined with platinum has become a widely accepted treatment for the disease. We aimed to compare the safety and efficacy of paclitaxel plus carboplatin with a control of either CAP or carboplatin alone.

This randomized study of previously untreated patients with extensive disease small cell lung cancer was designed (a) to compare the survival of patients treated with either effective standard chemotherapy or an investigational anti-cancer drug as initial therapy and (b) to evaluate response rates and toxic effects of such therapies. One hundred and thirty-five patients were randomly assigned to receive as initial therapy, either the standard CAV regimen--cyclophosphamide (1000 mg/m(2)), doxorubicin (50 mg/m(2)) and vincristine (1.4 mg/m(2)) every 3 weeks--or the phase II drugs ifosfamide (1.5 gm/m(2)/days 1-5) with mesna (300 mg/m(2)) dose at 0, 4 and 8 h after IV daily ifosfamide every 3 weeks or teniposide (60 mg/m(2)/days 1-5) every 3 weeks. Nonresponders received salvage chemotherapy-etoposide (120 mg/m(2) on days 1, 2 and 3) and cisplatin (60 mg/m(2) on day 1), repeated every 3 weeks. Among the 46 patients on CAV, there were two complete and 24 partial responses (56%). Among the 43 patients on ifosfamide, there were three complete and 18 partial responses (49%), while among the 46 patients on teniposide, there were two complete and 18 partial responses (43%). Eighty-three of the patients proceeded onto salvage regimen, of which 81 were analyzable for response and toxicity. Among the 81 patients who continued on salvage therapy and were evaluable for response, the overall best response rate was 61% for CAV+salvage, 54% for ifosfamide+salvage, and 53% for teniposide+salvage. These rates were not significantly different (P=0.962). Of the 135 analyzable patients, 130 (96%) have died. The estimated median survival time was 42 weeks for CAV patients, 43 weeks for ifosfamide, and 38 weeks for teniposide. Seven patients survived longer than 2 years (four on CAV, one on ifosfamide and two on teniposide). There were 29 life-threatening complications to the induction regimen (22 (48%) on CAV, four (9%) on ifosfamide and three (7%) on teniposide) and seven lethal complications (two on CAV, four on ifosfamide and one on teniposide). The treatments were significantly different with respect to the overall degree of toxicity (P < 0.0001) with CAV being more toxic. The data of this study, like the previous ECOG study suggests that the administration of a new agent followed by effective salvage chemotherapy in the treatment of extensive disease small cell lung cancer may have no adverse effect on survival.

To assess the efficacy and tolerability of bicalutamide 150 mg ('Casodex'(1)) as immediate therapy, either alone or as adjuvant to treatment of curative intent, in patients with early (T1b-T4, any N, M0) prostate cancer.