Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0242379 (lung cancer)
 71,905 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) will increasingly come under better control as the current approaches to therapy are more broadly employed and as new therapies are deployed against recently elucidated molecular pathways. In the United States, real progress is finally being made in decreasing tobacco consumption and in lung cancer incidence. The traditional chemotherapeutic compounds that became available earlier this decade (paclitaxel [Taxol], docetaxel [Taxotere], gemcitabine [Gemzar], vinorelbine [Navelbine], irinotecan [Camptosar], topotecan [Hycamtin], and edatrexate) have all been tested as single agents and as doublets with cisplatin (Platinol) and carboplatin (Paraplatin). Paclitaxel with cisplatin or carboplatin and vinorelbine, docetaxel, or gemcitabine with cisplatin have all demonstrated significant activity that now appears clearly better than the prior standard therapy of etoposide (VePesid)/cisplatin. Phase III studies sorting out their benefit relative to each other should be completed in the next 1 to 2 years. To date, no triplet therapy appears better than the corresponding doublet. Non-platinum-containing doublets are just completing their first round of assessments. Aside from new drugs and applications, the use of "small" molecules to inhibit either signal transduction pathways or gene activation is likely to accelerate. Most of the newer chemotherapeutic agents can be interdigitated with radiation and surgery, although evaluations into sequence and dose issues continue. The superior outcomes seen with the newer regimens should translate to the adjuvant and preoperative or preradiotherapy settings relatively quickly. It is now clear that NSCLC is as responsive to therapy as small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) and that outcomes are superior for NSCLC. The enthusiasm for treating SCLC displayed by nononcologists and nonthoracic medical oncologists should be shared for NSCLC.
 ...
PMID:Future directions in non-small-cell lung cancer: a continuing perspective. 951 20

Although small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) represents only 20% of all lung cancer cases in the United States, it is the most lethal subtype. Combination chemotherapy unequivocally offers the best chance for improved survival in SCLC. Either PE (platinum plus etoposide) or CAV (cyclophosphamide, Adriamycin, and vincristine) is a reasonable first-line therapy. Alternating PE with CAV does not appear to be significantly superior to PE or CAV alone. Increasing dose intensity, although sometimes associated with higher response rates, does not appear to significantly improve survival and should not be used outside of a clinical study. Several new agents with novel mechanisms of action show promise in treating SCLC. These include: gemcitabine (Gemzar), paclitaxel (Taxol), docetaxel (Taxotere), topotecan (Hycamtin), and irinotecan (Camptosar). Given the poor survival and response rates in relapsed patients and the chemoresponsiveness of SCLC, patients with newly diagnosed extensive disease should be encouraged to enroll in phase I or II trials. Thoracic radiotherapy confers a small survival advantage in limited-stage SCLC patients. Although prophylactic cranial irradiation does not significantly improve survival, it does reduce central nervous system (CNS) recurrences with minimal long-term sequelae. Surgery should be considered only for: (1) resection of a solitary pulmonary nodule, which must be followed by adjuvant chemotherapy; and (2) resection of an unresponsive chest tumor, which may harbor a non-small-cell lung cancer component.
 ...
PMID:Small-cell lung cancer: treatment progress and prospects. 959 76

The optimal therapy for locally advanced, unresectable, stage III non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) continues to evolve. The critical determinants of overall survival include local tumor control and the eradication of subclinical micrometastatic disease. Historically, standard radiation therapy resulted in a median survival of 7 to 10 months. In a randomized trial, the Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB) established the superiority of induction cisplatin (Platinol) and vinblastine chemotherapy followed by radiation therapy. Additional studies revealed that induction chemotherapy improved survival rates by decreasing metastatic disease progression. Three independent meta-analyses confirmed the survival benefit afforded by cisplatin-based induction chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy, and helped to establish this as the new standard of care. Other investigators have demonstrated improvements in local tumor control and survival with either concurrent chemoradiotherapy or hyperfractionated radiotherapy. Most recently, attention has focused on radiation dose intensity and the utilization of newer, highly active chemotherapeutic agents with concurrent or sequential radiation therapy. These newer drugs, including paclitaxel (Taxol), docetaxel (Taxotere), gemcitabine (Gemzar), vinorelbine (Navelbine), and irinotecan (Camptosar), enhance radiation cytotoxicity and, when administered in systemically active dosages, may also control micrometastatic disease. Phase I and II studies of novel chemoradiation regimens continue to demonstrate encouraging results, and several large randomized clinical trials are currently enrolling patients.
 ...
PMID:Chemoradiation for locally advanced, unresectable NSCLC. New standard of care, emerging strategies. 1049 43

Gemcitabine (Gemzar) was originally approved for use in combination with cisplatin (Platinol) for the treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Research began to focus on combining gemcitabine with newer drugs, such as carboplatin (Paraplatin), vinorelbine (Navelbine), the taxanes, and the camptothecins, when it became clear that these agents had potentially increased efficacy and fewer side effects than the standard treatment. This article will briefly review the original experience with the gemcitabine/cisplatin doublet and then examine the experience to date with non-cisplatin-based gemcitabine doublet combinations in the treatment of advanced NSCLC.
 ...
PMID:Advances in treatment of inoperable NSCLC: gemcitabine doublets--a promising alternative. 1096 Sep 39

Because the majority of patients with stage IIIA N2 non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) ultimately die of distant metastases, recent efforts to improve their intermediate- and long-term survival have focused on neoadjuvant chemotherapy (with or without radiotherapy) as an induction regimen followed by surgical resection. Over the last 15 years, more than 25 phase II trials and two small randomized phase III trials were terminated early because interim analyses confirmed the feasibility of the neoadjuvant approach and suggested a twofold increase in overall survival time compared to surgery alone. The gemcitabine (Gemzar)/cisplatin (Platinol) regimen proved effective in unresectable locally advanced and metastatic NSCLC. Consequently, it is logical to investigate the activity of this combination in locally advanced NSCLC. Preliminary results of five phase II trials have reported an average response rate > 60% in a mixed study population (IIIA and IIIB). Treatment is well tolerated. In studies using the 4-week schedule, the gemcitabine dose was frequently omitted on day 15, mainly due to thrombocytopenia. In January 2000, a randomized clinical trial (Chemotherapy for Early Stages Trial [ChEST]) was initiated in Italy to compare the efficacy of surgery alone vs surgery plus preoperative gemcitabine/cisplatin in early-stage disease (T2-3 N0, T1-2 N1, T3 N1) with the primary end point being progression-free survival.
 ...
PMID:Gemcitabine/cisplatin as induction therapy for stage IIIA N2 non-small-cell lung cancer. 1096 Sep 40

Gemcitabine (Gemzar) is a novel deoxycitidine drug that has demonstrated promising single-agent activity in non-small-cell lung cancer and has been proven to be a potent radiosensitizer. Although the exact mechanism of the radiosensitizing effect is unknown, several studies have focused on the drug's effect on deoxyadenosine triphosphate (dATP) pool depletion or cell-cycle manipulation. A number of trials have evaluated this feature of gemcitabine by combining chemotherapy and radiation in various doses and schedules, and those studies are described in this article. Gemcitabine appears to be a promising agent to be combined with radiation therapy. However, further clinical trials are needed to define optimal doses, toxicity, and efficacy.
 ...
PMID:Combination chemoradiotherapy with gemcitabine: potential applications. 1096 Sep 41

Platinum compounds, either cisplatin (Platinol) or carboplatin (Paraplatin), in combination with a number of new chemotherapeutic agents, have demonstrated improved response or survival compared to cisplatin alone or older platinum-based regimens. Gemcitabine (Gemzar)-platinum combinations are of particular interest because of their interactive mechanisms of action, demonstrated preclinical synergism, and the single-agent activity of gemcitabine. Indeed, gemcitabine and cisplatin regimens have proven to be among the most efficacious in the palliative treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. In view of the reduced nonhematologic toxicities associated with the platinum analogue, carboplatin, several combinations of new agents and carboplatin have been developed and incorporated into clinical practice. This article describes recent clinical trials evaluating gemcitabine plus carboplatin, and the impact of the dosing schedule on the feasibility and tolerability of this combination.
 ...
PMID:Gemcitabine/carboplatin combination regimens: importance of dose schedule. 1096 Sep 42

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the combination of gemcitabine (Gemzar), paclitaxel (Taxol), and carboplatin (Paraplatin) in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Previously untreated patients with stage IIIB or IV NSCLC were included in this trial. A total of 69 patients from the phase II portion and 8 patients from the phase I portion were treated with gemcitabine 1,000 mg/m2 intravenously (i.v.) on days 1 and 8; paclitaxel 200 mg/m2 as a 1-hour infusion on day 1; and carboplatin at an area under the curve (AUC) dose of 5.0 i.v. on day 1. Treatment courses were repeated every 21 days. The phase II component of the study was completed at 13 community-based practices within the Minnie Pearl Cancer Research Network. Of the 71 fully evaluable patients, 34 had an objective response, for an overall response rate of 48%; 2 patients showed complete responses and 32 patients had partial responses. A total of 25 (35%) patients were stable and 12 (17%) patients progressed. The median response duration was 6 months (range 3 to 14 months), and the median survival was 9.9 months, with a 1-year survival of 47% and a 2-year survival of 21%. These results show that the combination of gemcitabine, paclitaxel, and carboplatin is safe and effective; however, randomized phase III studies are needed to prove this regimen is superior to other regimens.
 ...
PMID:Gemcitabine, paclitaxel, and carboplatin for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. 1096 Sep 43

In our previous phase I/II studies, both the cisplatin (Platinol), gemcitabine (Gemzar), and vinorelbine (Navelbine) (PGV), and cisplatin, gemcitabine, and paclitaxel (Taxol) (PGT) regimens produced a median survival of approximately 1 year in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The present phase III study compared the median survival of patients treated with these triple-drug regimens to that of patients receiving cisplatin plus vinorelbine (PV) or cisplatin plus gemcitabine (PG). Accrual for the trial began in 1997 and by December 1998, a total of 240 patients (stage IIIB, 98; stage IV, 142) had been enrolled. An interim survival analysis was performed in April 1999. Overall, 151 patients had died. The median survival rates of patients in the PGV, PG, and PV arms were 51, 42, and 35 weeks, respectively. At the time of this analysis, the median survival of patients in the PGT arm could not be assessed; however, the 1-year projected survival rate was 58%. At multivariate Cox analysis, the estimated risk of death for patients receiving PGV compared with those receiving PV was 0.35 (95% CI, 0.16-0.77, P = .0058). Overall response rates were 47% in the PGV arm, 30% in the PG arm, 25% in the PV arm, and 58% in the PGT arm. Severe neutropenia and vomiting were significantly more frequent in patients who received PV than in those who received PGV. The PV regimen produced a significantly shorter survival compared with the PGV combination. Since this difference in survival complied with one of the early stopping rules, accrual in the PV arm was discontinued. Enrollment in the PGV, PG, and PGT arms is ongoing.
 ...
PMID:Interim analysis of a phase III trial. Triple- vs double-agent chemotherapy for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. Southern Italy Cooperative Oncology Group. 1096 Sep 44

The Hellenic Cooperative Oncology Group conducted a randomized phase III trial to compare paclitaxel (Taxol) 200 mg/m2 i.v. 3-hour infusion on day 1 plus carboplatin (Paraplatin) at an area under the curve (AUC) of 6 (group A) with paclitaxel at the same dose plus gemcitabine (Gemzar) 1,000 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8 (group B) every 3 weeks for a maximum of six cycles in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. To date, 127 eligible patients have been randomized, 63 to group A and 64 to group B, and median follow-up is 4.6 months. Preliminary results suggest that both combinations are well tolerated and can be administered at full doses. Grade 3-4 neutropenia was generally mild but more prominent in group A (10%) and thrombocytopenia was insignificant in both groups. Severe neurotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, or cardiac toxicity have not been recorded in the majority of patients in either group. There was a trend toward higher response rates in favor of group B (group B vs group A, 37.5% vs 21.8%, respectively), although time-to-disease progression did not differ significantly (group B vs group A, 7.25 vs 7.1 months, respectively). Further maturation of the study is needed before definitive conclusions can be drawn.
 ...
PMID:Interim results of a phase III trial. Paclitaxel/carboplatin vs paclitaxel/gemcitabine in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. 1096 Sep 45


1 2 3 4 5 Next >>