The aim of the study was to compare efficacy and safety of first-line palliative chemotherapy with (EOX) epirubicin/oxaliplatin/capecitabine and (mDCF) docetaxel/cisplatin/5FU/leucovorin regimens for untreated advanced HER2-negative gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma. Fifty-six patients were randomly assigned to mDCF (docetaxel 40 mg/m² day 1, leucovorin 400 mg/m² day 1, 5FU 400 mg/m² bolus day 1, 5FU 1000 mg/m²/d days 1 and 2, cisplatin 40 mg/m² day 3) or EOX (epirubicin 50 mg/m² day 1, oxaliplatin 130 mg/m² day 1, capecitabine 1250 mg/m²/d days 1–21). The primary endpoint was overall survival. The median overall survival was 9.5 months with EOX and 11.9 months with mDCF (p = 0.135), while median progression-free survival was 6.4 and 6.8 months, respectively (p = 0.440). Two-year survival rate was 22.2 % with mDCF compared to 5.2 % with EOX. Patients in the EOX arm had more frequent reductions in chemotherapy doses (34.5 vs. 3.7 %; p = 0.010) and delays in subsequent chemotherapy cycles (82.8 vs. 63.0 %; p = 0.171). There was no statistically significant difference in the rates of grade 3–4 adverse events (EOX 79.3 vs. mDCF 61.5 %; p = 0.234). As compared with the mDCF, the EOX regimen was associated with more frequent nausea (34.5 vs. 15.4 %), thromboembolic events (13.8 vs. 7.7 %), abdominal pain (13.8 vs. 7.7 %) and grades 3–4 neutropenia (72.4 vs. 50.0 %), but lower incidences of anemia (44.8 vs. 61.5 %), mucositis (6.9 vs. 15.4 %) and peripheral neuropathy (6.9 vs. 15.4 %). In conclusion, the mDCF regimen was associated with a statistically nonsignificant 2.4-month longer median overall survival without an increase in toxicity. This trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02445209.

Introduction : Laparoscopic technique combined with the ERAS (Enhanced Recovery after Surgery) protocol enables a shorter hospital stay and a lower complication rate. Although it has been widely used in many patients undergoing elective abdominal surgery, especially in patients with...

Background: Chemotherapy is a cornerstone of treatment in advanced gastric cancer (GC) with a proven impact on overall survival, however, reliable predictive markers are missing. The role of various inflammatory markers has been tested in gastric cancer patients, but there is still no general consensus on their true clinical applicability. High neutrophil-to-lymphocyte (NLR) and low (medium)-platelets-volume-to-platelet ratio (PVPR) are known markers of unspecific immune system activation, correlating significantly with outcomes in advanced GC patients. Methods: Metastatic GC patients (N:155) treated with chemotherapy +/− trastuzumab were enrolled in this retrospective study. Pre-treatment NLR and PVPR, as well as other inflammatory markers were measured in peripheral blood. Univariate Cox regression was conducted to find markers with a significant impact on overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Spearman correlation and Cohen’s kappa was used to analyze multicollinearity. Multiple multivariable Cox regression models were built to study the combined impact of NLR and PVPR, as well as other known prognostic factors on OS. Results: Elevated NLR was significantly associated with increased risk of death (HR = 1.95; 95% CI: 1.17–3.24), and lower PVPR was significantly associated with improved outcomes (HR = 0.53; 95% CI: 0.32–0.90). A novel inflammatory marker, based on a combination of NLR and PVPR, allows for the classification of GC patients into three prognostic groups, characterized by median OS of 8.4 months (95% CI 5.8–11.1), 10.5 months (95% CI 8.8–12.1), and 15.9 months (95% CI 13.5–18.3). Conclusion: The NLR and PVPR score (elevated NLR and decreased PVPR) is a marker of detrimental outcome of advanced GC patients treated with chemotherapy.

Currently, there are a few systemic treatment options for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Targeted therapy used in this setting includes the use of monoclonal antibodies, such as cetuximab or panitumumab, directed against epidermal growth factor receptor. The aim of the present study was to estimate the frequency and severity of hypomagnesemia among patients with mCRC treated with cetuximab. The data from the Department of Clinical Oncology, University Hospital of Krakow (Krakow, Poland), concerning 52 patients treated between 2009 and 2013 were collected. Of these, 27 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria to enter this retrospective study. The National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 4.0 were used to grade the level of hypomagnesemia. In total, 29.6% of all patients experienced hypomagnesemia during treatment, and the majority of cases were grade 1 (22.2%). There was no statistically significant correlation between magnesium (Mg) level and patient age, duration of treatment, localization of primary tumor or metastases, and the number of metastases. However, there was an upward trend in a logistic regression model showing that the risk of developing hypomagnesemia increases with age. Hypomagnesemia is a frequent problem among mCRC patients receiving cetuximab. It is essential to introduce guidelines regarding the monitoring of the Mg level and its supplementation in this group of patients.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains the third most common malignancy and the third leading cause of cancer death worldwide. The introduction of new chemotherapeutics and monoclonal antibodies into the treatment protocols for advanced CRC has significantly improved the outcomes. Nowadays, oncologists have a wide range of agents to choose for the treatment of advanced CRC; however, their optimal administration remains unclear. This article presents recently published data from the trials evaluating the use of monoclonal antibodies in advanced CRC with a particular emphasis on the predictive and prognostic factors of response to targeted therapy. The results from the CRYSTAL and OPUS studies indicate that the benefit from the addition of cetuximab to first-line chemotherapy is restricted to patients with the wild-type KRAS gene, with the best outcomes observed among those with unmutated forms of both the KRAS and BRAF genes. However, that has not been confirmed in the preliminary data from the COIN trial. Panitumumab has been shown to improve the outcomes when combined with first-line and second-line chemotherapy, but again mostly in patients with wild-type KRAS. The article also describes the detrimental effect of combined anti-vascular endothelial growth factor and anti-epidermal growth factor blockade in the first-line setting observed in the PACCE and the CAIRO-2 trials. Finally, results from the BRiTE registry indicating benefit from continuation of bevacizumab after progression on the first-line regimen are discussed in the context of maintenance therapy. Modern treatment for advanced CRC is based not only on clinical and anatomo-pathological but also molecular tumour characteristics. Our knowledge of the optimal administration of monoclonal antibodies in advanced CRC has extended significantly over the last few years; however, there are still many questions that have to be answered in future trials.

The quality of information that oncological patients receive from health care professionals is an underestimated issue in Poland and Eastern European countries. There is lack of sufficient data on this subject. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) supplies a new tool for measuring the quality of information provided to cancer patients. The purpose of the study is the translation into Polish, pilot testing and preliminary validation of the EORTC information module (INFO25). Following the EORTC translation procedures, forward and back translations of the questionnaire were performed (English → Polish, Polish → English). The intermediate version of the INFO25 was pilot-tested together with the general questionnaire of quality of life (EORTC QLQ-C30). Reliability, validity and known-group comparison tests were performed. A total of 21 patients with different cancer diagnoses were recruited into the study (7 women and 14 men; mean age of 60,2 years, age range 25–73 years). Apart from filling out the INFO25, patients were interviewed about the difficulties with answering every questionnaire item. Patients' comments were analyzed and minor language changes were made to the initial translation. The internal consistency of the INFO25 showed a reliability of 0,78. The final version of the Polish translation of the INFO25 module was obtained and approved by the EORTC Quality of Life Department. It can now be used in clinical setting and for scientific purposes.