“Randomised trial comparing biweekly oxaliplatin plus oral capecitabine versus oxaliplatin plus i.v. bolus fluorouracil/leucovorin in metastatic colorectal cancer patients: results of the Southern Italy Cooperative Oncology study 0401”.

PURPOSE: Oxaliplatin combined with either fluorouracil/leucovorin (OXAFAFU) or capecitabine (OXXEL) has a demonstrated activity in metastatic colorectal cancer patients. We aimed at comparing these two regimens in terms of response rate (RR), safety, progression-free survival (PFS), and quality of life (QoL) of patients. METHODS: A total of 322 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer were randomized to receive biweekly: oxaliplatin 100 mg/m(2) i.v. on day 1, capecitabine 1,000 mg/m(2) orally twice daily from day 1 to day 11 (OXXEL); or oxaliplatin 85 mg/m(2) i.v. on day 1; 6S-leucovorin 250 mg/m(2) i.v. and fluorouracil 850 mg/m(2) i.v. on day 2 (OXAFAFU). RESULTS: Eleven complete and 42…

“Cisplatin (P)-including triplets versus P-free doublets in the treatment of locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): final results of the SICOG 0101 randomized trial”

“Randomized comparison of capecitabine versus fluorouracil/leucovorin in combination with oxaliplatin in metastatic colorectal cancer patients: Southern Italy Cooperative Oncology Group trial 0401”

“OXXEL (Oxaliplatin plus Xeloda) versus OXAFAFU (Oxaliplatin plus folinic acid-modulated 5-fluorouracil i.v. bolus) every 2 weeks in metastatic colorectal carcinoma (MCC): preliminary safety and activity analysis”

[Clinical guidelines for the management of gastrointestinal stromal tumors]

Treatment of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) has been revolutioned by the recently discovered molecular mechanism responsible for the oncogenesis of this disease. In addition, due to the rapid progress at molecular and clinical level observed in the last few years, there is a need to review the current state of the art in order to delineate appropriate guidelines for the optimal management of these tumors. A panel of experts from several specialities, including medical oncology, surgery, pathology, molecular biology and imaging, were invited to participate in a meeting to present and discuss a number of pre-selected questions, and to achieve a consensus according to the categories of…

“OXXEL (oxaliplatin plus Xeloda) vs OXAFAFU (oxaliplatin plus folinic acid-modulated 5-fluorouracil i.v. bolus) every 2 weeks in metastatic colorectal carcinoma (MCC): preliminary safety and activity analysis of a Southern Italy Cooperative Oncology Group (SICOG) phase III trial”

“Comparison of the safety and efficacy of paclitaxel plus gemcitabine combination in young and elderly patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. A retrospective analysis of the Southern Italy Cooperative Oncology Group trials”.

We retrospectively assessed tolerability and efficacy of paclitaxel plus gemcitabine combination in 259 patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) enrolled in three randomized SICOG trials according to their age (70 years) at study entry. Apart from age, demographic and clinical characteristics were similar in the two groups. Response rate of paclitaxel plus gemcitabine was similar in younger and in elderly (36% versus 30%). Chemotherapy was well tolerated, but severe neutropenia (12% versus 7%), anaemia (6.6% versus 1.8%), and vomiting (5% versus 0) were more frequent in elderly patients. Both median progression-free survival (PFS, 5.5 months versus 4.2…