0000000000489508
AUTHOR
L. Di Lauro
A multicenter phase III prospective randomized trial of high-dose epirubicin in combination with cyclophosphamide (EC) versus docetaxel followed by EC in node-positive breast cancer. GOIM (Gruppo Oncologico Italia Meridionale) 9902 study
Background: The Gruppo Oncologico Italia Meridionale 9902 trial compared four cycles of high-dose epirubicin plus cyclophosphamide (EC) with four cycles of docetaxel (Taxotere, D) followed by four cycles of EC as adjuvant treatment of node-positive breast cancer. Patients and methods: Patients were randomly assigned to EC (E 120 mg/m 2 , C 600 mg/m 2 , arm A) for four cycles or four cycles of D (100 mg/m 2 ) followed by four cycles of EC (arm B), both regimens every 21 days. Hormone receptor-positive patients were given hormonal therapy for 5 years. Primary end point was 5-year disease-free survival (DFS). Secondary objectives were overall survival (OS) and safety. Results: There were 750 p…
5-Fluorouracil plus interferon α-2a compared to 5-fluorouracil alone in the treatment of advanced colon carcinoma: A multicentric randomized study
Biochemical modulation is one of the most interesting fields in cancer chemotherapy. Interferon-alpha (IFNalpha) is a cytokine that is able to influence the pharmacodynamics of 5-fluorouracil (5FU) through a number of mechanisms. With the aim of confirming some data emerging from the literature, we initiated a multicentric randomized study comparing the combination of 5FU and IFNalpha-2a with 5FU alone in the treatment of advanced or metastatic colon cancer. A group of 205 colon cancer patients (104 in the 5FU arm and 101 in the 5FU + IFNapha-2a arm) were included in the final intention-to-treat analysis. Rectal cancers were not considered eligible. All patients had measurable disease, were…