Adjuvant anastrozole versus exemestane versus letrozole, upfront or after 2 years of tamoxifen, in endocrine-sensitive breast cancer (FATA-GIM3): a randomised, phase 3 trial

Background: Uncertainty exists about the optimal schedule of adjuvant treatment of breast cancer with aromatase inhibitors and, to our knowledge, no trial has directly compared the three aromatase inhibitors anastrozole, exemestane, and letrozole. We investigated the schedule and type of aromatase inhibitors to be used as adjuvant treatment for hormone receptor-positive early breast cancer. Methods: FATA-GIM3 is a multicentre, open-label, randomised, phase 3 trial of six different treatments in postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive early breast cancer. Eligible patients had histologically confirmed invasive hormone receptor-positive breast cancer that had been completely remov…

Qol and adherence to i.v. or oral chemotherapy treatment in elderly patients with advanced NSCLC.

e18002 Background: In elderly patients with advanced stage NSCLC the identification of the best treatment-related quality of life becomes the main discriminating endpoint. Methods: In this multicentre study, 53 elderly (≥ 70 yrs) patients with advanced (IIIB-IV) NSCLC were randomly allocated to receive as first-line treatment either Gemcitabine intravenously (1000 mg/m2) or oral Vinorelbine (60 mg/m2) both on days 1 and 8, every 21 days. The primary objective was the evaluation of the QoL, while the secondary one was the assessment of treatment adherence. The EORTC QLQ-C30 v 2.0 and QLQ-LC13 questionnaires have been used to evaluate the quality of life and an “ad hoc” questionnaire for the…

Nab-paclitaxel (nab-P) in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) in elderly patients: A real life setting (NEREIDE study)

Safety and efficacy of the treatment with Nab-paclitaxel in mEtastatic bREast cancer In elDerly patiEnts: NEREIDE study

Metronomic chemotherapy (mCHT) in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients: results of the VICTOR-6 study

Abstract Purpose Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) represents a subtype of breast cancer which lacks the expression of oestrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2): TNBC accounts for approximately 20% of newly diagnosed breast cancers and is associated with younger age at diagnosis, greater recurrence risk and shorter survival time. Therapeutic options are very scarce. Aim of the present analysis is to provide further insights into the clinical activity of metronomic chemotherapy (mCHT), in a real-life setting. Methods We used data included in the VICTOR-6 study for the present analysis. VICTOR-6 is an Italian multicentre retrosp…

Reactions and countermeasures of medical oncologists towards the incoming COVID-19 pandemic: A whatsapp messenger-based report from the Italian college of chief medical oncologists

Background This descriptive, unplanned investigation has been undertaken to report reactions, attitudes and countermeasures which have been put in place and implemented by medical oncology units facing the COVID-19 outbreak in Southern Italy. Materials and methods Data have been retrospectively obtained from the time-related analysis of conversations via a WhatsApp messenger-based group chat between the medical directors belonging to the Italian College of Medical Oncology Directors. Overall number, intensity and time trend of conversations related to reactions during the 4 weeks of observation related to the crucial events which occurred between 24 February and 28 March, 2020 2020 are incl…

Eribulin mesylate use as third-line therapy in patients with metastatic breast cancer (VESPRY): a prospective, multicentre, observational study

Background: In real-world practice, eribulin mesylate provides significant survival benefit, with a manageable safety profile in heavily pretreated patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Methods: In this prospective, open-label, multicentre, observational study we evaluated the effectiveness and tolerability of eribulin as third-line treatment in a homogeneous population. The primary endpoints were the safety profile and response in metastatic sites; secondary endpoints included the response in different subtypes, overall response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Results: From 2013 to 2016, 118 women were treated in 21 Sicilian institutions; the …

TAM895755_Supplementary_material_CLN – Supplemental material for Eribulin mesylate use as third-line therapy in patients with metastatic breast cancer (VESPRY): a prospective, multicentre, observational study

Supplemental material, TAM895755_Supplementary_material_CLN for Eribulin mesylate use as third-line therapy in patients with metastatic breast cancer (VESPRY): a prospective, multicentre, observational study by Vincenzo Adamo, Giuseppina Rosaria Rita Ricciardi, Dario Giuffrida, Giuseppa Scandurra, Antonio Russo, Livio Blasi, Pietro Spadaro, Carmelo Iacono, Hector J. Soto Parra, Antonino Savarino, Francesco Ferraú, Filippo Zerilli, Francesco Verderame, Alfredo Butera, Carlo Santangelo, Veronica Franchina and Michele Caruso in Therapeutic Advances in Medical Oncology