Treating patients undergoing chemotherapy who display findings of liver toxicity, requires a solid understanding of these medications. It is important for any clinician to have an index of suspicion for liver toxicity and be able to recognize it, even on imaging. Cancer chemotherapy has evolved, and newer medications that target cell biology have a different pattern of liver toxicity and may differ from the more traditional cytotoxic agents. There are several hepatic conditions that can result and keen clinical as well as radiographic recognition are paramount. Conditions such as sinusoidal obstructive syndrome, steatosis, and pseudocirrhosis are more commonly associated with chemotherapy. These conditions can display clinical signs of acute hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and even liver failure. It is important to anticipate and recognize these adverse reactions and thus appropriate clinical action can be taken. Often times, patients with these liver manifestations can be managed with supportive therapies, and liver toxicity may resolve after discontinuation of chemotherapy.
Adult ; Aged ; Antibiotics, Antineoplastic/adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic/adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Agents/*adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating/adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Drug-Induced Liver Injury/etiology/radiography ; Enzyme Inhibitors/adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Fatty Liver/etiology/radiography ; Female ; Humans ; Immunotherapy ; Liver Cirrhosis/etiology/radiography ; Liver Diseases/etiology/*radiography ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasms/therapy ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

OBJECTIVEA multi-center randomized phase III clinical trial was designed to evaluate the efficacy, clinical benefit response (CBR) and toxicity profile of germcitabine (GEM) or GEM plus cisplatin (CDDP) for locally advanced (LAPC) or metastatic pancreatic cancer (MPC).

METHODSFrom July 2000 to May 2001, 42 untreated patients with LAPC or MPC were collected and randomized into two groups: Arm A-GEM 20 patients and Arm B-GEM + CDDP 22 patients. Eligibility criteria were: cytologically and pathologically proven pancreatic carcinoma, Karnosky performance status (KPS) 60 - 80, age 18 - 75 yrs, adequate hematological, renal and liver function, measurable disease, and controllable pain. For Arm A patients, weekly dose of GEM 1 000 mg/m(2)/w for 7 times followed by a week rest. Then weekly GEM at the same dose for 3 times every 4 weeks. Arm B patients were given weekly dose of GEM 1 000 mg/m(2)/w for 3 times every 4 weeks combined with CDDP 60 mg/m(2) on D15 for 3 cycles.

RESULTSThirty-four patients were available for objective response (Arm A 16 and Arm B 18) and 36 (Arm A 16 and Arm B 20) for CBR evaluation. In Arm A and Arm B, PR 1 (6.3%) and 2 (11%), MR 4 (25%) and 3 (16.7%), SD 7 (43.8%) and 8 (44.4%), PD 4 (25%) and 5 (27.8%), PR + MR 31.3% and 27.8%, PR + MR + SD 75% and 72.2% were observed. Positive CBR was 14/16 (87.5%) in Arm A and 14/20 (70.0%) in Arm B. The negative results was 2/16 (12.5%) in Arm A and 6/20 (30.0%) in Arm B. The median time of disease progression was not yet available at present. The 3-month survival rate of both Arm A and B was 100%, the 6-month survival rates of Arm A and B were 81.3% and 61.6% and the 12-month survival rates of Arm A and B was 31.3% and 11.1%, with median survivals of 273 and 217 days. The incidence of hematological and non-hematological toxicity of Arm A was lower than that of Arm B without statistical significance. The toxicity ranging from being mild to moderate was manageable.

CONCLUSIONGEM or GEM plus CDDP is able to lead to a moderate objective response rate, also significantly improve the quality of life in patients with locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer patients, prolonging the survival time with tolerable toxicity.

Adult ; Aged ; Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Agents ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; CA-19-9 Antigen ; analysis ; Cisplatin ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Deoxycytidine ; adverse effects ; analogs & derivatives ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pancreatic Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; mortality ; Survival Rate ; Treatment Outcome

No abstract available.
6-Mercaptopurine/*adverse effects/metabolism/therapeutic use ; Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic/adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Azathioprine/*adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Cohort Studies ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Humans ; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases/*drug therapy/etiology ; Leukopenia/chemically induced

Adolescent ; Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Drug Interactions ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Methotrexate ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma ; drug therapy ; Sex Factors ; Tetrahydrofolates ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Treatment Outcome

Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; C-Reactive Protein ; analysis ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Cytarabine ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Fever ; blood ; chemically induced ; diagnosis ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma ; blood ; drug therapy ; Teniposide ; therapeutic use

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between single nucleotide polymorphism of NUDT15 gene (SNP rs116855232) and hepatotoxicity in children with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). METHODS: A total of 135 children with ALL in Shandong Province were recruited in this study, and patients were divided into two groups based on the presence of liver injury. Genotypes of each patient were detected using PCR and Sanger sequencing. Clinical data and the average dose of 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) were collected and analyzed by SPSS 19.0 software. RESULTS: Respectively, 99 patients were found with CC genotype, 32 patients with CT genotype and 4 patients with TT genotype. Compared with ALL patients without hepatotoxicity, there was a difference in genotypes between the two groups in the initial stage of chemotherapy for leukemia (Chi CONCLUSION The polymorphism of rs116855232 in NUDT15 gene was associated with hepatotoxicity induced by 6-mercaptopurine in children with ALL, and ALL patients with TT genotype should take a lower dose of 6-MP to avoided hepatotoxicity.
Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic/therapeutic use* ; Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury/genetics* ; Child ; Genotype ; Humans ; Mercaptopurine/adverse effects* ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma/genetics* ; Pyrophosphatases/genetics*

No abstract availble
Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic/*adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Colon/pathology/radiography ; Colonoscopy ; Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous/diagnosis/*etiology ; Fluorouracil/*adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Rectal Neoplasms/*drug therapy ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

OBJECTIVE6-Mercaptopurine (6-MP) has been the backbone of maintenance chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the response to 6-MP is highly variable, adverse events leading to discontinuation or dose-reduction (children intolerant) of 6-MP occur in many children with ALL. The aim of this study was to investigate the tolerability of 6-MP and to optimize thiopurine use.

METHODSThe authors evaluated in a prospective manner the tolerance of 6-MP in ALL children from Oct. 1, 2004 to Sept. 30, 2007 who were newly diagnosed in Beijing Children's Hospital, using BCH-ALL-2003 protocols, during the maintenance therapy and followed up to Sept. 30, 2008. All children had a treatment period of at least 3 months for maintenance therapy.

RESULTSTotally 133 children including 81 boys and 52 girls at median age of 67 months (18 - 188 months), 100% of the patients went into complete remission (CR) on day 33 of induction chemotherapy, and the median time to CR was 26 months (6 - 47 months). All the children had maintenance therapy from 3 to 25 months (mean 13.5 +/- 7.4) and 72(54%) received 6-MP standard doses continuously for total courses, the median daily dose of 6-MP was 46 mg/(m(2).d) 6-MP, their WBC was (3 - 4) x 10(9)/L, ANC (1.5 - 2) x 10(9)/L, they had no severe liver toxicity. In 4 children the dose of 6-MP was increased to 125% because WBC was higher than 6 x 10(9)/L, ANC higher than 3 x 10(9)/L. Sixty one children (46%) had poor tolerability to 6-MP, they experienced adverse events that led to discontinuation (n = 19) or dose reduction (n = 42) of 6-MP, the actual mean dose for the 42 cases was 25 - 30 mg/(m(2).d) and the time to occurrence of toxic effects was 2.5 weeks. Reasons for discontinuation or dose reduction were severe myelotoxicity occurred in 48 children, hepatotoxicity in 12, and skin rash in one.

CONCLUSIONSIn this cohort of ALL children, the difference of tolerance to oral 6-MP was obvious, 54% of the children well tolerated 6-MP during the whole course at oral standard dose, and severe granulocytopenia did not occur. However, 46% developed severe granulopenia or hepatotoxicity, the dosage had to be reduced in order to decrease the probability of severe toxicity. It is suggested that standard dose of 6-MP is not always the maximum tolerant dose in some children and inadequate dose may be the cause of therapy failure.

Adolescent ; Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic ; adverse effects ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Mercaptopurine ; adverse effects ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Prospective Studies

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effect of combined preoperative xeloda and pelvic radiotherapy on locally advanced lower rectal cancer.

METHODSSixty lower rectal cancer patients were divided randomly into two groups. 30 patients (Group A) were treated with operation alone and 30 patients (Group B) were treated with xeloda and radiotherapy before operation.

RESULTSThe operative resection, anal preservation and local recurrence rates were 86.66%, 33.33%, 15.38% in group A and 100%, 83.33%, 0% in group B (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONCombined preoperative xeloda and radiotherapy for lower rectal cancer is able to significantly improve the operative resection, anal preservation and decrease the local recurrence rates.

Adult ; Aged ; Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic ; therapeutic use ; Capecitabine ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Deoxycytidine ; adverse effects ; analogs & derivatives ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Fluorouracil ; analogs & derivatives ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Postoperative Complications ; etiology ; Radiotherapy ; adverse effects ; Rectal Neoplasms ; therapy

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the response rate and adverse reactions of xeloda, an analogue of 5-fluorouracil, in the treatment of relapsed and metastatic breast cancer.

METHODSTwenty-two breast cancer patients who had recurrent and metastatic measurable foci were treated from Dec. 1999 to Feb. 2000. Xeloda was given, as a single drug, at a dose of or 2,510 mg/m2/d, bid, for two weeks followed by one week rest as one cycle, at least for one cycle in each patient.

RESULTSAmong these 22 patients, there was no complete response. Rates of partial response 8(36.4%), stable disease 10(45.5%), progressive disease 4(18.2%), and clinical benefit response (CR + PR + SD) 18(81.8%). The response rate in patients who had failed in previous chemotherapy of taxanes and/or anthracycline was 30.0%-33.3%. The common adverse reactions were hand-foot syndrome, skin pigmentation, nausea, vomiting, anorexia and fatigue. Mild-moderate anemia and leukopenia were observed in 36.4% of patients. Stomatitis, dizziness, diarrhea and chest distress were present in some. One patient developed degree IV myelosuppression. Total bilirubin and alanine transaminase (ALAT) mild elevation occurred in a few patients.

CONCLUSIONXeloda is an effective drug in the treatment of patients with relapsed and metastatic breast cancer, especially for those who have failed in chemotherapy with taxanes and/or anthracycline. Xeloda is well tolerated but has mild adverse reactions.

Adult ; Aged ; Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Breast Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Capecitabine ; Deoxycytidine ; adverse effects ; analogs & derivatives ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Fluorouracil ; analogs & derivatives ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Recurrence