The unpleasant smell of infected fungating tumors and benign cutaneous ulcers is a distressing clinical problem, known to be associated with anaerobic infection. Topical metronidazole 0.8% gel has been shown to decrease smell from fungating malodorous tumors. This study was conducted to assess prospectively the subjective and bacteriological response to 0.75% metronidazole gel to decrease smell from these lesions and to assess whether bacterial contamination of the tubes of gel occurs during use. Forty-seven patients with benign or malignant cutaneous lesions associated with a foul smell were assessed for smell, pain, appearance, and bacteriological profile before entry and at 7 and 14 days. Forty-one (95%) of the 43 patients assessed at 14 days reported decreased smell. Anaerobic infection was initially found in 25 (53%) of patients and was eliminated in 21 (84%) of these. At review after 7 days, patients reported less pain from the lesions. Discharge and associated cellulitis were also observed to decrease significantly.

Purpose. The combination of vinorelbine and doxorubicin, two very active drugs in metastatic breast cancer, has demonstrated impressive results in terms of efficacy, at the price of cardiac toxicity (10% grades 2-4) due to the cumulative dose of doxorubicin delivered. This study was designed to divide the dose of doxorubicin into two administrations (day 1 and 8) in order to reduce the toxicity profile, while keeping the same level of efficacy.Patients and Methods. Thirty-eight chemotherapy-naïve metastatic breast cancer patients entered into the study and were treated with vinorelbine, 25 mg/m 2 , and doxorubicin, 25 mg/m 2 , both on days 1 and 8, every 3 weeks. Thirty-seven patients were evaluable for efficacy and 38 for tolerance; 71% of the patients presented with visceral metastases.Results. Patients received a median of seven cycles and 94.9% of the intended dose intensity of both drugs. Grade 3-4 neutropenia was reported in 10% of cycles. Alopecia was reported in 89.5% of the patients, and grade 2 nausea/vomiting in 9.3% of the cycles. Grade 1-2 cardiac toxicity was noted in 23.7% of the patients. The objective response rate of the patients was 78.4% (nearly 81% for patients with visceral metastases); the median duration of response was 11.6 months, the median survival 21.6 months, and the 1-year survival 75.2%.Conclusion. This schedule of vinorelbine/doxorubicin represents an active and well-tolerated combination. The Oncologist 2002;7:205-209 The Oncologist 2002;7:205-209 www.TheOncologist.com Correspondence: M. Pawlicki, M.D., Medical Oncology Department, Cancer Institute, Garncarska 11, 31-115 Krakow, Poland. Telephone: 48-12-423-10-34; Fax: 48-12-423-15-89. Received September 28, 2000; accepted for publication March 13, 2002. ©AlphaMed Press 1083-7159/2002 INTRODUCTIONBreast cancer still represents the leading cause of cancer death among the female population in western countries. Most efforts to improve treatment are concentrated on optimizing disease control and preserving quality of life. Although several new agents have been introduced over the last few years, the treatment of metastatic breast cancer remains palliative.Among all treatment approaches, anthracycline-based chemotherapy combinations [1][2][3][4] represent the most active forms of therapy and are able to generate objective response rates (ORR) of between 40% and 70%. This was demonstrated

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract