SummaryBackground Previous trials have shown that anti-EGFR monoclonal antibodies can improve clinical outcomes of patients with recurrent or metastatic squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). We assessed the effi cacy and safety of panitumumab combined with cisplatin and fl uorouracil as fi rst-line treatment for these patients.

Summary. About 30% of patients with severe aplastic anaemia (SAA) unresponsive to one course of immunosuppressive (IS) therapy with antithymocyte or antilymphocyte globulin can achieve complete or partial remission after a second IS treatment. Among various second-line treatments, rabbit ATG (r-ATG) could represent a safe and effective alternative to horse ALG (h-ALG). In a multicentre study, 30 patients with SAA (17 males and 13 females, median age 21 years, range 2±67) not responding to a ®rst course with h-ALG plus cyclosporin (CyA) and granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), were given a second course using r-ATG (3´5 mg/kg/d for 5 d), CyA (5 mg/kg orally from day 1 to 180) and G-CSF (5 mg/kg subcutaneously from day 1 to 90). The median interval between ®rst and second treatment was 151 d (range 58±361 d). No relevant side-effects were observed, but one patient died early during treatment because of sepsis. Overall response, de®ned as transfusion independence, was achieved in 23/30 (77%) patients after a median time of 95 d (range 14±377). Nine patients (30%) achieved complete remission (neutrophils >2´0´10 9 /l, haemoglobin >11 g/dl and platelets >100´10 9 /l). The overall survival rate was 93% with a median follow-up of 914 d (range 121±2278). So far, no patient has relapsed. Female gender was signi®cantly associated with a poorer likelihood to respond (P 0´0006). These data suggest that r-ATG is a safe and effective alternative to h-ALG for SAA patients unresponsive to ®rst-line IS treatment.

NCT01086826, www.clinicaltrials.gov.

PURPOSE Comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) is a multidimensional method used by geriatricians and oncologists to detect and evaluate multiple age-related problems and to plan and coordinate interventions. Because its main drawback is the time required, efforts have been made to evaluate screening instruments suitable for preliminarily assessing elderly patients. The main aim of this study was to establish the accuracy of the Vulnerable Elders Survey-13 (VES-13) in predicting the presence of abnormalities revealed by CGA. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients age > or = 70 years with a histologically or cytologically confirmed diagnosis of a solid or hematologic tumor underwent both CGA and a VES-13 assessment, and the reliability and validity of VES-13 were analyzed. Results Fifty-three percent of the 419 elderly patients with cancer (mean age, 76.8 years) were vulnerable on VES-13; the rates of disabilities on CGA and activities of daily living (ADLs)/instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) scales were 30% and 25%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of VES-13 were 87% and 62%, respectively, versus CGA and 90% and 70%, respectively, versus ADL/IADL scales. CONCLUSIONS On the basis of our data, VES-13 is highly predictive of impaired functional status and can thus be considered a useful preliminary means of assessing older patients with cancer before undertaking a full CGA.