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Claus-Peter Schneider

Publications and source records attributed to Claus-Peter Schneider.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

Randomized, multicenter, open-label phase II study of gemcitabine plus single-dose versus split-dose carboplatin in the treatment of patients with advanced-stage non-small-cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Gemcitabine/carboplatin is a convenient and effective treatment for advanced-stage non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but modification of the schedule to diminish thrombocytopenia is worthwhile. PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred fifty-eight chemotherapy-naive patients with stage IIIB/IV NSCLC were randomized from 15 centers in Germany to receive gemcitabine 1250 mg/m(2) on days 1 and 8 plus carboplatin area under the curve 5 on day 1 (arm A) or carboplatin area under the curve 2.5 on days 1 and 8 (arm B), every 21 days for 4 cycles. RESULTS: The 2 arms (A vs. B) were well balanced with regard to patient baseline characteristics: stage IV 72.5% versus 69%, median Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 1 versus 1. The incidence of grade 3/4 hematologic toxicity was as follows (percentage of patients in arm A vs. B): leukopenia 37.5% versus 27% (P = 0.075), granulocytopenia 36% versus 36%, and thrombocytopenia 51% versus 35% (P = 0.017). Nonhematologic toxicity was modest and comparable with both schedules. The overall response rate was 46% versus 36% (P = 0.12), and 24% versus 42% had stable disease. Median progression-free survival (5.8 months vs. 6.1 months) and overall survival (11.7 months vs. 10.7 months) were not significantly different between arms A and B. CONCLUSION: Splitting the dose of carboplatin between days 1 and 8 on the same days as gemcitabine results in a significantly decreased incidence of severe thrombocytopenia, without compromising the activity of the combination.

Adult↗

Standardized quantification of circulating peripheral tumor cells from lung and breast cancer.

Detection and quantitation of circulating tumor cells from solid epithelial tumors could become a valuable tool for therapy monitoring if the procedure can be standardized. In the present work we assessed the influence of pre-analytical handling, storage and white blood cell isolation on analysis of a population of spiked tumor cell-line cells and intrinsically present epithelial cells in the peripheral blood of breast and lung cancer patients and the sensitivity of their detection. Sucrose density separation did not enrich epithelial cells, and even depleted them, leading to a gross underestimation of their numbers (3/13 positive, between 2.9 and 50 cells/mL) in comparison to red blood cell lysis (13/13 positive, between 77,200 and 800 cells/mL). Short-term storage of whole blood samples for up to 7 days had little influence on the number of epithelial cells recovered. The effectiveness of magnetic bead enrichment was dependent on the number of relevant cells and the volume used for enrichment. Red blood cell lysis and fluorochrome-labeled antibody staining in a no-wash procedure with subsequent laser scanning cytometry allowed the detection of circulating epithelial cells in 92% of breast and lung cancer patients. Two examples of how this method can be applied for the longitudinal analysis in individual patients are shown, with an increase in numbers preceding relapse and a decrease paralleling tumor reduction. The proposed simple and easy method allows close monitoring, which may help in real-time analysis of the response of solid tumors, especially their systemic component, to therapy and hopefully will contribute to more individually tailored therapy.

Adolescent↗

A multicenter phase II study of gemcitabine and oxaliplatin for malignant pleural mesothelioma.

We conducted a phase II multicenter trial to evaluate the activity of combined gemcitabine and oxaliplatin in malignant pleural mesothelioma. Twenty-five patients were recruited between May 1999 and December 2001 and received gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2 intravenously over 30 minutes and oxaliplatin 80 mg/m2 intravenously over 3 hours on days 1 and 8 of a 21-day cycle for a maximum of 6 cycles. Eligibility criteria included an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0-2 and no prior chemotherapy. Best objective responses achieved were as follows: partial response, 10 patients (40%, 95% CI, 21%-61%); stable disease, 6 patients (24%, 95% CI, 9%-45%); and progressive disease, 9 patients (36%, 95% CI, 18%-57%). Median time to disease progression was 7 months, and median survival was 13 months. One-year survival was 60% (95% CI, 31%-72%). There were 2 deaths from disease progression. Toxicity was mainly hematologic. Grade 3/4 nausea and vomiting occurred in 8% of patients, neuropathy occurred in 8% of patients, and diarrhea occurred in 4% of patients. The combination of gemcitabine and oxaliplatin was shown to be active in malignant pleural mesothelioma and to exhibit tolerable toxicity in an outpatient setting.

Journal Article↗