According to Phase II clinical trial results to be presented at the 2012 American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting, patients suffering from muscle-invasive bladder cancer might benefit from a tweak in the current standard of treatment.
Since 2003, these patients often have undergone pre-surgical, neoadjuvant MVAC combination chemotherapy in a standard dosage requiring 12 weeks of treatment and often putting the patient at risk of chemo-induced toxicity. (MVAC includes methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin and cisplatin). This regimen's toxicity has been found to be unacceptable.
However, a Phase II study from Fox Chase Cancer Center has found that, pre-surgery, by accelerating MVAC from 12 to six weeks (referred to as AMVAC) the patient enjoys the same benefits of the standard MVAC without the 12 weeks' worth of chemotherapy and with a lower toxicity profile.
"Accelerated MVAC is an excellent option in terms of efficiency, quick time to surgery, tolerability, and complete response rate," said Elizabeth Plimack, M.D., from Fox Chase. "We hope that this regimen, which is well tolerated and can be given efficiently and quickly without sacrificing effectiveness, will help improve acceptance of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the medical oncology and urology community."
Source: Medical News Today
The information provided on CancerTreatment.net is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her health professional. This information is solely for informational purposes and does not constitute the practice of medicine. We encourage all visitors to see a licensed physician or nutritionist if they have any concerns regarding health issues related to diet, personal image and any other topics discussed on this site. Neither the owners or employees of CancerTreatment.net nor the author(s) of site content take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading this site. Always speak with your primary health care provider before engaging in any form of self treatment. Please see our Legal Statement for further information.
