Sofia Baka - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Sofia Baka

Research paper thumbnail of Pancreatic cancer from bench to bedside: molecular pathways and treatment options

Annals of translational medicine, 2016

In the last forty years the pancreatic cancer treatment has made advances, however; still novel d... more In the last forty years the pancreatic cancer treatment has made advances, however; still novel drugs are needed. It is known that the five year survival rate remains around 5%. The best treatment option still remains surgery, if patients are diagnosed early. In the last decade the biology of pancreatic cancer has been vastly explored and novel agents such as; tyrosine kinase agents, or vaccines have been added as a treatment perspective. The big challenge is now to translate this knowledge in better outcomes for patients. In this current review we will present information from pancreatic cancer diagnosis to molecular pathways and treatment options; current and future.

Research paper thumbnail of Randomized Trial of the Combination of Lomeguatrib and Temozolomide Compared With Temozolomide Alone in Chemotherapy Naive Patients With Metastatic Cutaneous Melanoma

Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2007

Purpose To evaluate tumor response, pharmacodynamic effects, and safety of a combination of lomeg... more Purpose To evaluate tumor response, pharmacodynamic effects, and safety of a combination of lomeguatrib (LM), an O6-methylguanine DNA-methyltransferase (MGMT) inactivator, and temozolomide (TMZ), TMZ alone, and LM/TMZ after disease progression on TMZ alone in patients with advanced melanoma. Patients and Methods Patients with unresectable stage III or IV cutaneous melanoma who had no prior systemic chemotherapy were randomly assigned to receive either 40 to 80 mg LM and 125 mg/m2 TMZ or 200 mg/m2 TMZ on days 1 through 5 of each 28-day treatment cycle. Drugs were administered orally for up to six cycles of treatment. Patients on TMZ alone were offered LM/TMZ at progression, if fit enough to receive treatment. Results One hundred four patients were enrolled, with 52 in each trial arm. Twenty-seven TMZ-treated patients received LM/TMZ after progression on TMZ. Unexpectedly, analysis of tumor biopsies showed rapid recovery of MGMT after LM/TMZ with 40 mg/d LM. Therefore, doses of LM wer...

Research paper thumbnail of Nivolumab and Ipilimumab as Maintenance Therapy in Extensive-Disease Small-Cell Lung Cancer: CheckMate 451

Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2021

PURPOSE In extensive-disease small-cell lung cancer (ED-SCLC), response rates to first-line plati... more PURPOSE In extensive-disease small-cell lung cancer (ED-SCLC), response rates to first-line platinum-based chemotherapy are robust, but responses lack durability. CheckMate 451, a double-blind phase III trial, evaluated nivolumab plus ipilimumab and nivolumab monotherapy as maintenance therapy following first-line chemotherapy for ED-SCLC. METHODS Patients with ED-SCLC, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0-1, and no progression after ≤ 4 cycles of first-line chemotherapy were randomly assigned (1:1:1) to nivolumab 1 mg/kg plus ipilimumab 3 mg/kg once every 3 weeks for 12 weeks followed by nivolumab 240 mg once every 2 weeks, nivolumab 240 mg once every 2 weeks, or placebo for ≤ 2 years or until progression or unacceptable toxicity. Primary end point was overall survival (OS) with nivolumab plus ipilimumab versus placebo. Secondary end points were hierarchically tested. RESULTS Overall, 834 patients were randomly assigned. The minimum follow-up was 8.9 months. OS w...

Research paper thumbnail of P-26 Phase II trial with RFS 2000 (9NC) in patients with advanced and/or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

Lung Cancer, 2003

NSCLC 1 s97 chemotherapy with further improvement of response in 3. At a median follow up of 15,4... more NSCLC 1 s97 chemotherapy with further improvement of response in 3. At a median follow up of 15,4 months the 1 year overall survival is 74%. GP regimen appears feasible and well tolerated in elderly pts when PS and comorbities are taken into account for tailoring doses. Age should not limit the access to standard P-based chemotherapy in elderly allowing this subset of pts to gain the same benefit expected for younger pts.

Research paper thumbnail of Enhancement of Intratumoral Chemotherapy with Cisplatin with or without Microwave Ablation and Lipiodol. Future Concept for Local Treatment in Lung Cancer

Journal of Cancer, 2015

Novel therapies for lung cancer are being explored nowadays with local therapies being the tip of... more Novel therapies for lung cancer are being explored nowadays with local therapies being the tip of the arrow. Intratumoral chemotherapy administration and local microwave ablation have been investigated in several studies. It has been previously proposed that lipiodol has the ability to modify the microenvironment matrix. In our current study we investigated this theory in BALBC mice. In total 160 BALBC mice were divided in eight groups: a) control, b) cisplatin, c) microwave, d) microwave and lipiodol, e) cisplatin and lipiodol, f) microwave and cisplatin, g) lipiodol and h) lipiodol, cisplatin and microwave. Lewis lung carcinoma cell lines (10(6)) were injected into the right back leg of each mouse. After the 8th day, when the tumor volume was about 100mm(3) the therapy application was initiated, once per week for four weeks. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed for each tumor when a mouse died or when sacrificed if they were still alive by the end of the experiment (8-Canal mu...

Research paper thumbnail of Pancreatic cancer from bench to bedside: molecular pathways and treatment options

Annals of translational medicine, 2016

In the last forty years the pancreatic cancer treatment has made advances, however; still novel d... more In the last forty years the pancreatic cancer treatment has made advances, however; still novel drugs are needed. It is known that the five year survival rate remains around 5%. The best treatment option still remains surgery, if patients are diagnosed early. In the last decade the biology of pancreatic cancer has been vastly explored and novel agents such as; tyrosine kinase agents, or vaccines have been added as a treatment perspective. The big challenge is now to translate this knowledge in better outcomes for patients. In this current review we will present information from pancreatic cancer diagnosis to molecular pathways and treatment options; current and future.

Research paper thumbnail of Randomized Trial of the Combination of Lomeguatrib and Temozolomide Compared With Temozolomide Alone in Chemotherapy Naive Patients With Metastatic Cutaneous Melanoma

Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2007

Purpose To evaluate tumor response, pharmacodynamic effects, and safety of a combination of lomeg... more Purpose To evaluate tumor response, pharmacodynamic effects, and safety of a combination of lomeguatrib (LM), an O6-methylguanine DNA-methyltransferase (MGMT) inactivator, and temozolomide (TMZ), TMZ alone, and LM/TMZ after disease progression on TMZ alone in patients with advanced melanoma. Patients and Methods Patients with unresectable stage III or IV cutaneous melanoma who had no prior systemic chemotherapy were randomly assigned to receive either 40 to 80 mg LM and 125 mg/m2 TMZ or 200 mg/m2 TMZ on days 1 through 5 of each 28-day treatment cycle. Drugs were administered orally for up to six cycles of treatment. Patients on TMZ alone were offered LM/TMZ at progression, if fit enough to receive treatment. Results One hundred four patients were enrolled, with 52 in each trial arm. Twenty-seven TMZ-treated patients received LM/TMZ after progression on TMZ. Unexpectedly, analysis of tumor biopsies showed rapid recovery of MGMT after LM/TMZ with 40 mg/d LM. Therefore, doses of LM wer...

Research paper thumbnail of Nivolumab and Ipilimumab as Maintenance Therapy in Extensive-Disease Small-Cell Lung Cancer: CheckMate 451

Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2021

PURPOSE In extensive-disease small-cell lung cancer (ED-SCLC), response rates to first-line plati... more PURPOSE In extensive-disease small-cell lung cancer (ED-SCLC), response rates to first-line platinum-based chemotherapy are robust, but responses lack durability. CheckMate 451, a double-blind phase III trial, evaluated nivolumab plus ipilimumab and nivolumab monotherapy as maintenance therapy following first-line chemotherapy for ED-SCLC. METHODS Patients with ED-SCLC, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0-1, and no progression after ≤ 4 cycles of first-line chemotherapy were randomly assigned (1:1:1) to nivolumab 1 mg/kg plus ipilimumab 3 mg/kg once every 3 weeks for 12 weeks followed by nivolumab 240 mg once every 2 weeks, nivolumab 240 mg once every 2 weeks, or placebo for ≤ 2 years or until progression or unacceptable toxicity. Primary end point was overall survival (OS) with nivolumab plus ipilimumab versus placebo. Secondary end points were hierarchically tested. RESULTS Overall, 834 patients were randomly assigned. The minimum follow-up was 8.9 months. OS w...

Research paper thumbnail of P-26 Phase II trial with RFS 2000 (9NC) in patients with advanced and/or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

Lung Cancer, 2003

NSCLC 1 s97 chemotherapy with further improvement of response in 3. At a median follow up of 15,4... more NSCLC 1 s97 chemotherapy with further improvement of response in 3. At a median follow up of 15,4 months the 1 year overall survival is 74%. GP regimen appears feasible and well tolerated in elderly pts when PS and comorbities are taken into account for tailoring doses. Age should not limit the access to standard P-based chemotherapy in elderly allowing this subset of pts to gain the same benefit expected for younger pts.

Research paper thumbnail of Enhancement of Intratumoral Chemotherapy with Cisplatin with or without Microwave Ablation and Lipiodol. Future Concept for Local Treatment in Lung Cancer

Journal of Cancer, 2015

Novel therapies for lung cancer are being explored nowadays with local therapies being the tip of... more Novel therapies for lung cancer are being explored nowadays with local therapies being the tip of the arrow. Intratumoral chemotherapy administration and local microwave ablation have been investigated in several studies. It has been previously proposed that lipiodol has the ability to modify the microenvironment matrix. In our current study we investigated this theory in BALBC mice. In total 160 BALBC mice were divided in eight groups: a) control, b) cisplatin, c) microwave, d) microwave and lipiodol, e) cisplatin and lipiodol, f) microwave and cisplatin, g) lipiodol and h) lipiodol, cisplatin and microwave. Lewis lung carcinoma cell lines (10(6)) were injected into the right back leg of each mouse. After the 8th day, when the tumor volume was about 100mm(3) the therapy application was initiated, once per week for four weeks. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed for each tumor when a mouse died or when sacrificed if they were still alive by the end of the experiment (8-Canal mu...