Jan Van den Brande - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Jan Van den Brande

Research paper thumbnail of Primary cardiac synovial sarcoma of the interatrial septum

Journal of Cardiac Surgery

Research paper thumbnail of 5536 POSTER A non-randomized single-centre comparison of induction chemotherapy followed by chemoradiation versus chemoradiation for locally-advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

European Journal of Cancer Supplements, 2007

Research paper thumbnail of Practical implications of cytotoxic drug administration

CME Journal of Gynecologic Oncology

There are different ways of delivering cytotoxic drugs to the tumor in cancer patients. An overvi... more There are different ways of delivering cytotoxic drugs to the tumor in cancer patients. An overview of intravenous, intra-arterial, subcutaneous/intramuscular, intraventricular/intrathecal, intraperitoneal, intrapleural/intrapericardial, intravesicular and intracerebral drug administration is provided. Possible complications, local and/or systemic, and their prevention and management are discussed. Attention is paid to ways of providing treatments on an ambulant basis.

Research paper thumbnail of Pulmonary embolism

New England Journal of Medicine

Research paper thumbnail of FIRE-3 and C80405: Is There a Best Choice for Initial Treatment of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer?

Current Colorectal Cancer Reports, 2015

Research paper thumbnail of Tissue is the issue

Research paper thumbnail of 2007 - Rasschaert M et al - Anticancer Drugs - solid tumors

The present phase I trial was planned to assess the maximum tolerated dose, the dose-limiting tox... more The present phase I trial was planned to assess the maximum tolerated dose, the dose-limiting toxicity and the pharmacokinetics of bendamustine hydrochloride in a once every 3 weeks schedule, and to recommend a safe dose for future phase II studies. Included were patients with refractory solid tumors. Bendamustine hydrochloride was administered as a short intravenous infusion over 30 min. The starting dose was defined at 160 mg/m 2 and dose escalation used increments of 20 mg/m 2 . Plasma and urine samples were analyzed using validated high-pressure liquid chromatography/fluorescence assays. Twenty-six patients (14 men, 12 women) were enrolled for the study. At 280 mg/m 2 , one out of four patients developed a thrombocytopenia grade 4, two experienced grade 3 fatigue and three experienced cardiac toxicity (grade 2). The latter toxicity was considered dose limiting also and further dose escalation was stopped. Plasma pharmacokinetics parameters of bendamustine hydrochloride and its metabolites were assessed in 15 patients. Mean pharmacokinetic parameters of bendamustine hydrochloride were a t max of 32.3 min, a t 1/2 of 37.8 min, a volume of distribution of 14.2 l/m 2 and a clearance of 287.8 ml/min/m 2 . No dose dependency of bendamustine hydrochloride was observed within the used dose range. The metabolites comprised only 23% of the overall area under the concentration-time curve. The maximum tolerated dose of bendamustine hydrochloride on day 1 q 3 weeks is 280 mg/m 2 . Fatigue and cardiac toxicity were dose limiting. The plasma pharmacokinetics data of bendamustine and its metabolites were in accordance with previous reports. The recommended dose for future trials is 260 mg/m 2 every 3 weeks.

Research paper thumbnail of 141 A phase II feasibility study of concurrent radiotherapy and gemcitabine for patients with cancer of the head and neck

European Journal of Cancer Supplements, 2003

Research paper thumbnail of Use of antiemetics in the prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting: review and focus on the Belgian situation

Acta gastro-enterologica Belgica, 2014

Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is a common, distressing, debilitating and costly... more Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is a common, distressing, debilitating and costly side effect, experienced by up to 90% of patients receiving highly emetogenic drugs. During the last 20 years great advances have been made in the prevention and treatment of CINV. Aprepitant (a neurokinin-1 antagonist) and palonosetron (a 5-HT3 antagonist) are the most recent additions to the available armamentarium. The aim of this paper is to review the most recent findings concerning the pathophysiology and prevention of CINV, and the international guidelines currently in place for its prevention and treatment. Among the treatments available, 5-HT3 antagonists and NK-1 antagonists are compared. In a large meta-analysis (8 studies in 3 592 patients) statistically significant differences in favour of palonosetron compared with first-generation 5-HT3 antagonists have been demonstrated in the prevention of acute, delayed and overall CINV. A recent, large phase III randomized, gender-str...

Research paper thumbnail of Diarrhea and the rationale to use Sandostatin

Acta gastro-enterologica Belgica

This paper reviews the research that has been conducted into the use of Sandostatin to control th... more This paper reviews the research that has been conducted into the use of Sandostatin to control the debilitating symptoms of diarrhea in a number of different etiologies. These are cancer-related diarrheas, including diarrhea related to chemotherapy, radiotherapy, neuroendocrine tumor carcinoid syndrome, vasoactive intestinal peptide-secreting tumors and also non-cancer related diarrhea, including short bowel syndrome, ileo- and jejunostomy, dumping syndrome, graft versus host disease and AIDS-related diarrhea. There is an increasing recognition of the need to balance the cost of care with patient outcome. It is becoming clear that although the cost of a therapeutic regimen with Sandostatin is substantially greater than the current non-specific therapy, the overall cost is potentially greater without the use of Sandostatin for patients with refractory diarrhea due to the inevitable need for further treatment and/or hospitalization with intravenous fluid supplementation. Initial trial...

Research paper thumbnail of Docetaxel, ifosfamide and cisplatin (DIP) in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

Anticancer research, 2009

Docetaxel, ifosfamide and cisplatin have all shown activity in squamous cell carcinoma of the hea... more Docetaxel, ifosfamide and cisplatin have all shown activity in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). The optimal combination of the three drugs is, however, unknown. Considering the favorable results of taxane-containing triplets as induction chemotherapy in locally advanced (LA) SCCHN, DIP (docetaxel, ifosfamide, cisplatin) was studied in this setting as part of a phase I dose- and sequence-exploring study. D (60 or 75 mg/m(2)) was given by 60-min infusion on day 1, I (1000 mg/m(2)/day), with mesna until 12 hours after I, by 24-h infusion days 1-5, and P (50 or 75 mg/m(2)) by 24-h infusion on days 1 or 5. The cycles were repeated every 21 days. Toxicities according to the National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria version 2 (NCI-CTC2) were evaluated weekly and response was evaluated every 2 cycles according to the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. Thereafter, radiotherapy (RT, cumulative dose 70 Gy) or chemoradiation (CRT), both with conventional fra...

Research paper thumbnail of Methotrexate-associated liver toxicity in a patient with breast cancer: case report and literature review

The Netherlands journal of medicine, 2002

A patient with breast cancer developed severe asthenia, accompanied with progressively increasing... more A patient with breast cancer developed severe asthenia, accompanied with progressively increasing transaminases, during adjuvant chemotherapy with CMF (cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil). Additional blood tests and imaging were negative. A liver biopsy revealed a grade II toxic hepatitis. Because methotrexate was suspected to be the cause of the hepatotoxicity, the administration of this drug was stopped and mitoxantrone was given instead. A recovery of clinical symptoms and normalisation of the liver function tests was observed afterwards. In that sense, mitoxantrone appears to be a valuable alternative to methotrexate in cases of hepatotoxicity in patients with breast cancer. An overview of the literature regarding methotrexate hepatotoxicity is presented.

Research paper thumbnail of 717 POSTER Difluorodeoxyuridine (dFdU) plasma concentrations with weekly low dose gemcitabine during chemoradiation in head and neck cancer patients

European Journal of Cancer Supplements, 2007

efficacy against cDDP resistant tumor cells, the synergy of the two drugs in preclinical models a... more efficacy against cDDP resistant tumor cells, the synergy of the two drugs in preclinical models and their generally non-overlapping toxicity profiles. Methods: Patients (pts) with advanced/metastatic solid tumors, relapsing after chemoradiotherapy or surgery plus radiotherapy (RT), were sequentially allotted to dose levels (DL) 1, 2 and 3 of B (5, 7 and 9 mg/m 2 , respectively) and fixed dose of cDDP (75 mg/m 2 ) given IV every 3 weeks. Cohorts of 3 to 6 pts were treated. DLTs were defined as grade (G) 4 neutropenia for 7 days, febrile neutropenia (FN), neutropenic infection, G 4 thrombocytopenia for 7 days or associated with bleeding, any G 3/4 non-hematological toxicities, and 2-week delay in starting cycle 2 due to toxicity. Results: 21 pts (11 males), median age 61 years [40−76], were treated. Primary tumor types included 15 squamous cell carcinoma (11 head and neck, 4 uterine cervix), 2 leiomyosarcoma, and 4 others. At study entry 8 pts had locally recurrent and 13 had metastatic disease. Median ECOG-PS was 0. All pts had at least one prior therapy: 1 pt had RT, 2 surgery plus RT, 4 surgery plus chemotherapy (CT), 2 RT and CT, 12 surgery plus RT and CT (most consisting of platinum-based combination therapy). Five pts were treated at DL1, 10 at DL2 and 6 at DL3. DLTs consisted of 1 FN, and 1 G 3 asthenia lasting 11 days in 1 pt each at DL3. DL2 was then expanded to 6 pts; none of them experienced DLTs. This cohort was again expanded to 10 pts for completing PK evaluations at the recommended dose. None of these pts experienced DLTs. G 3/4 treatment related toxicities at DL1 were neutropenia in 4 out of 5 pts, thrombocytopenia in 2 pts and FN in 1 pt; at DL2 they consisted of neutropenia in 8 out of 10 pts and in 1 pt vomiting and diarrhoea; at DL3 they were neutropenia in 5 out of 6 pts, thrombocytopenia in 4 pts, fatigue and FN in 2 pts each and anemia in 1 pt.

Research paper thumbnail of Bloedingen en trombo-embolische verwikkelingen bij patiënten met vaste tumoren

Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde, 1998

Research paper thumbnail of Pneumonectomy for Lung Metastases: Report of Ten Cases

The Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeon, 2003

Isolated Lung Perfusion with gemcitabine for the treatment of pulmonary metastases. Experimental ... more Isolated Lung Perfusion with gemcitabine for the treatment of pulmonary metastases. Experimental study in a rat model.

Research paper thumbnail of Intraperitoneal Treatment of Peritoneo-venous Shunt Infection in a Cancer Patient

Scandinavian Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2000

Research paper thumbnail of P-347 A dose finding phase I study of melphalan using isolated lung perfusion with pulmonary metastasectomy in patients with metastatic pulmonary adenocarcinoma, sarcoma or other melphalan-sensitive malignancy

Research paper thumbnail of Pulmonary toxicity and bleomycin

The Lancet, 1994

1. Lancet. 1994 Jul 2;344(8914):56. Pulmonary toxicity and bleomycin. Dirix LY, Schrijvers D, Dru... more 1. Lancet. 1994 Jul 2;344(8914):56. Pulmonary toxicity and bleomycin. Dirix LY, Schrijvers D, Druwè P, Van den Brande J, Verhoeven D, Van Oosterom AT. Comment on: Lancet. 1993 Oct 16;342(8877):988. PMID: 7516990 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]. Publication Types: ...

Research paper thumbnail of Safety, tolerability and anti-tumour activity of the androgen biosynthesis inhibitor ASP9521 in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer: multi-centre phase I/II study

Investigational New Drugs, 2014

Background: ASP9521 is a first-in-class orally available inhibitor of the enzyme 17 β-hydroxyster... more Background: ASP9521 is a first-in-class orally available inhibitor of the enzyme 17 β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 5 (17 βHSD5; AKR1C3), catalysing the conversion of dehydroepiandrosterone and androstenedione into 5-androstenediol and testosterone. It has demonstrated antitumour activity in in vitro and in vivo preclinical models. Material and methods: This first-in-man phase I/II study utilised a 3+3 dose escalation design starting at 30 mg ASP9521/day, with the aim of defining a maximum tolerated dose, as defined by the incidence of dose-limiting toxicities.

Research paper thumbnail of Merkel cell carcinoma and multiple basal cell carcinoma in an African albino woman with HIV infection

HIV Medicine, 2004

A 25-year-old HIV-infected African albino woman developed an aggressive Merkel cell carcinoma on ... more A 25-year-old HIV-infected African albino woman developed an aggressive Merkel cell carcinoma on her face and at least 10 basal cell carcinomas, mainly on sun-exposed parts of her body. HIV infection, immune deficiency and sun exposure are known risk factors for the development of Merkel cell carcinoma. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy were only temporarily successful. She died shortly after surgery was performed to remove the tumour.

Research paper thumbnail of Primary cardiac synovial sarcoma of the interatrial septum

Journal of Cardiac Surgery

Research paper thumbnail of 5536 POSTER A non-randomized single-centre comparison of induction chemotherapy followed by chemoradiation versus chemoradiation for locally-advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

European Journal of Cancer Supplements, 2007

Research paper thumbnail of Practical implications of cytotoxic drug administration

CME Journal of Gynecologic Oncology

There are different ways of delivering cytotoxic drugs to the tumor in cancer patients. An overvi... more There are different ways of delivering cytotoxic drugs to the tumor in cancer patients. An overview of intravenous, intra-arterial, subcutaneous/intramuscular, intraventricular/intrathecal, intraperitoneal, intrapleural/intrapericardial, intravesicular and intracerebral drug administration is provided. Possible complications, local and/or systemic, and their prevention and management are discussed. Attention is paid to ways of providing treatments on an ambulant basis.

Research paper thumbnail of Pulmonary embolism

New England Journal of Medicine

Research paper thumbnail of FIRE-3 and C80405: Is There a Best Choice for Initial Treatment of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer?

Current Colorectal Cancer Reports, 2015

Research paper thumbnail of Tissue is the issue

Research paper thumbnail of 2007 - Rasschaert M et al - Anticancer Drugs - solid tumors

The present phase I trial was planned to assess the maximum tolerated dose, the dose-limiting tox... more The present phase I trial was planned to assess the maximum tolerated dose, the dose-limiting toxicity and the pharmacokinetics of bendamustine hydrochloride in a once every 3 weeks schedule, and to recommend a safe dose for future phase II studies. Included were patients with refractory solid tumors. Bendamustine hydrochloride was administered as a short intravenous infusion over 30 min. The starting dose was defined at 160 mg/m 2 and dose escalation used increments of 20 mg/m 2 . Plasma and urine samples were analyzed using validated high-pressure liquid chromatography/fluorescence assays. Twenty-six patients (14 men, 12 women) were enrolled for the study. At 280 mg/m 2 , one out of four patients developed a thrombocytopenia grade 4, two experienced grade 3 fatigue and three experienced cardiac toxicity (grade 2). The latter toxicity was considered dose limiting also and further dose escalation was stopped. Plasma pharmacokinetics parameters of bendamustine hydrochloride and its metabolites were assessed in 15 patients. Mean pharmacokinetic parameters of bendamustine hydrochloride were a t max of 32.3 min, a t 1/2 of 37.8 min, a volume of distribution of 14.2 l/m 2 and a clearance of 287.8 ml/min/m 2 . No dose dependency of bendamustine hydrochloride was observed within the used dose range. The metabolites comprised only 23% of the overall area under the concentration-time curve. The maximum tolerated dose of bendamustine hydrochloride on day 1 q 3 weeks is 280 mg/m 2 . Fatigue and cardiac toxicity were dose limiting. The plasma pharmacokinetics data of bendamustine and its metabolites were in accordance with previous reports. The recommended dose for future trials is 260 mg/m 2 every 3 weeks.

Research paper thumbnail of 141 A phase II feasibility study of concurrent radiotherapy and gemcitabine for patients with cancer of the head and neck

European Journal of Cancer Supplements, 2003

Research paper thumbnail of Use of antiemetics in the prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting: review and focus on the Belgian situation

Acta gastro-enterologica Belgica, 2014

Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is a common, distressing, debilitating and costly... more Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is a common, distressing, debilitating and costly side effect, experienced by up to 90% of patients receiving highly emetogenic drugs. During the last 20 years great advances have been made in the prevention and treatment of CINV. Aprepitant (a neurokinin-1 antagonist) and palonosetron (a 5-HT3 antagonist) are the most recent additions to the available armamentarium. The aim of this paper is to review the most recent findings concerning the pathophysiology and prevention of CINV, and the international guidelines currently in place for its prevention and treatment. Among the treatments available, 5-HT3 antagonists and NK-1 antagonists are compared. In a large meta-analysis (8 studies in 3 592 patients) statistically significant differences in favour of palonosetron compared with first-generation 5-HT3 antagonists have been demonstrated in the prevention of acute, delayed and overall CINV. A recent, large phase III randomized, gender-str...

Research paper thumbnail of Diarrhea and the rationale to use Sandostatin

Acta gastro-enterologica Belgica

This paper reviews the research that has been conducted into the use of Sandostatin to control th... more This paper reviews the research that has been conducted into the use of Sandostatin to control the debilitating symptoms of diarrhea in a number of different etiologies. These are cancer-related diarrheas, including diarrhea related to chemotherapy, radiotherapy, neuroendocrine tumor carcinoid syndrome, vasoactive intestinal peptide-secreting tumors and also non-cancer related diarrhea, including short bowel syndrome, ileo- and jejunostomy, dumping syndrome, graft versus host disease and AIDS-related diarrhea. There is an increasing recognition of the need to balance the cost of care with patient outcome. It is becoming clear that although the cost of a therapeutic regimen with Sandostatin is substantially greater than the current non-specific therapy, the overall cost is potentially greater without the use of Sandostatin for patients with refractory diarrhea due to the inevitable need for further treatment and/or hospitalization with intravenous fluid supplementation. Initial trial...

Research paper thumbnail of Docetaxel, ifosfamide and cisplatin (DIP) in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

Anticancer research, 2009

Docetaxel, ifosfamide and cisplatin have all shown activity in squamous cell carcinoma of the hea... more Docetaxel, ifosfamide and cisplatin have all shown activity in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). The optimal combination of the three drugs is, however, unknown. Considering the favorable results of taxane-containing triplets as induction chemotherapy in locally advanced (LA) SCCHN, DIP (docetaxel, ifosfamide, cisplatin) was studied in this setting as part of a phase I dose- and sequence-exploring study. D (60 or 75 mg/m(2)) was given by 60-min infusion on day 1, I (1000 mg/m(2)/day), with mesna until 12 hours after I, by 24-h infusion days 1-5, and P (50 or 75 mg/m(2)) by 24-h infusion on days 1 or 5. The cycles were repeated every 21 days. Toxicities according to the National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria version 2 (NCI-CTC2) were evaluated weekly and response was evaluated every 2 cycles according to the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. Thereafter, radiotherapy (RT, cumulative dose 70 Gy) or chemoradiation (CRT), both with conventional fra...

Research paper thumbnail of Methotrexate-associated liver toxicity in a patient with breast cancer: case report and literature review

The Netherlands journal of medicine, 2002

A patient with breast cancer developed severe asthenia, accompanied with progressively increasing... more A patient with breast cancer developed severe asthenia, accompanied with progressively increasing transaminases, during adjuvant chemotherapy with CMF (cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil). Additional blood tests and imaging were negative. A liver biopsy revealed a grade II toxic hepatitis. Because methotrexate was suspected to be the cause of the hepatotoxicity, the administration of this drug was stopped and mitoxantrone was given instead. A recovery of clinical symptoms and normalisation of the liver function tests was observed afterwards. In that sense, mitoxantrone appears to be a valuable alternative to methotrexate in cases of hepatotoxicity in patients with breast cancer. An overview of the literature regarding methotrexate hepatotoxicity is presented.

Research paper thumbnail of 717 POSTER Difluorodeoxyuridine (dFdU) plasma concentrations with weekly low dose gemcitabine during chemoradiation in head and neck cancer patients

European Journal of Cancer Supplements, 2007

efficacy against cDDP resistant tumor cells, the synergy of the two drugs in preclinical models a... more efficacy against cDDP resistant tumor cells, the synergy of the two drugs in preclinical models and their generally non-overlapping toxicity profiles. Methods: Patients (pts) with advanced/metastatic solid tumors, relapsing after chemoradiotherapy or surgery plus radiotherapy (RT), were sequentially allotted to dose levels (DL) 1, 2 and 3 of B (5, 7 and 9 mg/m 2 , respectively) and fixed dose of cDDP (75 mg/m 2 ) given IV every 3 weeks. Cohorts of 3 to 6 pts were treated. DLTs were defined as grade (G) 4 neutropenia for 7 days, febrile neutropenia (FN), neutropenic infection, G 4 thrombocytopenia for 7 days or associated with bleeding, any G 3/4 non-hematological toxicities, and 2-week delay in starting cycle 2 due to toxicity. Results: 21 pts (11 males), median age 61 years [40−76], were treated. Primary tumor types included 15 squamous cell carcinoma (11 head and neck, 4 uterine cervix), 2 leiomyosarcoma, and 4 others. At study entry 8 pts had locally recurrent and 13 had metastatic disease. Median ECOG-PS was 0. All pts had at least one prior therapy: 1 pt had RT, 2 surgery plus RT, 4 surgery plus chemotherapy (CT), 2 RT and CT, 12 surgery plus RT and CT (most consisting of platinum-based combination therapy). Five pts were treated at DL1, 10 at DL2 and 6 at DL3. DLTs consisted of 1 FN, and 1 G 3 asthenia lasting 11 days in 1 pt each at DL3. DL2 was then expanded to 6 pts; none of them experienced DLTs. This cohort was again expanded to 10 pts for completing PK evaluations at the recommended dose. None of these pts experienced DLTs. G 3/4 treatment related toxicities at DL1 were neutropenia in 4 out of 5 pts, thrombocytopenia in 2 pts and FN in 1 pt; at DL2 they consisted of neutropenia in 8 out of 10 pts and in 1 pt vomiting and diarrhoea; at DL3 they were neutropenia in 5 out of 6 pts, thrombocytopenia in 4 pts, fatigue and FN in 2 pts each and anemia in 1 pt.

Research paper thumbnail of Bloedingen en trombo-embolische verwikkelingen bij patiënten met vaste tumoren

Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde, 1998

Research paper thumbnail of Pneumonectomy for Lung Metastases: Report of Ten Cases

The Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeon, 2003

Isolated Lung Perfusion with gemcitabine for the treatment of pulmonary metastases. Experimental ... more Isolated Lung Perfusion with gemcitabine for the treatment of pulmonary metastases. Experimental study in a rat model.

Research paper thumbnail of Intraperitoneal Treatment of Peritoneo-venous Shunt Infection in a Cancer Patient

Scandinavian Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2000

Research paper thumbnail of P-347 A dose finding phase I study of melphalan using isolated lung perfusion with pulmonary metastasectomy in patients with metastatic pulmonary adenocarcinoma, sarcoma or other melphalan-sensitive malignancy

Research paper thumbnail of Pulmonary toxicity and bleomycin

The Lancet, 1994

1. Lancet. 1994 Jul 2;344(8914):56. Pulmonary toxicity and bleomycin. Dirix LY, Schrijvers D, Dru... more 1. Lancet. 1994 Jul 2;344(8914):56. Pulmonary toxicity and bleomycin. Dirix LY, Schrijvers D, Druwè P, Van den Brande J, Verhoeven D, Van Oosterom AT. Comment on: Lancet. 1993 Oct 16;342(8877):988. PMID: 7516990 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]. Publication Types: ...

Research paper thumbnail of Safety, tolerability and anti-tumour activity of the androgen biosynthesis inhibitor ASP9521 in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer: multi-centre phase I/II study

Investigational New Drugs, 2014

Background: ASP9521 is a first-in-class orally available inhibitor of the enzyme 17 β-hydroxyster... more Background: ASP9521 is a first-in-class orally available inhibitor of the enzyme 17 β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 5 (17 βHSD5; AKR1C3), catalysing the conversion of dehydroepiandrosterone and androstenedione into 5-androstenediol and testosterone. It has demonstrated antitumour activity in in vitro and in vivo preclinical models. Material and methods: This first-in-man phase I/II study utilised a 3+3 dose escalation design starting at 30 mg ASP9521/day, with the aim of defining a maximum tolerated dose, as defined by the incidence of dose-limiting toxicities.

Research paper thumbnail of Merkel cell carcinoma and multiple basal cell carcinoma in an African albino woman with HIV infection

HIV Medicine, 2004

A 25-year-old HIV-infected African albino woman developed an aggressive Merkel cell carcinoma on ... more A 25-year-old HIV-infected African albino woman developed an aggressive Merkel cell carcinoma on her face and at least 10 basal cell carcinomas, mainly on sun-exposed parts of her body. HIV infection, immune deficiency and sun exposure are known risk factors for the development of Merkel cell carcinoma. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy were only temporarily successful. She died shortly after surgery was performed to remove the tumour.