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The aim of this study was to evaluate the intensity and the duration of acneiform skin rash in young and elderly patients, to define a possible relationship between age and skin rash. We retrospectively analyzed all consecutive patients with advanced NSCLC who developed acneiform skin rash during erlotinib treatment at our Clinical Oncology Unit from June 2006 to May 2011. We divided the general case study into two subgroups: young and elderly patients (≥ 65 years) and we compared clinical, pathological and therapeutical characteristics of both subgroups. Among 25 patients affected by advanced NSCLC treated with erlotinib during the reference period, 19 patients (76.0 %) developed acneiform skin rash. Fourteen (73.7 %) of 19 patients were elderly. The majority of elderly patients has developed acneiform skin rash (82.4 vs 62.5 %). In addition, in elderly patients, acneiform skin rash has a higher intensity (for mild rash 7.1 vs 20.0 %, for moderate rash 57.1 vs 60.0 %, for severe rash 35.7 vs 20.0 %) and longer duration, especially for mild and moderate rash (for mild rash 154 vs 40 days, for moderate rash 120 vs 76 days, for severe rash 31 vs 85 days). The univariate analysis showed no statistical significant difference in OS between young and elderly patients (p = 0.191), such as age, does not seem to influence the appearance (p = 0.386), duration (p = 0.455) and grade of acneiform skin rash (p = 0.765). In conclusion, we can affirm that age is an insufficient predictor of acneiform skin rash during erlotinib treatment in advanced NSCLC and does not seem to statistically influence the appearance, duration and grade of skin rash.

Introduction: The aim of this study is to estimate the costs for the foreseeable management of skin toxicity (papulo-pustular reactions) in patients treated with erlotinib for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in order to value the direct medical economical impact. No studies like the above have been published until now., Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed all consecutive patients with NSCLC treated with erlotinib at Clinical Oncology Unit of University Hospital of Ferrara, Italy from June 2007 to May 2011. We evaluated severity and median duration of papulo-pustular reactions for each grade and we identified costs for the different therapeutic interventions., Results: We evaluated 25 patients. Median time follow-up was 18.65 months (range 5.69-88.36). Finally, follow-up 7 patients (28.0%) were alive with metastases and 18 patients (72.0%) were deceased. Nineteen patients (76.0%) developed papulo-pustular reactions: 2 patients (10.5%) mild rash, 11 patients (57.9%) moderate rash and 6 patients (31.6%) severe rash; no case of hospitalization was observed. Median duration of mild rash was 97 days (costs-range: 157.7-452.2 €), median duration of moderate rash was 89 days (costs-range: 438.7-1035.6 €) and median duration of severe rash was 34 days (costs-range: 460.3-1057.2 €)., Conclusions: Our experience, though the analysis of not selected case study, showed that management of skin toxicities related to erlotinib is not so expensive, especially for low grade; therefore, we also recommended to give particular attention to low grade of toxicities for reducing progression to high grade and consequent risk of hospitalization, which really impact on costs.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to evaluate the intensity and the duration of skin rash in young and elderly patients treated with cetuximab for advanced colorectal cancer, in order to define a possible relationship between age and skin toxicity., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed all consecutive patients with advanced colorectal cancer who developed skin rash during cetuximab treatment at the Clinical Oncology Unit from June 2006 to May 2011. We divided the general case study into two subgroups: young and elderly patients (≥ 65 years old), and we compared clinical, pathological, and therapeutical characteristics of both subgroups., Results: Among the 31 patients affected by advanced colorectal cancer (64.5 % with colon cancer and 35.5 % with rectal cancer) treated with cetuximab, 19 patients (61.3 %) developed skin toxicities: seven patients (36.8 %) had grade 1 skin rash, nine patients (47.4 %) had grade 2, three patients (15.8 %) had grade 3, and no grade 4 was found. Ten (52.6 %) out of 19 patients were elderly (>65 years). Concerning skin rash, grading was substantially comparable between the two subgroups, but median duration of skin rash was higher in the first subgroup for all grades. The univariate analysis showed no statistical significant difference in overall survival between young and elderly patients (p = 0.171), such as age that does not seem to statistically influence the appearance (p = 0.386), duration (p = 0.455), and grade of skin rash (p = 0.765)., Conclusions: Age is an insufficient predictor of skin toxicity during cetuximab treatment in advanced colorectal cancer and does not seem to statistically influence the appearance, duration, and grade of skin rash.

Aims and Background: Skin rash is a predictable and manageable side effect of anti-EGFR therapy such as cetuximab. The aim of this study is to estimate the costs for the foreseeable management of skin toxicity in patients treated with cetuximab in our institute in order to assess the direct medical economic impact., Methods and Study Design: We retrospectively analyzed all consecutive patients with advanced colorectal cancer treated with cetuximab at our institute from June 2006 to May 2011. We evaluated the severity and mean duration of skin rash for each grade and we identified the costs for the different therapeutic interventions. Patients were treated according to the general consensus management of skin toxicity associated with cetuximab treatment., Results: We evaluated 31 patients. The median follow-up was 28.95 months (range, 1.84-75.49). At last follow-up 10 patients (32.3%) were alive with metastases, 18 patients (58.1%) had died, 1 patient (3.2%) was alive without evidence of disease, and 2 patients (6.5%) were lost to follow-up. The median progression-free survival was 8.26 months and the median overall survival 32.89 months. Nineteen patients (61.3%) developed skin toxicities: 7 patients (22.6%) grade 1, 9 patients (29.0%) grade 2, 3 patients (9.7%) grade 3; no grade 4 skin toxicity was observed. The median duration of grade 1 toxicity was 79 days (no specific treatments were started), of grade 2 toxicity 95 days (cost range, € 199.50-294.50) and of grade 3 toxicity 64 days (cost range, € 159.42-233.90)., Conclusions: Our experience, through the analysis of nonselected cases, showed that the management of skin toxicities related to cetuximab is not so expensive. We recommend proper care of low-grade toxicities in order to reduce progression to high-grade toxicities and the resulting risk of hospitalization, which really impacts on costs.

Introduction: In the absence of a published head-to-head trial between concomitant cisplatin-radiotherapy vs cetuximab-radiotherapy, we compared results of cetuximab vs cisplatin in unresectable HNSCC in our daily clinical practice. Materials and methods: We retrospectively analyzed all consecutive patients with unresectable HNSCC treated at Clinical Oncology Unit of the University Hospital of Ferrara (Italy) from October 2008 to February 2010. Results: We evaluated 21 patients: at last follow-up, 6 patients (28.6%) were deceased, 15 patients (71.4%) were alive and, among these, 13 (61.9%) were alive without evidence of disease (NED). Median follow-up time was 9.74 months. Median OS was 10.95 months. General characteristics were similar in the two subgroups, except for median age (low in cisplatin-subgroup: 55 vs 72) and the type of response (with a high numbers of complete response in cisplatin-subgroup). By the univariate analysis there was no statistical significance difference in OS (p= 0.898) between the two subgroups. Conclusions: Based on state-of-the-art, it was not possible to identify either treatment regimen is as superior in prolonging either locoregional control or OS: our results seem to indicate that the two treatments may be equally efficacious and deferring the choice of treatment on the toxicity profile. Head-to-head trials are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]