The grading of glial tumors is based on morphological and sometimes on molecular features. Many markers have been assessed in order to grade the glial tumours without a real consensus. Some authors reported that SRSF1, a spiling factor, presents an expression correlated to the tumours grades.

The aim of this work is to assess the quality of observational studies and to make direct and indirect comparisons of robotic surgery with other approaches.

Previous studies about the relationship between tumor recurrence and NRAMP1 and HGPX1 gene polymorphism in patients with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) showed inconsistent results.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains a major health problem, with a 5-year overall survival of 25%. Surgical management of stage IIIA NSCLC is still controversial. We conduct a systematic analysis of the different management strategies for stage IIIA-N2 NSCLC.

The "Standards, Options and Recommendations" (SOR)program in oncology, has been initiated in 1993 by the Federation of French Cancer Centres and is realised in collaboration with public and private clinicians,professional federations, scientific societies and since 2005 with National cancer institute. Its aims are to develop clinical practice guidelines (CPG), health technologic assessment reports and systematic reviews. By preparing the latter, it provides support to the scientific societies for the update of their CPG. In this context, the SOR, in collaboration with the French Association of Urology (AFU), has developed a systematic review on the management of nonseminomatous (NSTGC) or seminomatous(STGC) testicular germ cell cancer treated with primary radiotherapy (RT), chemotherapy (CT) or surveillance (SV) after radical orchidectomy. Today, 80 % of patients with testicular germ cell cancer, including metastatic stage, can be cured. Actual challenges are to limit morbidity and late sequels of treatments while maintaining their therapeutic efficacy. Following this goal, surveillance, considered as a therapeutic option, is being broadly developed particularly for localised tumours.

In breast cancer patients, the incidence of involvement of the regional lymph nodes and the risk for developing a locoregional recurrence are highly influenced by several prognostic factors. A meta-analysis of the EBCTCG showed a reduction of about 70% of the locoregional recurrence rate with radiotherapy for all patients, independent of age, characteristics of the tumour or the administration of systemic treatment. At the same time, this meta-analysis confirmed that radiotherapy can lead to an increased risk for developing contralateral breast cancer and to an increase in the risk of non-breast cancer related mortality, mainly due to cardiac and pulmonary toxicity. Because of this, the net effect of regional radiotherapy will be strongly influenced by the individual risk factors of the patients and by the quality of the technical aspects of the radiotherapy. The thin line between the benefits of elective regional lymph node irradiation and the possible late toxicity for patients with early stage breast cancer is currently the subject of several prospective randomised trials, the results of which will only become available in several years. Moreover, recent developments in the field of novel prognostic factors will open completely new ways to be explored, which might give us new tools for estimating the individual benefit/risk ratio for every single patient.

To define a practical attitude for the management of pregnant women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and cervical cancer.

Small cell lung cancers (SCC) represent 20% of all lung cancers. After the initial control of the extension, only one third of the patients with SCC will finally have limited disease. The treatment of limited SCC currently relies on chemo-radiotherapeutic combinations that have improved overall survival and survival without metastases over the last few years. Nevertheless, even in limited forms, survival at 5 years varies from 10 to 15% and rarely exceeds 25% in the best series. The risk of relapse is high: although around 70% of patients with a limited form will have complete response, only 15 to 20% of them will exhibit prolonged survival. Indeed, most patients relapse, and the risk of cerebral dissemination for example is particularly high, reaching 50% at 2 years even in complete responders. After the results of a meta-analysis evaluating prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) among SCC complete responders, demonstrating 5% enhancement of survival at 3 years, PCI is part of the standard management of SCC in complete response. Despite the improvement in overall survival with the combined treatments, the mediocre results observed in terms of long-term survival warrant further clinical trials in order to define the optimal polychemotherapeutic and radiotherapeutic modalities, the best means of combining these two therapies and the place for new therapies.

The process of angiogenesis is an important factor in tumour development. One of the principal factors implicated in this process is vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) which induces, among other things, an increase in vascular permeability. We have undertaken a systematic review of the English and French literature in order to clarify its effect on the survival of patients with small cell (SCLC) and non-small cell (NSCLC) lung cancer. To be eligible studies had to deal with the the evaluation of VEGF or its receptors in lung cancer and describe the relationship of their expression to survival. The survival figures were subject to meta-analysis after a methodological evaluation by means of a specific numerical scale evaluating the design of the study, the methodology (including laboratory techniques), and the analysis of results. Among the 20 studies selected 15 identified VEGF expression, using univariate analysis, as a statistically significant indicator of poor prognosis. 17 reported sufficient data to allow aggregation of the survival figures, of which 15 were devoted to NSCLC (1,549 patients). The median overall methodological score was 48.3% (range 21.8-72.4%), without significant difference (p=0.63) between studies eligible or non-eligible for meta-analysis. The meta-analysis, using the authors' threshold of positivity for VEGF, showed that VEGF is an unfavourable prognostic factor in NSCLC (HR=1.48; 95% confidence interval 1.27-1.72). The data were insufficient to determine the prognostic value of VEGF in SCLC and that of its two receptors Flt-1 and KDR, with 1, 2 and 1 published studies respectively. In conclusion the expression of VEGF in MSCLC is a factor indicating a poor prognosis.

A systematic review of the literature about the role of chemotherapy in comparison to local therapies--surgery or radiotherapy--in non-small cells lung cancers has identified 35 randomised trials. The methodological assessment has not shown significant difference for quality scores between negative or positive studies in term of survival effect. The aggregation (meta-analysis) shows a significant effect of survival improvement by chemotherapy, whatever all indications are considered or subgroups like adjuvant chemotherapy to surgery, neoadjuvant chemotherapy, concomitant radio-chemotherapy and induction chemotherapy prior to thoracic irradiation.

The rational bases for using radiotherapy in gastric cancer are strong since most of the patients will finally die from locoregional recurrence and/or distant metastases. The review of the randomized studies investigating that question failed to demonstrate a benefit from using radiotherapy. Inappropriate methodology could explain the lack of results: the number of patients in the series is too small, the treatment modalities are not standardized, the patients populations are inhomogeneous. Well conceived clinical trials are still required in order to answer that question.

Hormonotherapy in metastatic breast cancer is actually performed using 3 therapeutic classes: antiestrogen as tamoxifen (TAM), progestins, megestrol acetate (MA) and medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), aromatase-inhibitors as aminoglutethimide (AG). We investigated therapeutic efficacy of progestins compared to other hormonotherapies in case of breast cancer with bone metastasis. In a literature review, we found ten randomized trials comparing: MPA versus AG, MPA versus MA, MPA versus TAM, MA versus AG versus TAM. The results show an advantage on the response rate using MPA; the usual dose was 900-2,000 mg daily. MPA mode of action can explain these results since they combine gestagenic, androgenics and glucocorticoid effects.

Important improvements in local control with increasing function-sparing treatment have been achieved in adult soft tissue sarcomas (STS). However, the global prognosis of these diseases remains poor and 40% of patients with STS currently die of metastases within 5 years. In fact, the impact of chemotherapy remains debated, particularly in the adjuvant setting. Thirteen randomized clinical trials with no-treatment control arms have been published to assess adjuvant chemotherapy. A benefit has been demonstrated in 2 studies for overall survival, and in 5 studies when considering disease-free survival (DFS). Globally, despite large differences between studies (patient selection and treatment modalities), overall survival, DFS and local control of the chemotherapy arm were always better than those of the observed arm. These effects were also confirmed in 3 meta-analyses on published data. However, according to the preliminary results of a meta-analysis on individual patient data, overall survival does not appear to be significantly affected. Therefore, adjuvant chemotherapy for STS remains investigational. Randomized studies have to be pursued on the basis of previously performed trials in order to assess which patient group really benefits from adjuvant chemotherapy.

Brachytherapy has confirmed its prevailing role in conservative treatment of oral cavity carcinomas. To describe late toxicity in long-term surviving patients, comparisons with other series are necessary. Study of series of patients implanted for floor of the mouth or mobile tongue shows the need for more detailed data. Dental prophylaxy and lead protection of the mandibule, good indications and techniques of brachytherapy are necessary to avoid late complications. Some treatment factors have proved to be of good prognosis for late complications through multivariate analysis of large series treated with lr 192 wires, using the Paris system, eg, dose rate lower than 0.5 or 0.7 Gy/h, intersource spacing smaller than 1.2 or 1.5 cm, treated surface less than 12 cm2, lineic activity less than 1.5 mCi/cm, less than 1 cm diameter hyperdose, and use of mandibular lead protections. Tumor volume and location to the floor of mouth lead to higher risk of complications. Knowledge of treatment-related factors is important, with the development of new afterloading projectors allowing to control the dose rate and correct small inhomogeneities. High-dose rate exclusive brachytherapy is not recommended. More precise and reproducible classification should be used to report complications in series leading to publications in the future, thus allowing to compare results, reduce complication rates and improve the quality of life.

The prognosis of locally advanced lung cancer is reportedly poor in all histologic types. In non-small cell lung cancer, radiation therapy alone results in disappointing long-term survival. Three recent randomized trials, however, have shown a limited but significant improvement of survival with induction chemotherapy, though local control remained poor in these studies as well as in small-cell lung cancer treated with chemotherapy and late radiotherapy. Two randomized trials focusing on small-cell lung cancer have recently shown significant benefit due to the combination of early concurrent mediastinal irradiation and chemotherapy, with major improvement in local control and a more than 40% 2-year survival rate. The concept of concurrent chemoradiotherapy has also been studied in non-small cell carcinoma with several pilot studies leading to both encouraging results and improved survival rate (up to 40% at 2 years). Ongoing phase III trials are comparing sequential versus concurrent chemoradiotherapy and will define the role of radical surgery after chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Treatment of patients with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) remains disappointing despite high initial complete response rates. The dramatic initial chemosensitivity of tumor cells is frustrated by the early emergence of chemoresistant clonogenic cells, regardless of front line treatments. Although the dose relationship is fairly well established regarding the response rate, its effect on survival is inconclusive. From 1980 to 1988, 202 patients with limited SCLC were included in four consecutive protocols using an alternating schedule of thoracic radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Despite an increase of chemotherapy and/or total radiation doses, no significant difference was observed between the four protocols in terms of response rate, disease free and overall survival. However, a retrospective analysis performed on a total of 131 consecutive patients led us to propose the hypothesis that a moderate increase in the initial dose, ie first course, of cisplatin and cyclophosphamide could improve overall survival. From 1988 to 1991, 105 patients were subsequently included in a large randomized trial raising this question. The treatment difference only concerned the initial doses of cisplatin (80 vs 100 mg/m2) and cyclophosphamide (900 vs 1200 mg/m2). The trial was closed after inclusion of 105 patients, 32 months after the start of the study because at that time overall survival was significantly better in the higher-dose group (p = 0.001). The emergence of this debatable concept opens new directions in the therapeutic strategy of SCLC and the contribution of hematopoietic growth factors may be of great interest in the management of this disease.

A meta-analysis was carried out on the studies of chemotherapy of non small cell bronchial cancer published over the last fifteen years and this has demonstrated that the initial extent of the tumour was a significant prognostic factor in the response to treatment. A total of 6,247 patients were eligible for analysis: 1,435 with limited disease and 4,812 with disseminated disease. The objective and complete response levels for the overall group for those with limited disease and those with disseminated disease were respectively 25 and 3%, 34 and 5% and 22 and 3%. These differences were highly significant. The response level was significantly lower in cases of monotherapy when compared to combinations of cytostatic agents. In polychemotherapy, it was those combinations containing cisplatin, vindesine, vinblastine, mitomycin C and ifosfamide which were associated with the best results. An elevated dose of cisplatin (greater than or equal to 100 mg/m2) was also associated with a better response than those on the lower dose (less than or equal to 70 mg/m2). These differences were most clearly shown in those with limited disease.