Anticancer research
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Anticancer research · Mar 1996
Clinical course of human epithelial-type malignant pleural mesothelioma replicated in an orthotopic-transplant nude mouse model.
Malignant pleural mesothelioma is an aggressive tumor that is essentially unresponsive to standard medical and surgical therapies. Little is actually known about its biologic response to therapeutic interventions, in part because of a lack of a "patient-like" animal tumor model. Most experimental models thus far have been derived from inhalation or inoculation of asbestos fibers into animal subjects or by subcutaneous transplantation of human mesothelial cell lines into nude mice. ⋯ Histologic findings and the immunohistochemical profile were similar to those demonstrated on examination of thoracoscopic parietal pleural biopsy specimens and post-mortem examination of the original patient's tumor. This "patient-like" nude mouse model of epithelial-type malignant pleural mesothelioma, phenotypically similar to the original human tumor, should facilitate future investigation of tumorigenesis and metastatic potential of this neoplasm. The model should serve as a basis for assessing the impact of experimental and existing therapy on malignant mesothelioma.
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Anticancer research · Mar 1996
Treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer with mistletoe: results of a pilot trial.
Pancreatic cancer is a devastating disease with poor prognosis. It is characterized by its unresponsiveness to chemo- and/or radiotherapy. Therefore, many patients demand alternative drug therapy such as mistletoe treatment. ⋯ All except two patients claimed that mistletoe had a positive effect on their quality of life, with an obvious decline only during the last weeks of life. These results indicate that mistletoe is not able to significantly influence tumor growth in advanced pancreatic carcinomas. However, mistletoe treatment can stabilize quality of life, and therefore may help patients to maintain adequate life quality in their few remaining months.