Anticancer research
-
Anticancer research · Nov 2003
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical TrialInfluence of postoperative complementary treatment with lectin-standardized mistletoe extract on breast cancer patients. A controlled epidemiological multicentric retrolective cohort study.
This epidemiological study was performed to evaluate the influence of postoperative complementary treatment with lectin-standardized mistletoe extract (sME) on breast cancer patients. The design (retrolective cohort analysis with parallel groups) and conduct of the study were in agreement with current standards for prospectively randomized clinical trials. A cohort of 1,248 breast cancer patients on postoperative chemo-, radio-, hormone-therapy were studied in 27 randomized centers. ⋯ The rate of sME-associated adverse reactions was 12.8%. All side-effects were mild to moderate, predominantly local skin reactions and self-limiting without therapeutic intervention. Complementary treatment of breast cancer patients with lectin-standardized mistletoe extract (sME) proved to be a well tolerated optimization of standard tumor-destructive therapies, mainly improving quality of life and relapse-free intervals in defined UICC stages.
-
Anticancer research · Nov 2003
Clinical TrialTemozolomide in radio-chemotherapy combined treatment for newly-diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme: phase II clinical trial.
Continuous research into new strategies and chemotherapy agents for the treatment of malignant high-grade gliomas have led to the synthesis of a new chemotherapy drug, temozolomide (TMZ), with a lower toxicity profile compared to conventional chemotherapy agents, such as nitrosoureas. Temozolomide is an oral alkylating chemotherapy agent licensed for the treatment of recurrent high-grade gliomas, anaplastic astrocytoma (AA) and glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Because of its favorable pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties and improved tolerability, TMZ is now under investigation for concomitant use with radiotherapy in patients with newly-diagnosed GBM. We present a phase II clinical trial investigating the efficacy and safety of radio-chemotherapy combined treatment using TMZ, followed by six cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy with TMZ, in patients with newly-diagnosed GBM who have undergone debulking surgery or biopsy only. ⋯ The investigated multimodality treatment regimen was well-tolerated and prolonged survival while improving patients' quality of life.
-
Anticancer research · Nov 2003
Suppression of cystine uptake by sulfasalazine inhibits proliferation of human mammary carcinoma cells.
Malignant progression of lymphoma cells is associated with acquisition of the cystine/glutamate antiporter, xc-, enhancing cystine uptake. Recently, we showed that sulfasalazine (SASP) is a specific xc- inhibitor. Here, we investigated xc- in mammary cancer cell lines. ⋯ The results suggest: (i) malignant progression of human mammary cancer may be associated with acquisition of xc- expression potentially leading to increased growth autonomy and drug resistance, (ii) xc- may act as a therapeutic target.
-
Anticancer research · Sep 2003
Comparative Study Clinical TrialComparison of FDG-PET and technetium-99m MIBI SPECT to detect metastatic cervical lymph nodes in well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma with elevated serum HTG but negative I-131 whole body scan.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of 18-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) and technetium-99m methoxyisobutylisonitrile (Tc-99m MIBI) single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in detecting metastatic cervical lymph nodes (LN) in well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) after total thyroidectomy and radioiodine-131 (I-131) treatments in patients with elevated serum human thyroglobulin (hTg) levels but negative I-131 whole body scan (WBS). Fifteen DTC patients underwent nearly total thyroidectomy and I-131 treatments with cervical LN metastases were included in this study. ⋯ FDG-PET could detect all of the 15 (100%) patients with metastatic cervical LN, but Tc-99m MIBI SPECT revealed lesions in only 9 out of 15 (60%) patients (p value < 0.05). This study demonstrated that FDG-PET is more sensitive than Tc-99m MIBI SPECT in detecting metastatic cervical LN in DTC with elevated serum hTg levels but negative I-131 WBS.
-
Anticancer research · Sep 2003
Effects of UFT on thymidylate synthase and dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase activities in lung cancer.
We measured thymidylate synthase (TS) activity, dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) activity and TS inhibition rate (TSIR) in tumor tissue and lymph node metastasis, considered predictors of response to DIFs, in patients with lung cancer. ⋯ After preoperative treatment with UFT, TS and DPD activities are significantly higher in lung tumor tissue than in normal lung tissue in patients with NSCLC.