Oncology reports
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Clinical Trial
Combined pre-operative chemotherapy with intra-arterial cisplatin and continuous intravenous adriamycin for high grade osteosarcoma.
Osteosarcoma is one of the most common juvenile malignant tumors in Korea. Combined modality treatment (pre-operative chemotherapy + limb salvage surgery + adjuvant therapy) improved the patients' overall survival and quality of life. We evaluated the efficacy and feasibility of pre-operative chemotherapy with intra-arterial (IA) cisplatin plus continuous intravenous infusion (CI) of adriamycin. ⋯ Most patients experienced grade III-IV nausea, vomiting and hematologic toxicities, which were reversible with supportive cares. Pre-operative chemotherapy with IA DDP+CI ADR followed by surgery showed 75% histologic tumor response rate, 83% limb salvage rate and 54.7% 3-year disease-free survival rate with tolerable side effects. To improve the survival rate, the possible role of good salvage chemotherapy with a non-cross resistance regimen in poor responders should be evaluated.
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Multicenter Study
Treatment of subdiaphragmatic Hodgkin's disease: long-term results and side effects.
To evaluate the results, prognostic factors and especially side-effects of the treatment for subdiaphragmatic Hodgkin's disease (SHD) a retrospective study was conducted in the Haematology Departments and in the Cancer Centres of Nancy and Strasbourg between 1976 and 1990; 55 patients corresponding to the IA to IIB SHD stages were analysed. The median age was 45 years. In accordance with Ann Arbor classification, we observed 12 CS IA (21.3%), 2 CS IB (3.5%), 14 CS IIA (25.4%) and 27 CS IIB (49.7%). ⋯ Our data confirm that the most appropriate treatment for stage IA is exclusive radiotherapy and combined therapy for all other cases. With the use of CT-scan and eventually lymphography, the laparotomy is reserved only for cases with an uncertain diagnosis. Tobacco use is also clearly a risk factor in our series for late vascular complications and second cancers.
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This study was designed to evaluate the usefulness of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and sialyl-Tn antigen (STN) levels in peritoneal washings in gastric cancer patients. At the time of laparotomy, peritoneal washings were collected from 96 gastric cancer patients and CEA and STN levels were determined. ⋯ In addition, prognosis in patients with high CEA level was significantly poorer than in those without it. The peritoneal CEA is a prognostic factor in patients with gastric cancer.
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Case Reports
Onset of hepatocellular carcinoma in a non-cirrhotic patient affected with haemochromatosis.
The increased incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients affected with haemochromatosis has previously been attributed to cirrhosis. However, some cases of hepatocellular carcinoma without cirrhosis have recently been reported in patients with haemochromatosis, leading to reconsideration of the role of iron in the tumorigenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma. We describe a 79 year old male patient affected with haemochromatosis and with a multinodular hepatocellular carcinoma, but without any evidence of cirrhosis. The absence of any other cancer risk factor (alcohol abuse, liver viral infections, heredity) has lead us to reconsider the possible role of iron as a direct carcinogen in the onset of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with haemochromatosis.
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The levels of TNF, IL-1 and IL-6 in circulating blood of female WAG/Rij rats were assessed both after total-body irradiation (TBI) and localized irradiation of the right hind leg. The results show that enhanced levels of IL-1 in the circulation reflect a stress situation presumably resulting from handling and halothane anesthesia of the animal. Neither localized irradiation nor TBI resulted in further enhanced levels of IL-1. ⋯ After localized irradiation IL-6 levels remain elevated for a longer period. Still two weeks after irradiation, the longest time investigated, increased levels were observed. We did not observe increased TNF levels after localized irradiation or after TBI.