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Biomedical subjects

A Luini

Publications and source records attributed to A Luini.

161 records · Page 9Linked to original sources

Restaging of patients with ovarian carcinoma.

Sixty-four patients, 34 with no clinical evidence of disease (NED) and 30 with clinical evidence of disease (ED), were submitted to restaging with peritoneoscopy plus diaphragmatic inspection, peritoneal cytology, and lymphography. Eleven patients (32.2%) in the NED group and 25 (83.3%) in the ED group had positive restaging findings. The 3 diagnostic procedures, in combination, are important in establishing occult disease and therefore in the planning of further treatment.

Female↗

Thermal gradient and response to estrogens or antiestrogens in advanced breast cancer.

The correlations between the thermal gradient of superficial breast cancer lesions (before and 15 days after starting treatment) and the end results of hormonal therapies with estrogen and antiestrogens were investigated. Forty-four women with a median age of over 70 with locally advanced breast cancer and/or metastases mainly located in soft tissues entered the study. Twenty-two patients were treated with diethylstilbestrol sodium diphosphate (20 mg/day i.m.) and the other 22 with tamoxifen (20 mg/day orally). The initial iperthermia was reduced after 15 days in more than 50% of the cases and remained stationary in the others. The cases with a thermal gradient more than 2 degrees C of the tumors did better, in terms of remission, following therapy (64.7% versus 37.0%. However, an early decrease of the same gradient in the course of therapy appears scantily related to the response. The therapeutic results in the 2 groups were very similar: 45.5% complete or partial regression, with a median duration of more than 8 months, in those treated with diethylstilbestrol and 50%, with a median duration of more than 11 month, in those treated with tamoxifen. Only in some cases of the first group of patients the treatment was discontinued due to severe side effects.

Adult↗

Preoperative irradiation and surgery for esophageal cancer: causes of failure.

Twenty-seven patients with squamous esophageal cancer underwent small volume, low-dose, concentrated radiotherapy followed by esophageal resection whenever possible (esophagectomy for tumors of the thoracic esophagus and esophagogastrectomy for tumors of the lower esophagus). Curative resectability was 70% (19/27) with 4 operative deaths (21%). Recurrence rate was 66% after a mean period of 16 months, and the failure pathway was nodal in 53% of the cases. Historical comparison of the data suggests that preoperative irradiation increases the curative resectability rate without changing the early recurrence rate or failure pathway. Tumors with deeper invasion of the esophageal wall, which benefit by preoperative irradiation, are probably related to greater nodal diffusion, which is partly outside of the volume that may be resected or irradiated.

Adult↗

Laparoscopy combined with peritoneal cytology in staging and restaging ovarian carcinoma.

The merits of laparoscopy, with inspection of the diaphragmatic leaves, and of peritoneal cytology (free fluid or washing) in staging and restaging were studied in 153 patients with ovarian carcinoma. Of 153 patients examined, 83 were new cases, 34 were restaging in patients without clinical and/or radiological signs of disease, and 36 in patients with evident disease. The conversion rate for diaphragmatic metastases alone was 6%. Information about the spread of disease (diaphragmatic metastases) was obtained in 33 new cases (39.7%). In pretreated patients, laparoscopy was positive in 4 of 34 NED restaging and in 24 of 36 ED restaging. The conversion rate for peritoneal cytology was 6.6%, but information about the cellular intraperitoneal spread of the disease was obtained in 31 new cases (37.8%). In pretreated patients, peritoneal cytology was positive in 4 of 34 NED restaging and in 13 of 36 ED restaging.

Ascitic Fluid↗

Conservative treatment of breast cancer. A trial in progress at the Cancer Institute of Milan.

The report describes a clinical trial on conservative surgery in progress at the National Cancer Institute of Milan, Italy. The randomized clinical trial compares radical mastectomy with a more conservative procedure consisting of mammary resection plus axillary dissection plus radiotherapy. The resection comprises an entire quadrant of the breast together with the overlying skin and the corresponding portion of the fascial sheet of the pectoralis major. The axillary dissection is performed in continuity with the resected breast quadrant except in cases with tumors of lower inner quadrants, who need two separate incisions. After surgery the patients receive 6000 rads to the residual breast tissue over five to six weeks, starting 15 days after operation. The cosmetic results are satisfactory in approximately 70% of cases. The trial is limited to cases with tumors less than 2 cm and no palpable axillary nodes (T1N0M0). Patients with histologically positive lymph nodes (N+) are submitted to adjuvant chemotherapy with CMF for one year. From September 1973, to October 1976, 331 cases entered the trial. One hundred sixty were treated with radical mastectomy and 164 with the conservative procedure. Axillary metastases were found in 23% of the radical and in 29% of the conservative surgery group. Four local-regional recurrences have occurred till now, two in each group. Five cases in the radical mastectomy group and one in the conservative group had distant metastases. The clinical trial will collect some 500 cases by the end of 1977 and significant preliminary results are expected to be available from 1978.

Adult↗

3H-etorphine levels in CNS of tolerant and non-tolerant rats.

Rats were rendered tolerant to etorphine by administering it daily for 5 days at doses of either 10 microgram/kg i.v. or 5 microgram/kg s.c..3H-etorphine was then injected to tolerant and non-tolerant rats; after 15 min their brain and spinal cord were removed for 3H-etorphine assay. Tolerant rats had lower 3H-etorphine levels in both tissues than control rats.

Animals↗

[Conservative treatment of breast cancer. A therapeutic trial in progress at the Cancer Institute of Milan].

The report describes a clinical trial on conservative surgery in progress at the National Cancer Institute of Milan, Italy. The randomized clinical trial compares radical mastectomy with a more conservative procedure consisting of mammary resection plus axillary dissection plus radiotherapy. The resection comprises an entire quadrant of the breast together with the overlying skin. After surgery the patients receive 6 000 rads to the residual breast tissue over five to six weeks, starting 15 days after operation. The cosmetic results are satisfactory in the majority of cases. The trial is limited to cases with tumors less than 2 cm (T1N0M0). Patients with histologically positive lymph nodes (N+) are submitted to adjuvant chemotherapy with CMF for one year. From September 1973 to October 1976, 331 cases entered the trial. One hundred sixty seven were treated with radical mastectomy and 164 with conservative procedure. Axillary metastases were found in 23 per cent of the radical and in 29 per cent of the conservative surgery group. Four local-regional recurrences have occurred till now, two in each group. Five cases in the radical mastectomy group and one in the conservative group had distant metastases. The clinical trial will collect some 500 cases by the end of 1977 and significant preliminary results are expected to be available from the beginning of 1979.

Axilla↗

Conservation approaches for the management of stage I/II carcinoma of the breast: Milan Cancer Institute trials.

The most recent analysis of the results of three major trials on breast conservation carried out at the Milan Cancer Institute between 1973 and 1988 showed that breast conservation consisting of a wide breast resection (quadrantectomy) plus radiotherapy is a safe procedure, and that there are no differences in long-term survival (up to 19 years) compared with women who have undergone Halsted's mastectomy. The studies also showed that reducing the extent of surgery from quadrantectomy to lumpectomy increases the risk of local recurrence by nearly three times, as does withdrawing radiotherapy. However, in women older than 55 years, quadrantectomy alone (without radiotherapy) may yield good results. Among the risk factors for local recurrence, a young age and the presence of an extensive intraductal component are the most significant.

Breast Neoplasms↗

Radioguided sentinel node biopsy to avoid axillary dissection in breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Sentinel node (SN) biopsy may predict axillary status in breast cancer. We retrospectively analyzed more than 500 SN cases, to suggest more precise indications for the technique. METHODS: 99mTc-labeled colloid was injected close to the tumor; lymphoscintigraphy was then performed to reveal the SN. The next day, during surgery, the SN was removed by using a gamma probe. Complete axillary dissection followed, except in later cases recruited to a randomized trial. The SN was examined intraoperatively by conventional frozen section, in later cases by sampling the entire node and using immunocytochemistry. RESULTS: In the first series, the SN was identified in 98.7% of cases; in 6.7%, the SN was negative but other axillary nodes were positive; in 32.1%, the SN was negative by intraoperative frozen section but metastatic by definitive histology, prompting introduction of the exhaustive method. In the randomized trial, the SN was identified in all cases so far, the false-negative rate is approximately 6.5%, and in 15 cases, internal mammary chain nodes were biopsied. CONCLUSIONS: SN biopsy can reliably assess axillary status in selected patients. The problems are the SN detection rate, false negatives, and the intraoperative examination, which can miss 30% of SN metastases. Our exhaustive method overcomes the latter problem, but it is time consuming.

Axilla↗

Activity and toxicity of 4'-iodo-4'-deoxydoxorubicin in patients with advanced breast cancer.

Based on our previous Phase I study indicating good tolerability of the drug, we have evaluated therapeutic activity and acute and subacute toxicities associated with repeated courses of the new anthracycline 4'-iodo-4'-deoxydoxorubicin (I-Dox) at the maximum tolerated dose (80 mg/m2) every three weeks. Thirty-three patients (31 evaluated for activity and 32 for toxicity) with relapsed (11 cases) or advanced breast cancer at presentation (22 cases) were treated with 108 cycles (median 3, range 1-7) for a median cumulative dose of 240 mg/m2. We observed no complete and 11 (35%) partial responses. Minor response was documented in 5 additional patients. The most frequent and severe toxicity was hematological. In 47% of the cycles and 34% of the patients I-Dox administration was associated with WHO grade 4 neutropenia. Severe neutropenia was more frequent after repeated cycles. Similar cumulative toxicity was observed for thrombocytopenia and anemia. In three patients (7 cycles) fever and possible infection occurred during neutropenia and required oral antibiotics. Extra-hematological side-effects were limited to mild/moderate nausea lasting for a few hours and mild fatigue lasting 1-7 days. Alopecia or oral mucositis were minimal or absent in the majority of patients. One case of potential reversible cardiac toxicity was observed after 240 mg/m2 I-Dox in a patient with preexistent cardiac risk factors. In view of the reported activity, good general tolerability, and selective hematological toxicity, I-Dox should be evaluated at higher than the conventionally defined maximum tolerated dose in combination with recombinant human hemopoietic growth factors.

Adult↗

Laparoscopy in staging and restaging of 95 patients with ovarian carcinoma.

The merits of laparoscopy with inspection of diaphragmatic leaves were studied in 95 patients with ovarian carcinoma. Laparoscopy was positive in 19 out of 27 new cases, 11 out of 47 patients previously treated and in apparent complete remission, and 12 out of 21 patients previously treated and with the disease. Thirty-one out of 95 patients were shown to have diaphragmatic metastases alone and/or associated with other localizations of disease. In 5 out of 27 new cases the stage was modified after laparoscopy. The histologic-endoscopic correlation was correct in 28/36 positive cases (78%) and in 31/32 negative cases (97%). In conclusionall patients with ovarian carcinoma should be subjected to laparoscopy as staging and restaging before undergoing laparotomy.

Diaphragm↗

Conservative treatment for breast cancer of limited extent. Results of a randomized trial.

From 1973 to 1980, a controlled clinical trial was carried out at the National Cancer Institute of Milan to compare the Halsted mastectomy with breast quadrantectomy and axillary dissection followed by radiotherapy in patients with breast cancer of less than 2 cm in size. Cases of breast cancer classified as T1N0 were randomized into the two treatment procedures: 349 cases were treated with the Halsted mastectomy and 352 with the quadrantectomy technique. The two series were comparable with regard to age distribution, size, site of primary tumor, menopausal status and frequency of axillary metastases. Three local recurrences occurred in the Halsted group and one in the quadrantectomy group. Actuarial curves showed no difference in the two series with regard to disease-free and overall survival. In view of these results, mastectomy appears to be an unnecessary mutilation for patients with breast carcinomas less than 2 cm in size and no palpable axillary nodes.

Breast Neoplasms↗