AIMS AND BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to retrospectively compare different approaches including neoadjuvant chemotherapy. METHODS: Ninety-six consecutive patients with pyriform sinus squamous cell carcinoma with no distant metastases were entered. The first 48 patients were treated with surgery plus postoperative radiation therapy (50-60 Gy) over cervical lymphatics. The next 48 patients were treated by induction chemotherapy with two courses of cisplatin, 120 mg/m2 i.v. day one, plus bleomycin, 20 mg/m2/day for 5 consecutive days in 24-hr i.v. perfusion followed by definitive surgery and postoperative radiation therapy as in the first therapeutic group. RESULTS: Definitive surgery was performed in 38 control vs 39 neoadjuvant patients. Complete response was observed in 9 (18.7%) and partial response in 32 (66.7%) of 48 chemotherapy-treated patients. Partial plus complete response was seen in 41 (85.4%) of the 48 patients. Comparison between controls versus chemotherapy-treated groups showed persistence of the disease in 10 vs 9 patients; local-regional relapses in 21 versus 14 patients; and distant metastases in 4 vs 2 patients. Median survival was 12 vs 40 months. Survival curves were statistically better in neoadjuvants than in controls (P < 0.025). CONCLUSIONS: Multidisciplinary therapy slightly decreases the rate of local-regional relapses and distant metastases and should improve survival in this set of pyriform sinus cancer patients.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Glutathione and glutathione S-transferases in human squamous cell carcinomas of the larynx and GSTM1 dependent risk.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to establish the risk of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the larynx associated with the congenital absence of glutathione S-transferase M1 (GSTM1), and to describe the expression of the isoenzymes GSTA1/2, GSTP1-1, and GSTM1 and glutathione (GSH) content in healthy and tumoral larynx tissue. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Blood samples from 160 SCC male patients and 158 controls were phenotyped for GSTM1 by ELISA. Using 37 paired samples (normal and tumour specimens) from cancer patients we carried out a descriptive study of enzyme activity by ELISA (GSTs) and Ellman's as say (GSH) RESULTS: GSTM1 null phenotype was more common in the SCC group than in controls (OR 1.9, CIs 1.18-3.05, p = 0.004). Total GST activity was higher in tumour samples than in matched healthy tissue (2.2-fold, p-0.00001), being largely determined by GSTP1-1 (1.9-fold increased in malignant tissue; p = 0.0003). The GSH content was also significantly higher in SCC than in normal mucosa (1.9-fold, p = 0.0007). CONCLUSIONS: We confirmed the GSTM1-dependent risk for larynx cancer among smokers. The overexpression of the GST/GSH system in tumours reported here indicates their possible role in chemoresistance to pharmacological therapy.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Cellular and molecular mechanisms of neurodegeneration].

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Alzheimer Disease↗