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Biomedical subjects

D Giannarelli

Publications and source records attributed to D Giannarelli.

98 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

120 peritoneal carcinomatoses from colorectal cancer treated with peritonectomy and intra-abdominal chemohyperthermia: a S.I.T.I.L.O. multicentric study.

A multicentric study has been carried out on 120 patients affected by peritoneal carcinomatosis from colorectal cancer. Patients have been treated by cytoreductive surgery and intra-operative hyperthermic chemoperfusion (HIPEC) with cisplatin (CDDP) and mitomycin-c (MMC). A small group of patients were treated with oxaliplatin (LOHP) following the Elias et al. scheme [intravenous 5-fluorouracil (400 mg/m2) and leucovorin (20 mg/m2) followed by intraperitoneal perfusion with LOHP (460 mg/m2) in 2 l/m2, during 30 min at 43 degrees C]. CC-0 cytoreduction was achieved in 85.2% of the patients. Major morbidity and mortality was 22.5% and 3.3%, respectively. No G4 toxicity was registered. The three-year survival was 25.8%. The difference in survival evaluating complete cytoreduction (CC-0) vs. incomplete (CC1-2; residual tumor nodules greater than 2.5 mm) was statistically significant (p < 0.0001). Evaluating only the patients that could be cytoreduced to CC-0, the 3-year survival was raised to 33.5%. In our experience the peritoneal cancer index (PCI) has been demonstrated to be a weak prognostic factor reaching a statistical significance only after the exclusion of patients with resected hepatic metastases. The patients treated with oxaliplatin were alive and free-of-disease after a 16-month median follow-up.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Prognostic value of bone marrow histology in chronic lymphocytic leukemia. A study of 335 untreated cases from a single institution.

BACKGROUND AND METHODS: A significant correlation between bone marrow (BM) histology, survival and disease progression (DP) probability has been observed by several authors in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The prognostic value of BM histologic patterns on survival and disease progression probability was investigated in 335 B-CLL patients. RESULTS: Actuarial survival probability estimated by univariate analysis proved to be significantly influenced by stage (p < 0.0001), BM histology (p = 0.01), and by the following parameters: anemia (p = 0.0005), splenomegaly (p < 0.001), CLL-related symptoms (p < 0.01), thrombocytopenia (p < 0.01), number of involved nodal areas (p = 0.01) and peripheral lymphocyte count over 30 x 10(9)/L (p < 0.05). In this series we did not detect a discriminating prognostic effect for BM histology within the individual stages. Cox multivariate regression analysis failed to demonstrate a significant value for BM histology, while stage and anemia emerged as the best prognostic variables. Actuarial DP free probability in 294 untreated patients with A and B stages was significantly related to stage (p < 0.00001) and to BM pattern (p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the clear correlation between the D pattern of BM involvement and advanced and early progressive disease, we were unable to demonstrate an independent prognostic value for BM histology. These findings suggest that stage emerged as the best predictive factor of survival probability in our B-CLL patients.

Adult↗

The role of the administration time of prophylactic antibiotic therapy in colorectal cancer surgery: a review of 6,069 patients from 36 randomized clinical trials.

The aim of the present report was to establish the effectiveness of different prophylactic antibiotic regimens and administration times in colorectal cancer surgery. Six thousand and sixty nine patients from 36 selected randomized clinical trials, published between 1980 and 1989, were reviewed. The occurrence of septic events, isolated bacterial strains, fever and postoperative hospitalization times were also analyzed. The therapeutic schedules that included the perioperative administration of antibiotics provided better results that those that did not (p. less than .0001 for infections both specifically related and unrelated to colorectal surgery). The number of postoperative administrations did not affect the clinical results, even if the predominant choice was to give more than one administration of antibiotics. A factorial design demonstrated that prolonging the perioperative administrations up to the postoperative period provided statistically significant benefits (p less than .0001) only with regard to the risk of infections that were not specifically related to colorectal surgery.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Flow cytometric analysis of DNA content and cell kinetics in colorectal carcinoma.

DNA ploidy and cell proliferation were studied by means of flow cytometry in 98 patients with primary colorectal adenocarcinoma. Multiple samples of tumour burden were pooled and freshly dissociated immediately after surgery for FACS analysis. The relationships between ploidy, proliferative activity, evaluated in terms of S-phase percentages (%S), and some clinico-pathological variables were analyzed. 87 of the 98 tumors yielded evaluable DNA histograms: 32 were diploid (37%) and 55 were aneuploid (63%; median DNA index = 1.6). Multiple aneuploid cell populations were found in 15 tumors (17%). The % S was estimated by means of a mathematical model. Aneuploid tumors showed % S values significantly higher than diploid ones (p < 0.0001). Differences in the distribution of DNA aneuploidy were observed in relation to Dukes' stage and tumor site, left colon, rectum and stage D tumors being more frequently aneuploid. No significant differences in proliferative activity were observed in relation to most of the clinical variables, except for higher % S values observed in tumors of right colon compared to those of left colon and rectum.

Adult↗

DNA ploidy, proliferative index and EGF-R status in 130 cases of resected gastric cancer--a multivariate analysis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The purpose of this study was to define the prognostic role of DNA ploidy, proliferative index and EGF-R status in resected gastric cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten clinico-pathological parameters and three biological factors obtained from flow cytometry and immunohisto-chemistry were evaluated in a series of 130 gastric cancer patients who received surgical treatment, including 28 stage IV cases (21.6%), using paraffin-embedded and fresh specimens in 77.7% and 22.3% of the cases, respectively. These variables were first analyzed and tested for correlation within the whole series and then weighted against survival in 117 applicable cases through univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: Aneuploidy was significantly related to higher proliferative activity, EGF-R expression and deeper stomach wall infiltration. Higher proliferative activity was significantly related to deeper stomach wall infiltration and larger tumor diameter. The latter showed a significant relationship to EGF-R expression. Univariate analysis showed the significant variables for survival to be DNA ploidy, pT, pN, M, stage, histological type according to Lauren and tumor diameter. Multivariate analysis calculated on these significant variables using the Cox multiple stepwise regression model detected three factors which independently influence survival: pathological stage (p < 0.00001), histological type according to Lauren (p < 0.002) and DNA ploidy (p < 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: DNA ploidy was shown to be a significant prognostic parameter in resected gastric cancer after pathological stage and histological type according to Lauren. The prognostic roles of proliferative activity and EGF-R status require further investigation.

Adenocarcinoma↗

The effect of extend of caval resection in the treatment of inferior vena cava leiomyosarcoma.

BACKGROUND: A wide and complete surgical resection is the principle modality of therapy in the management of retroperitoneal sarcomas. It is current opinion that, also for inferior vena cava (IVC) leiomyosarcomas, an extended resection of either retroperitoneal tissue and vena cava should be performed. The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of the venous extent of resection on local recurrence and longterm outcome. METHODS: Up to August 1994, 218 patients were enrolled into The International Registry of Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) Leiomyosarcomas. For the purpose of this study we considered 120 patients who underwent a radical resection of the IVC tumor (i.e. removal of all gross disease with microscopic tumor-free margins and no evidence of distant metastases). Resection included an IVC rim in 53 patients and an IVC segment in 67. RESULTS: There were 3 (2.5%) early postoperative deaths and 7 (5.8%) major complications. Postoperative deep venous thrombosis of the lower limbs was diagnosed in 21 (17.5%) patients and was treated by anticoagulant therapy and/or elastic stocking without long-term sequelae. Overall, tumor recurrence was observed in 67 (57.3%) patients at a mean follow-up of 32 +/- 4 months. Seven, 13 and 4 patients who underwent caval wall resection and 9, 29 and 5 patients submitted to a caval segmental resection had either local recurrences, distant metastases or local and distant metastases (p = NS). Survival rates of the two groups were 55% and 37% at 5-year and 42% and 23% at 10-year, respectively (p = NS). CONCLUSION: An extended venous resection in IVC leiomyosarcoma does not influence local recurrence rate nor long-term outcome.

Adolescent↗

The role of multiploidy as unfavorable prognostic variable in colorectal cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the prognostic value of DNA multiploidy in a prospective study on frozen surgical tissue samples from primary colorectal cancer. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Survival data from eleven prospective studies collectively comprising about thirteen hundred patients showed that aneuploidy correlated with a 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) significantly poorer than diploidy, and showed the limited prognostic value of results from retrospective studies employing paraffin-embedded material. METHODS: Multiple tumor samples of fresh/frozen surgical tissues from 120 colorectal cancer patients who had undergone radical surgery were taken for flow cytometric analysis of DNA content, and proliferative activity, shown as percentage of cells in S-phase (%S). The minimum follow-up of this series was 30 months. Univariate and multivariate analyses determined the independent significance of both clinical and biological variable on DFS. RESULTS: Values of %S equal to or higher than 17.3 correlated with a 5-year DFS poorer than values lower than 17.3 (44.5% vs 85.2% respectively; p = .03), even if only in patients younger than 64. The subgroup with multiploid tumors showed a significantly poorer 5-year DFS (44.5% vs. 62.6% in the non multiploid patients; p = .02). Subgrouping the Dukes'B stage alone by multiploidy, the difference in DFS was much more evident (31.2% vs. 68% respectively; p = .0004) and multivariate analysis showed multiploidy as the only significant variable. Above all, adjuvant therapy did not absolutely modify the unfavorable outcome of the multiploid Dukes'B patients. CONCLUSIONS: The prospective evaluation of ploidy allowed us to identify a very high-risk subgroup of patients with multiploid tumors. This biological characterization was easy to demonstrate and, above all in node-negative patients, reliable and very effective in terms of prognosis. The presence of multiploidy should result in a more aggressive therapeutic approach in the adjuvant setting.

Aneuploidy↗

Combined hyperfractionated radiotherapy and protracted infusion chemotherapy in bladder cancer for organ preservation.

PURPOSE: To test an innovative schedule of concurrent protracted intravenous infusion (PVI) of cisplatin (CDDP) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and hyperfractionated radiotherapy (HFRT) with organ-sparing intent in bladder cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty-two patients (pts) were selected to receive an aggressive TURB followed by 2 MCV cycles, and HFRT with concomitant CDDP and 5-FU PVI (33 pts) or HFRT and concomitant CDDP and 5-FU PVI (20 pts). The 5-FU and CDDP doses ranged from 180 to 220 mg/sm/day and from 4 to 6 mg/sm/day, respectively. Radiotherapy was delivered as three 100 cGy fraction per day or two 150 cGy fraction per day to a total dose of 50 Gy to the pelvis and a 20 Gy boost to the bladder. RESULTS: Grade III toxicity in pts who received or not MCV was: rectal tenesmus 12/33 and 0/20, dysuria 6/33 and 4/20, leukopenia 3/33 and 0/20, thrombocytopenia 7/33 and 1/20 pts, respectively. A Grade IV toxicity was observed in 2 pts. Of the 28 evaluable patients treated with MCV, CR were observed in 23 (82%) and PR in 5 cases. Of the 18 evaluable patients treated without MCV, CR were observed in 18 cases (100%). Actually, 65% and 14% of the CR pts treated with or without HCV are alive and free of tumor. CONCLUSIONS: This bladder-sparing treatment shows an acceptable acute and late toxicity, similar to that observed with radiotherapy alone. The high CRs and bladder preservation rates observed deserve further clinical evaluation.

Adult↗