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Biomedical subjects

F Bozzetti

Publications and source records attributed to F Bozzetti.

At least 181 records · Page 10Linked to original sources

Effect of total parenteral nutrition on the protein kinetics of patients with cancer cachexia.

AIMS AND BACKGROUND: The question of whether TPN is able to reverse lean body mass depletion in cachectic cancer patients and, in particular, its effect on protein kinetics is a matter of some controversy. This study investigates the impact of TPN on protein kinetics in patients with gastric cancer. METHODS: The study involved three patients with 14-30% weight loss. They were administered a TPN regimen including 33-40 kcal/kg/day and 1.4-1.7 g amino acid/kg/day. The protein metabolism was studied before and during TPN using a stable amino acid isotope. RESULTS: Whole body protein turnover and breakdown did not change during TPN, whereas whole body protein synthesis increased from 3.39 +/- 1.04 to 6.05 +/- 0.48 g/kg/day (P = 0.03). However, the net balance, which was slightly negative prior to TPN, became positive during nutritional support. In the skeletal muscle compartment the synthesis improved with TPN (from 9.38 +/- 2.6 nmol/100 mL/min to 35.95 +/- 3.4 nmol/100 mL/min; P = 0.0143), whereas breakdown did not change significantly. CONCLUSIONS: TPN triggers a positive metabolic response in cachectic cancer patients. Whether this results in a clinical benefit for the patient requires further investigation.

Adult↗

Prognostic effects of lymph node micrometastases in patients undergoing curative gastrectomy for cancer.

AIMS & BACKGROUND: It is not known whether the presence of micrometastases in the regional lymph nodes has an impact on the oncologic outcome of patients undergoing a curative (R0) gastrectomy for cancer. The aim of the study was to assess the effects of the presence of micrometastases on survival. METHODS: We reviewed 29 patients operated on for curative (R0) gastrectomy, with a final diagnosis of pN0, 16 or more lymph nodes in the specimen, and a follow-up of at least 4 years. The original hemotoxylin and eosin slides were reviewed, and a new section was cut from the lymph nodes and immunostained with a pool of antibodies against different types of cytokeratins. Micrometastases were detected in 5 patients (27.5% of the series) and 11 lymph nodes (1.51% of all removed lymph nodes). RESULTS: Mortality due to cancer progression occurred in 3 patients from the pN0 group (14.2%) and 1 patient from the pN1 group (12.5%). CONCLUSIONS: There was no suggestion from the data that the presence of micrometastases carries an ominous prognosis in terms of survival.

Disease Progression↗

[Neurinoma of the abdominal vagus and replapsing peptic ulcer (author's transl)].

A singular association of neurinoma of the abdominal vagus with relapsing peptic ulcer is reported. The singularity lies in the exceptional finding of a neurinoma of the left abdominal vagus -- not previously recorded in the literature -- and in the concomitant severe relapsing peptic ulcer, for which the nerve lesion may have been partly responsible.

Gastrectomy↗

[Immediate and long-term results of anterior resection in tumors of the rectum and sigmoid (author's transl)].

127 anterior resections for adenocarcinoma of the rectum and sigmoid were performed at the Istituto Nazionale Tumori from 1950 to 1972. In 48% of cases the site of tumor was upper rectum and recto-sigmoid. The surgical mortality rate was 4,7%. Complications were observed in about 40%, fecal fistula being the most frequent. It seems correlable with the anastomotic technique and is significantly reduced by colostomy. Local failure occurred in 8,3% of patients with maximum rate (28,5%) for tumors located under 12 cm from the anus. The 5-year over-all survival rate was 73,3% with substantial differences according to the extent in initial disease.

Adenocarcinoma↗

[Prognosis of melanoma of the vulva (author's transl)].

From 1930 to 1972, 27 cases of melanoma of the vulva were treated at the National Cancer Institute of Milan. Prognosis was evaluated in relation to the therapy, the anatomical site, the lymphnodes metastases and the classification according to Clark. The median survival was 20 months and the 4-yr survival was 19%. The authors reached the following conclusions: site and T of melanoma have no prognostic value; survival is strictly related to the lymphnodes metastases and to Clark's classification: no N+ patients survived longer than two years while 62% of N-- patients are still alive after four years. No survival after 2 years was observed in IV-V class of Clark while a 54% survival after 4 years was observed in II-III class of Clark. Surgery gives the best results while radiotherapy as single treatment is useless and its role as adjuvant postoperative therapy is still uncertain.

Female↗

[Parenteral hyperalimentation in patients with advanced neoplastic disease (author's transl)].

Two groups of patients suffering from advanced neoplastic disease were fed parenterally for a period ranging from 1 to 16 weeks. The parameters considered were: weight change, serum albumin level, lymphocyte transformation test and serum immunoglobulin level. There were 23 patients in one group and 21 patients in the other. Regimens included for group I: saline solution (1000-1500 ml), glucose (100-150 g) and amino acids (15-30 g) per day; for group 2: 40-50 Cal/kg per day (dextrose about 15 g/kg per day), about 2 g of amino acids/kg/day and about 40-50 ml water/kg/day. In addition, 13 patients underwent both treatments sequentially. All the Group I patients lost weight (1.3 kg/week); while out of 23 patients in Group 2, 15 gained weight, 2 remained unchanged and 6 continued to lose weight, but to a lesser rate than before hyperalimentation (the average weight gain was 1.1 kg/week). Serum albumin levels decreased in 19 out of 25 patients in Group I and increased in 14 out of 26 patients of Group 2. Initial values of the lymphocyte blast transformation test were very low in both groups of patients, and an increase was observed only in patients treated by hyperalimentation. The increase was more evident in patients who were not under antiblastic treatment. Changes in serum immunoglobulin levels were not significant. The authors conclude that malnutrition plays a very important role in neoplastic cachexia and can be improved by parenteral hyperalimentation. Although it is possible that in the near future hyperalimentation and conventional neoplastic therapies will play complementary roles in treatment of advanced neoplastic disease, malnutrition is still the specific indication for intravenous hyperalimentation.

Amino Acids↗

Parotid gland tumors in infants and children.

Eleven cases of parotid tumors in children under 16 years of age are considered. The series accounts for 1.6% of 657 cases of parotid tumor of all ages observed during the period 1930-1975 and consists of 6 mixed tumors, 2 mucoepidermoid tumors, 2 angiomas, and 1 benign lymphoepithelial lesion. All the patients underwent surgical treatment, 6 radical and 5 limited. The results of treatment point out that mixed tumors require radical parotidectomy. The attitude towards pediatric parotid tumors is dicussed.

Adolescent↗

Parenteral hyperalimentation in patients with gastrointestinal cancer.

Sixty-six patients with locally advanced or diffuse gastrointestinal cancer or suffering from major complications due to surgery or radiation therapy, were treated with continuous parenteral hyperalimentation at the Istituto Nazionale Tumori of Milan for a cumulative period of 2101 study-days. Patients were divided into 4 groups: Group 1, malnourished patients with advanced gastrointestinal malignancy; Group 2, patients with gastrointestinal fistulae due to simple surgical complications or to radiation injury of the bowel; Group 3, patients with major postoperative complications; Group 4, surgical patients with gastric or colo-rectal carcinoma treated preoperatively. Mean infusional regime for the various groups included 42-56 Cal/kg/day and 1.5 to 2.4 g amino acid/kg/day, and the duration of the treatment ranged from 7 to 144 days. The results obtained show that protein calorie depletion of cancer patients may depend on malnutrition and that it can be reversed by parenteral nutrition, in patients, that are candidates for surgical treatment or those who qualify for chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. Parenteral nutrition has a fundamental role in patients with fistulae, even if much attention must be paid to the external care of the fistula and the wound. In addition, nutritional support by intravenous feeding has proven essential for a successful outcome of patients with major postoperative complications. Preoperative protein repletion and central venous nutrition in patients who require gastrintestinal surgery represent a modern advance in the field of cancer surgery.

Adult↗

Relationship between nutritional status and tumor growth in humans.

AIMS AND BACKGROUND: There is considerable evidence from studies on tumor-bearing animals that nutritional support aimed at maintaining a good nutritional status can indeed promote tumor growth. Experience in humans, however, is scanty and controversial, this issue never having been extensively investigated. The purpose of this study was to analyze whether there exists a relationship between nutritional status and tumor growth in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The hypothesis behind it was that if it is true than an abundant availability of substrates promotes tumoral growth, then the better the nutritional status the higher the tumor cell proliferation. METHODS: Two hundred and forty six adult patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma were characterized according to nutritional status (percent of weight loss as compared to usual body weight, serum albumin, serum cholinesterase, number of lymphocytes) and rate of incorporation of 3H thymidine labelling index in the tumor tissue. The values of serum albumin, serum cholinesterase and lymphocytes were subdivided into three classes adopting as cut-off points the tertile values of their distribution, while weight loss was scored as a "no" and a "yes". The association between nutritional parameters and labelling index was evaluated by a univariate analysis (X2 test and Mantel-Haenszel X2 test and the odds ratio) and by a logistic multiple regression model. RESULTS: Results of the univariate analysis show a statistically significant association between "poor" nutritional status (depressed nutritional indexes) and "high" labelling index (increased tumoural growth), while the multiple regression analysis found that the only significant association was that between low serum cholinesterase and high labelling index. CONCLUSIONS: These data demonstrate for the first time in a large series of patients that maintenance of a good nutritional status does not have any deleterious effect on the tumor growth.

Adolescent↗

Role of enteral nutrition in advanced cancer patients: indications and contraindications of the different techniques employed.

Over the last 20 years there has been great progress regarding total parenteral nutrition and enteral nutrition for patients who cannot take food by mouth or cannot swallow, or so that controlled feeding can be established in anorexic and malnourished patients. The use and the role of artificial nutrition is still controversial in advanced cancer patients. Such controversies often are due to the fact that these patients have a survival expectancy that varies from one to several months. The present review describes the most frequent techniques used for enteral nutrition (nasoenteral tubes, gastrostomy and jejunostomy), their indications, contraindications and complications, and gives an indication regarding which patients may really benefit from enteral nutrition taking into consideration not only the potential advantages but also the discomfort and distress related to enteral nutrition and the different techniques that are employed.

Deglutition Disorders↗