Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

G Altavilla

Publications and source records attributed to G Altavilla.

100 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

[Clodronate and radiotherapy for the treatment of osteolysis caused by metastasis of breast carcinoma and non-small cell lung carcinoma. A retrospective study].

We have retrospectively examined 94 evaluable patients with metastatic osteolysis from breast cancer (BC) and non-small cell lung (NSCLC) cancer, who received RT from Nov. 88 to Nov. 89.27 (15 BC and 12 NSCLC) were in treatment with Clodronate for at least 3 days from the beginning of RT; of the remaining 67 treated with RT alone, 31 had NSCLC and 36 BC. We have evaluated: increase in pain (IP) occurring on the first days of RT, percentages of complete pain relief (CPR) at the end of RT and 4-6 weeks after. A decreased occurrence of IP was observed more in NSCLC patients receiving RT + Clodronate compared to those treated with RT alone (33.3% vs 41.9%). Both at the end of RT and 4-6 weeks after, we registered a significant difference in the percentages of CPR in the RT + Clodronate group (40.7 vs 20.9 and 70.3% vs 53.7%). We believe the points of interest focused in this paper-greater precision in centering and defining the target volume, decreased occurrence of IP during the first days of RT, increase in percentage of CPR--need a prospective confirmation.

Bone Neoplasms↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Fine needle aspiration cytology of thyroid gland diseases.

From 1982 to 1987, 2,433 lesions of the thyroid gland in 1,796 patients were examined by fine needle aspiration (FNA). Cytopathology classified 66.91% of the aspirates as benign, 10.76% as thyroiditis, 4.89% as suspected (unspecified) neoplasia, 1.31% as positive for malignancy and 16.11% (392) as unsatisfactory. The histologic diagnoses in 257 cases were compared with cytologic diagnoses to determine the accuracy of FNA cytology of thyroid lesions, yielding a sensitivity of 71.43%, a specificity of 100% and an accuracy of 95.09%. This data strongly supports thyroid FNA as an important preoperative diagnostic tool. Follicular carcinomas were difficult to cytologically differentiate from nonmalignant follicular neoplasms, and papillary thyroid carcinomas less than 2 cm in diameter in elderly patients were frequently misdiagnosed or diagnosed only as "suspect lesion."

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Medullary carcinoma of the thyroid. (Clinical and endocrinological features of six cases).

This paper presents the results of the study of six patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma (MCT) and the epidemiological screening carried out on the families of individuals affected by MCT. Three patients had the familial and three the sporadic type of disease. In all the subjects the plasma calcitonin (CT) level was measured under basal conditions and after pentagastrin stimulation. Patients with familial disease were also found to have pheochromocytoma (MEA syndrome). One patient, whose thyroid was normal to palpation and radioisotope scanning and who did not have an elevated resting level of CT, showed a clearcut CT elevation after provocative testing and subsequently was shown, by surgery, to have a small nodule of C-cell hyperplasia. These results confirm that pentagastrin is a good stimulator of CT secretion and that i.v. administration of pentagastrin is a useful test in the investigation of MCT in its early subclinical stage.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Efficacy of two oral dose regimens of granisetron.

BACKGROUND: Most chemotherapic treatments are carried out on an outpatient basis. In such patients the prevention and control of emesis is important. Granisetron is a specific and extremely potent 5-HT3 antagonist available as an oral formulation. We have carried out an open randomized crossover study in patients receiving moderately emetogenic chemotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 30 patients were randomized to receive one of the two oral dose regimens of GRAN. Treatment A = 1 mg of GRAN initially and 12 hours after the first; treatment B = a single 2 mg dose of GRAN. RESULTS. An overall good response for vomiting was reached in 70% and 86.7% respectively of patients receiving treatments A and B (p = 0.0625). Good response to nausea was reached in 73.3% of the patients with treatment A and in 76.7% with treatment B (p = 1). 68.3% of patients did not record chemoinduced emesis. CONCLUSION: We believe that oral GRAN alone is an active and safe drug for the prevention of acute chemoinduced emesis.

Administration, Oral↗