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Biomedical subjects

M Al-Sarraf

Publications and source records attributed to M Al-Sarraf.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

5-year results of cisplatin and fluorouracil infusion in head and neck cancer.

As part of the developmental process for the Head and Neck Intergroup trial of adjuvant chemotherapy for advanced resectable head and neck carcinoma, in 1981 the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group, Philadelphia, Pa, conducted two nonrandomized pilot studies using chemotherapy consisting of three courses of cisplatin and fluorouracil infusion. Chemotherapy was administered prior to surgery in 42 patients (induction) and after surgery in an additional 29 patients (sequential). The populations were roughly comparable with respect to tumor site and stage. Twelve of the 42 patients in the induction group and seven of the 29 in the sequential group are alive and with no evidence of disease at the last reported follow-up. The median survival was 31 months in the sequential group vs 20 months in the induction group. Only two of the 26 patients with less than a complete clinical response following induction chemotherapy are still alive. Twenty-seven of the 42 patients who received induction chemotherapy did not undergo surgery as initially planned. Despite the lack of surgery, at 5 years the survival between the two groups was not significantly different (27% for the induction group vs 23% for the sequential group).

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Factors that affect response to chemotherapy and survival of patients with advanced head and neck cancer.

A review of 164 patients with far advanced head and neck cancer, treated by a cytotoxic chemotherapy over a ten year period, at WAyne State University, Detroit, Michigan, was done in an attempt to determine factors that may influence the response to chemotherapy and subsequent survival. Response rate to methotrexate was 28%, 5-FU 31%, and porfiromycin 13%. Improved responses were noted with combination chemotherapy. Patients who failed to first line therapy rarely responded to other single agent or combination chemotherapy. Those who did not have prior surgery and/or radiotherapy had better results from drug therapy. Patients with good performance status at the time of initial chemotherapy, had better response to treatment (32% vs. 13% PR & CR) and longer survival (28 weeks vs. 9 weeks, p = 0.01) when compared to those with poor status. Patients who responded to chemotherapy have better survival compared to nonresponders (29 weeks vs. 16 weeks, p = 0.002). This information may prove helpful in future planning of multidisciplinary approach in the treatment of patients with head and neck cancer.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

The value of serial carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in predicting response rate and survival of patients with gastrointestinal cancer treated with chemotherapy.

Elevated serum levels of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) were found in 70% of 141 patients with advanced gastrointestinal (GI) cancers. Serial CEA measurements were performed on 70 patients before and during chemotherapy. The majority were treated with 5-FU and Methyl-CCNU (33 patients), 5-FU (19 patients), or 5-FU and mitomycin-C (8 patients). In 49 patients with colorectal carcinoma who had elevated serum CEA prior to chemotherapy, 18 had objective partial tumor remission, 16/18 (89%) showed definite decrease in CEA level, one had no change, and one had an increase CEA titer. Thirty-one patients had either stable disease (10 patients) or increasing disease (21 patients) while on chemotherapy. Of these patients four showed decrease in CEA, eight had no change, and 19 had increase in CEA levels as compared to pretreatment value. The survival of patients with a decrease in CEA during chemotherapy was statistically significant (p = .03) as compared to survival of those with no change or increasing CEA levels. In 21 patients with other GI cancers, the correlation between the clinical response and change in CEA level observed was not as definite as in patients with colorectal carcinoma.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1979

Transfer factor.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Combination of adriamycin and cyclophosphamide in the treatment of metastatic prostatic carcinoma: a phase II study.

A prospective trial of Adriamycin and cyclophosphamide was undertaken in the treatment of patients with hormonally refractory prostatic carcinoma. Of the 20 patients evaluable, three (15%) had a partial remission and five (25%) had stable disease for a total response of 40%. All patients who responded had subjective improvement consisting of weight gain (greater than or equal to 10% of body weight), improvement of performance status (greater than or equal 10% in Karnofsky index), and a decreased need for pain medication.

Aged↗
PubMed1979

Phase II trial of dianhydrogalactitol in metastatic malignant melanoma: a Southwest Oncology Group study.

Dianhydrogalactitol given iv in a schedule of 30 mg/m2/day for 5 consecutive days every 4 weeks was administered to 27 patients with metastatic malignant melanoma. All patients had received extensive prior therapy including chemotherapy and had progressive disease at the start of the study. Of 24 patients evaluable for response, 21 demonstrated progressive disease and three had stable disease for periods of from 4 to 11 months. No objective responses were observed. Two of the remaining three patients died 6 and 10 days after entry in the study, while the third refused to return after one drug course. Adverse effects included myelosuppression in eight patients, nausea and vomiting in five patients, and alopecia in one patient. Dianhydrogalactitol is considered to be insignificantly active in the secondary treatment of metastatic malignant melanoma at the dose and schedule studied.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Clinical presentation, natural history and prognostic factors in advanced malignant melanoma.

A retrospective study of the clinical findings and natural history of 140 patients with disseminated malignant melanoma treated at Wayne State University over a ten year period was done. Multiple organ metastases were diagnosed clinically in 78 per cent of all patients and seen at all autopsies. Routine roentgenograms of the chest did not diagnose metastases to the lung in 27 per cent of the patients. The concimitant elevation of alkaline phosphatase, serum glutamic-oxalacetic transaminase and serum glutamic-pyruvic transaminase enzymes is suggestive of underlying metastases to the liver even with a negative liver scan or normal liver size. Electroencephalography was found to be sensitive in predicting and confirming metastases to the central nervous system prior to clinical manifestation with a 97 per cent accuracy rate in clinically confirmed instances as compared with a 60 per cent accuracy rate with brain scan. Age, sex and primary site of melanoma did not influence the survival once the disease became disseminated. Patients with a disease-free interval of more than six months statistically have a better chance of survival from the onset of systemic metastases, p = 0.001. Patients with a poor performance status of less than or equal to 40 per cent had a median survival period of one month as compared with six months with 90 per cent performance, p = 0.001. Patients who initially presented with metastases to the skin or lymph nodes without other visceral involvement had a 14 month median survival rate as compared with eight months in patients with metastases to the central nervous system only, four months with metastases to the liver and only one month in patients with multiple organ involvement, p = 0.0001.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Monoclonal gammapathy, multiple myeloma and cancer.

Seventeen cancer patients with monoclonal gammapathy on serum protein electrophoresis are described. Thirteen of these patients were proved to have multiple myeloma, while four patients had "benign" monoclonal gammapathy. In all the cases where bone marrow aspiration was done, an increase in plasma cells was revealed. A majority of the myeloma patients had osteolytic lesions, while all the patients with "benign" monoclonal gammapathy had normal bone survey. A relationship between the solid tumors and monoclonal gammapathy is discussed. The difficulty of detecting multiple myeloma in patients who are previously known to have cancer is presented.

Aged↗
PubMed1978

Piperazinedione in patients with advanced malignant melanoma: a Southwest Oncology Group study.

Piperazinedione was administered in doses of 9 or 12 mg/m2 by iv infusion every 3 weeks in 28 patients with previously treated malignant melanoma. Of the 25 evaluable patients, 72% had drug-induced toxicity: 40% had leukopenia, 56% had thrombocytopenia, 40% had anemia, and 16% had nausea and vomiting. None of these patients had partial remission, two had stable disease, and the remaining 23 had definite progression of their disease in spite of adequate trial with this agent.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Evaluation of VP-16-213 in malignant lymphoma and melanoma.

Phase II studies utilizing VP-16-213 in the treatment of 56 patients with malignant lymphoma and 29 patients with malignant melanoma were carried out by the Southwest Oncology Group. All patients had received extensive prior therapy. The initial dose of VP-16-213 administered was 45 mg/m2 by iv infusion over 30-60 minutes on Days 1-5 every 3 weeks but, because, of severe myelosuppression in the lymphoma group, the dose was subsequently reduced to 35 mg/m2. Only three partial regressions lasting 6, 2, and 1 months were noted in 17 patients with Hodgkin's disease. No favorable responses were noted in 35 patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma including 16 with the diffuse histiocytic type. No responses were noted in patients with melanoma. The major toxic effect was myelosuppression. VP-16-213 appears to lack significant effectiveness in these previously treated disease.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

cis-Dichlorodiamminepltinum(II) in adult patients: Southwest Oncology Group Studies.

In addition to cis-dichlorodiammineplatinum(II) studies in lymphomas and testicular cancer and a broader phase II study of all genitourinary malignancies, the Southwest Oncology Group is currently conducting eight other studies which examine the effectiveness of this drug in adult patients with a variety of tumor types. This report will give preliminary analyses of the five studies for which there are early data, plus briefly describe the design of the three remaining protocols for which there are no data as yet.

Adult↗