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Biomedical subjects

M Trudeau

Publications and source records attributed to M Trudeau.

33 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

An overview of phase II studies of docetaxel in patients with metastatic breast cancer.

Docetaxel is a new taxoid drug with good activity against human breast cancer cells in vitro; a number of partial and minor responses have been obtained during phase I studies in patients with advanced breast cancer. In phase II trials, first-line use of docetaxel has produced an overall response rate (OR) of up to 73%. In addition, docetaxel has shown good activity when given as second-line therapy (OR 38%), particularly in patients with disease refractory to anthracyclines (OR 55%). Indeed, the high response rate in this latter group of patients clearly warrants further investigation of docetaxel in this setting. Neutropenia is the major dose-limiting toxicity of docetaxel, but other haematological effects are rare. Hypersensitivity and cutaneous reactions are ameliorated by premedication with corticosteroids and histamine antagonists; fluid retention may improve with longer use of prophylactic premedication. Docetaxel is mildly emetogenic, but no other premedication is necessary. In summary, docetaxel is an active new drug in the treatment of advanced breast cancer. Its role in the management of early stage disease awaits the results of prospective randomised trials.

Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic↗
PubMed1994

The diagnostic value of CA 27-29, CA 15-3, mucin-like carcinoma antigen, carcinoembryonic antigen and CA 19-9 in breast and gastrointestinal malignancies.

In the past decade, considerable interest has arisen for defining the role of various tumor markers in the diagnosis of cancer. This cross-sectional study evaluates four breast cancer markers (CA 27-29, CA 15-3, MCA and CEA) and two gastrointestinal (GI) markers (CA 19-9 and CEA) in 213 patients. Receiver operating curves (ROC) revealed a sensitivity for the 90% specificity cutoff for breast cancers compared to breast benign diseases of 70% for CA 27-29, 67.5% for CA 15-3, 52.5% for MCA and 40% for CEA. When GI tumors were compared to benign GI disease, the sensitivity for 90% specificity was 40.3% for CEA and 32.3% for CA 19-9. Comparison of breast cancer and GI malignancies with other malignancies leads to a marked shift of the ROC curve to the right and loss of specificity. Late stage for all breast and GI tumor markers was found to be a predictor of high serum antigen level (p < 0.001). The presence of liver metastases in breast cancer was associated with abnormal levels of CA 27-29 (p = 0.028). Pancreas adenocarcinomas had a higher CA 19-9 antigen level (p < 0.001) than other GI malignancies. CA 27-29 appears to be at least as sensitive and specific as CA 15-3 in patients with breast cancer. None of the above markers retain their specificity when compared with a control group consisting of other malignancies.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Weekly cisplatin plus external beam radiotherapy and high dose rate brachytherapy in patients with locally advanced carcinoma of the cervix.

PURPOSE: Prospective, single arm, Phase I/II trial performed to assess the efficacy and toxicity of the concomitant use of weekly cisplatin and pelvic radiotherapy in patients with locally advanced carcinoma of the cervix. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Between December 1988 and April 1991, 50 previously untreated patients with bulky, locally advanced, squamous cell carcinoma entered the study. All patients were evaluated by a gynecologist and a radiation oncologist and were submitted to standard pre-treatment staging procedures. The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage distribution was as follows: IIA three patients, IIB seventeen, IIIA two, IIIB 25, and IVA three. Radiotherapy consisted of 46 Gy external beam irradiation plus three high dose rate intracavitary treatments given on a weekly basis to a total dose of 30 Gy to point A. Cisplatin 30 mg/m2 was also given weekly starting on day 1 of radiotherapy. RESULTS: With a median follow-up time of 27 months, complete response was seen in 88% (44/50) of the patients. The actuarial survival rate at 44 months was 65%. Total pelvic failure rate was 26% (13/50). Of the 44 patients who achieved a complete remission, only seven have failed in the pelvis. Distant disease was observed in 24% of the cases. Treatments were well tolerated with no patient requiring an interruption in the radiotherapy. However, the incidence of late gastrointestinal toxicity was high, with 10 patients developing a rectal ulcer (four colostomies for severe bleeding), two patients a small bowel obstruction, and two patients a recto-vaginal fistula. Moreover, gastrointestinal complications appeared sooner than expected, at a median follow-up time of 11 months after completion of treatment. CONCLUSION: The combination of weekly cisplatin and radiotherapy appears to be a very effective regimen for patients with locally advanced carcinoma of the cervix, but resulted in a relatively high frequency of late gastrointestinal complications.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

A phase I study of escalating interferon alpha-2a combined with 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin in patients with gastrointestinal malignancies.

On the basis of preclinical data showing synergy between 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), leucovorin (LV) and IFN-alpha-2a, a phase I study was carried out to determine the maximum tolerable dose (MTD) of IFN-alpha-2a with this combination in patients with gastrointestinal malignancies. The treatment consisted of 370 mg/m2 5-FU and 200 mg/m2, LV on days 1 to 5, and IFN-alpha-2a on days 1 to 5 of the first week of chemotherapy and on days 1, 3, 5 of each subsequent week, on a 28-day cycle. Six patients with colorectal, 3 with pancreas, 2 with oesophagus, 2 with hepatocellular and one with gastric cancer were treated. At level III (5 x 10(6) U/m2) all patients experienced grade 3 or 4 toxicity during the first 56 days of treatment and the MTD was declared level II. Grade 3 toxicity comprised of anorexia, mucositis, diarrhoea, and fatigue; in one instance, grade 4 neutropenia occurred. Ten patients were evaluable for response, one patient with an oesophageal cancer had a minor response and one patient with rectal cancer and liver metastases had a radiological complete response lasting 3 months. The recommended dose for this schedule in phase II studies is 5-FU 370 mg/m2, LV 200 mg/m2, and IFN-alpha-2a 4 x 10(6) U/m2.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy with cytosine arabinoside by continuous infusion and cisplatin for resectable squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus.

The combination of cisplatin and cytosine arabinoside has been shown in experimental models to be synergistic. We conducted a pilot study of cytosine arabinoside and cisplatin in unresectable or metastatic cancer of the esophagus in five patients and found significant activity, also on visceral metastasis. Therefore, we decided to examine this combination in the neoadjuvant setting. Since January 1989, eight patients with squamous cell carcinoma esophageal cancer were treated with two cycles of cytosine arabinoside (50 mg/m2) by continuous infusion for 4 days and by cisplatin (100 mg/m2) on the 5th day. Their ages ranged from 54-79 years. One patient had Stage I, three had Stage II, and four had Stage III disease. Responses assessed by endoscopy and computed tomographic (CT) scan prior to surgery were three with partial response, three with minor response, and two with no response. Only six patients were surgically resectable after chemotherapy. Toxicity consisted of grade 3 (one patient) and grade 4 (two patients) neutropenia, grade 3 (three patients) anemia, and grade 3 (two patients) and grade 4 (three patients) thrombocytopenia. All patients had subjective improvement of dysphagia 4 weeks after chemotherapy. Median survival of the whole group was 7.5 months. We concluded that there was no evidence of synergy of these drugs given in this manner in esophageal carcinoma since the response rate was no different from that achieved with cisplatin alone.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

Evaluation of voice by patients and close relatives following different laryngeal cancer treatments.

The purpose of this study was to assess perception of life style change among laryngeal cancer patients. Seventy-five patients (total laryngectomy 35, supraglottic laryngectomy 15, hemilaryngectomy 12, radiotherapy eight, laser cordectomy five) and close relatives responded to a questionnaire and interview eliciting perception of: 1) posttreatment voice quality; 2) side effects of treatment vocationally and socially; and 3) degree of vocal or communicative change associated with vocational or social change. Whereas 43% of the patients reported vocational change and 37% reported social change, 88% expressed satisfaction with their posttreatment voices. This may have been due to the perceptions of the relatives, who generally had a more positive view of the patients' voices. Although laryngeal cancer had an impact on patient life style, patients seldom related this to vocal dysfunction.

Employment↗
PubMed1990

Primary yolk sac (endodermal sinus) tumor of the prostate: case report and review of the literature.

A primary yolk sac (endodermal sinus) tumor of the prostate is described in a 40-year-old male. This is the second documented case of a yolk sac tumor occurring in the prostate gland. Treatment included surgical removal and subsequent combination chemotherapy. Four months following diagnosis, the patient died of complications. At autopsy, no residual tumor was detected. The role of combination chemotherapy as potentially curative therapy in the treatment of extragonadal yolk sac tumors is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Comparison of antiestrogen and progestogen therapy for initial treatment and consequences of their combination for second-line treatment of recurrent breast cancer.

A randomized clinical trial involving postmenopausal patients with estrogen receptor positive recurrent breast cancer is reported. Of 168 patients entered, 156 were evaluable, of whom 79 received oral tamoxifen citrate 10 mg twice daily and 77 oral megestrol acetate 40 mg four times a day. Partial response (PR) plus complete response (CR) rates (both arms, 34%) and time-to-disease progression were similar in both arms. Side effects and toxicity were minimal with both regimens, although more patients who received tamoxifen complained of hot flushes (33% v 11%) and more patients who received megestrol acetate had a 10% or greater weight gain at 6 months from baseline (51% v 19%). On progression of disease, 73 patients who had achieved a CR, PR, or stable response received the alternative hormonal treatment in addition to the original hormonal therapy. Ten of 40 patients (25%) who began treatment with megestrol acetate had a further CR or PR; none of 33 patients originally receiving tamoxifen had a response when megestrol acetate was added. Similarly, patients who received tamoxifen as an addition to their original megestrol acetate treatment also had a significantly longer time to second progression than did those in the comparative arm. It was concluded that as initial hormonal therapy for relapsed patients, either tamoxifen or megestrol acetate can be used with confidence. However, it is suggested that tamoxifen and megestrol acetate should not be used in combination, except for those few occasions when tamoxifen is added as second-line therapy following a completed megestrol acetate response, and the megestrol acetate is continued for its palliative effects on appetite and weight gain. Possible mechanisms behind these results are discussed.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed1988

Intraocular lymphoma: report of three cases and review of the literature.

Three cases of intraocular lymphoma are presented. One patient had only ocular involvement, one had involvement of the eye and central nervous system, and in the third patient, ocular lymphoma developed 1 year after the diagnosis of a systemic lymphoma. One patient died before treatment could be initiated, but the other two patients responded well to local radiotherapy. Only one patient who received radiation to both eyes and the whole brain, followed by systemic chemotherapy, remains alive 4 years after diagnosis. Eighty-seven cases of intraocular lymphoma reported in the literature are reviewed. Only 16.7% of cases involved the eyes alone without central nervous system or systemic disease. In more than one-half of the cases (59.7%), the eye was the primary site of involvement. Craniotomy or enucleation was required for diagnosis in 52.7% of patients, and diagnosis frequently followed a significant period of delay during which time patients were treated unsuccessfully for uveitis or iritis. Death for most patients was due to progressive central nervous system involvement. Therefore, we recommend combined modality therapy with radiation to the whole brain and both eyes, followed by systemic chemotherapy with or without intrathecal medications.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

[Supervision of clinical staff : a few elements of conceptualization.].

Supervision is of considerable importance in the institutional context in view of the extensive clinical material absorbed by the clinicians. It is possible for the supervisor, endowes with certain fundamental qualities, to provide the clinician, through a definite method, with the tools necessary to give meaning to the sometimes difficult reality he has to live with. In this sense, the present article constitutes an attempt to conceptualize the process of supervision and proposes a procedure which would make this exercice a training tool rather than a simple inter-disciplinary cooperation. The ultimate aim of this endeavour is to give back to the clinician the entire responsibility of the comprehensive process of the event. It is therefore an effort to lessen the dépendance created by critical situations.

English Abstract↗