Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

N Fabbri

Publications and source records attributed to N Fabbri.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Treatment and prognosis for synchronous multifocal osteosarcoma in 42 patients.

Between 1986 and 2002, 42 patients with synchronous multifocal osteosarcoma were treated with two different protocols of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. When feasible, the primary and secondary tumours were excised as a combined procedure. After initial chemotherapy 26 patients were excluded from simultaneous excision of all their secondary bone lesions as their disease was too advanced. In 12 patients only isolated excision of the primary lesion was possible. For 16 patients simultaneous operations were conducted to excise the primary and secondary lesions. This involved two supplementary sites in 15 patients and four additional sites in one patient. Of these, 15 attained remission but 12 relapsed and died (11 within two years). Three patients remained disease-free at five, six and 17 years. The histological response to pre-operative chemotherapy of the primary and secondary lesions was concordant in 13 of the 16 patients who underwent simultaneous operations at more than one site. The prognosis for synchronous multifocal osteosarcoma remains poor despite combined chemotherapy and surgery. The homogeneous histological responses in a large proportion of the primary and secondary lesions implies that synchronous multifocal osteosarcoma tumours are not multicentric in origin, but probably represent bone-to-bone metastases from a single tumour.

Adolescent↗

Pattern of relapse in patients with osteosarcoma of the extremities treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

570 patients with osteosarcoma of the extremities were treated with five different protocols of neoadjuvant chemotherapy at Rizzoli Institute between 1983 and 1995. Surgery consisted of limb salvage in 83% rotation plasty in 5% and amputation in 12%. The 5-year event-free survival (EFS) was 60% which varied according to the protocol followed, ranging from 47.6% to 66.4%. 234 patients relapsed. The pattern of relapse was analysed. The mean relapse time was 23.8 months (range: 2-96). The first site of systemic relapse was the lung in 88% (32% of these had less than three pulmonary metastases and 68% three or more), bone in 9%, lung and bone in 2% and other sites in 3%. The relapse time and the number of pulmonary metastases were strictly correlated with the efficacy of the protocol of chemotherapy used. Patients treated with the three protocols that gave a 5-year EFS of more than 60% relapsed later and had fewer pulmonary lesions than patients treated with the two protocols that gave a 5-year EFS of 47.6% and 52.5%. The rate of local recurrence was relatively low (6%). This was not correlated with the protocol or the type of surgery used: limb salvage (6.4%), rotation plasty or amputation (4.1%). However, the rate of local recurrence was very high (21.9%) in the few patients (7%) that had less than wide surgical margins. We conclude that for patients with osteosarcoma of the extremities treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy: (a) the pattern of systemic relapse changes according to the efficacy of the protocol of chemotherapy used. This should be always considered when evaluating the preliminary results of new studies as well as in defining the time of follow-up; (b) limb salvage procedures are safe and do not jeopardise the outcome of the patient, provided that wide surgical margins are achieved.

Adolescent↗

Telangiectatic osteosarcoma of the extremity: neoadjuvant chemotherapy in 24 cases.

Between April 1990 and December 1994, we treated 24 patients with telangiectatic osteosarcoma (TO) of the extremities with neoadjuvant chemotherapy using 2 protocols. Surgery consisted of limb salvage in 21 patients and amputation or rotation plasty in 3. The histologic response to chemotherapy was good (90% or more tumor necrosis) in 23 patients, of whom 12 had total necrosis. With a mean follow-up of 74 (60-96) months, 20 patients remained continuously free of disease and 4 relapsed with lung metastases. There were no local recurrences. Comparing these results to the ones achieved in 269 contemporary patients with conventional osteosarcoma of the extremities using the same protocols for chemotherapy, we found a significantly better histologic response to chemotherapy (96% vs 68% of good histologic response; p = 0.004) and disease-free survival (83% vs 55%; p = 0.01) in the TO group. We conclude that TO, once considered a lethal tumor, seems to be even more sensitive to chemotherapy than conventional osteosarcoma, and that most of these patients may be cured without amputation.

Adolescent↗

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy for high grade osteosarcoma of the extremities: long-term results for patients treated according to the Rizzoli IOR/OS-3b protocol.

The results of the Rizzoli IOR/OS-3b neoadjuvant protocol for the treatment of osteosarcoma of the extremity are reported. Preoperative chemotherapy consisted of two cycles of high-dose methotrexate (HDMTX i.v.), followed by a combination of cisplatin (CDP i.a.)/ doxorubicin (ADM i.v.). Postoperatively all patients, regardless of the histologic response, received 3 more cycles of MTX, CDP/ADM alternated with 3 cycles of ifosfamide. In the study performed between January and December 1992 43 patients were enrolled and limb salvage was performed in 39 of them (91%). The histologic response to chemotherapy was good (90% or more tumor necrosis) in 24 patients (56%) and poor (less than 90% tumor necrosis) in 19 (44%). With a minimum follow-up of 7 years, 23 pts (53%) remained continuously free of disease, 19 relapsed and one died due to unrelated cause. In spite of the high number of limb salvages performed, only 2 local recurrences were registered. The 7-year event-free survival and overall survival were, respectively, 53% and 68%. The hematopoietic and extrahematopoietic toxicity experienced by the patients during the entire treatment was relatively mild. These long-term results confirm that, with neoadjuvant chemotherapy, it is possible to cure more than 60% of patients with osteosarcoma of the extremities, avoiding amputation in most of them. These results, however, are no better than those achieved in our previous study IOR/OS-3a, in which only poor responder patients received ifosfamide during the postoperative treatment.

Adolescent↗

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy for patients with synchronous multifocal osteosarcoma: results in eleven cases.

Between January 1995 and December 1999, 11 patients with synchronous multifocal osteosarcoma (SMO) received neoadjuvant treatment with high-dose methotrexate, cisplatinum, Adriamycin, and ifosfamide. After primary chemotherapy in 4 patients who had only two bone localizations, it was possible to treat all tumor foci locally. The remaining patients, with more than three bones involved, were treated surgically only in 3 cases at the primary site, while secondary lesions did not receive any treatment. The final results of our study were disappointing. All patients died of the tumor 6 to 24 months after the beginning of treatment (mean 11.9 months). Nevertheless, the survival time of the 4 patients with locally treated lesions was significantly longer than the one of 7 patients in whom the secondary lesions were not locally treated (18.2 vs 9.1 months; P<0.008). It should be noted that those patients simultaneously operated on two sites, the response to chemotherapy of "primary" and "secondary" lesions was always similar. This homogeneity supports the thesis that in synchronous multifocal osteosarcoma the tumors are not multicentric in origin but represent bone-to-bone metastases from a monocentric tumor.

Adolescent↗

Long-term outcome for patients with nonmetastatic osteosarcoma of the extremity treated at the istituto ortopedico rizzoli according to the istituto ortopedico rizzoli/osteosarcoma-2 protocol: an updated report.

PURPOSE: To provide an estimate of long-term prognosis for patients with osteosarcoma of the extremity treated in a single institution with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and observed for at least 10 years. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with nonmetastatic osteosarcoma of the extremity were preoperatively treated with high-dose methotrexate, cisplatin, and doxorubicin (ADM). Postoperatively, good responders (90% or more tumor necrosis) received the same three drugs used before surgery, whereas poor responders (less than 90% tumor necrosis) received ifosfamide and etoposide in addition to those three drugs. RESULTS: For the 164 patients who entered the study between September 1986 and December 1989, surgery was a limb salvage in 136 cases (82%) and a good histologic response was observed in 117 patients (71%). At a follow-up ranging from 10 to 13 years (median, 11.5 years), 101 patients (61%) remained continuously free of disease, 61 relapsed, and two died of ADM-induced cardiotoxicity. There were no differences in prognosis between good and poor responding patients. ADM-induced cardiotoxicity (six patients), male infertility (10 of the 12 assessable patients), and second malignancies (seven patients) were the major complications of chemotherapy. Despite the large number of limb salvages performed, only four local recurrences (2.4%) were registered. CONCLUSION: With an aggressive neoadjuvant chemotherapy, it is possible to cure more than 60% of patients with nonmetastatic osteosarcoma of the extremity and amputation may be avoided in more than 80% of them. Because local or systemic relapses, myocardiopathies, and second malignancies are possible even 5 years or more after the beginning of treatment, a long-term follow-up is recommended for these patients.

Adolescent↗

Incidence and natural history of dysplasia of the anal transitional zone after ileal pouch-anal anastomosis: results of a five-year to ten-year follow-up.

PURPOSE: Preservation of the anal transitional zone during ileal pouch-anal anastomosis is still controversial because of the risk of dysplasia and the theoretical risk of associated cancer. Without long-term follow-up data, the natural history and optimal treatment of anal transitional zone dysplasia are unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the long-term risk of dysplasia in the anal transitional zone and to evaluate the outcome of a conservative management policy for anal transitional zone dysplasia. METHODS: Two hundred ten patients undergoing anal transitional zone-sparing ileal pouch-anal anastomosis for ulcerative or indeterminate colitis between 1987 and 1992 and who were studied with serial anal transitional zone biopsies for at least five years postoperatively were included. Median follow up was 77 (range, 60-124) months. RESULTS: Anal transitional zone dysplasia developed in seven patients 4 to 51 (median, 11) months postoperatively. There was no association with gender, age, preoperative disease duration or extent of colitis, but the risk of anal transitional zone dysplasia was significantly increased in patients with prior cancer or dysplasia in the colon or rectum. Dysplasia was high grade in one and low grade in six. Two patients each with low-grade dysplasia detected on three separate occasions underwent mucosectomy 29 and 38 months after detection of low-grade dysplasia, but no cancer was found. The five other patients with dysplasia on one or two occasions were treated expectantly and were apparently dysplasia-free for a median of 72 (range, 48-100) months. CONCLUSIONS: Anal transitional zone dysplasia after ileal pouch-anal anastomosis is infrequent, is most common in the first two to three years postoperatively and may apparently disappear on repeated biopsy. Anal transitional zone preservation did not lead to the development of cancer in the anal transitional zone after five to ten years of follow-up. Long-term surveillance is recommended to monitor dysplasia. If repeat biopsy confirms persistent dysplasia, anal transitional zone excision with neoileal pouch-anal anastomosis is recommended.

Adolescent↗

[Not Available].

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Journal Article↗

Osteosarcoma of the extremities with synchronous lung metastases: long-term results in 44 patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Between September 1986 and September 1991, 44 patients with lung metastases originating from an osteosarcoma of an extremity were treated with: primary chemotherapy, simultaneous resection of primary and metastatic lesions (when feasible), and then further chemotherapy. After primary chemotherapy, lung metastases disappeared in 5 patients, whereas in 11 patients they remained surgically unresectable. All 16 patients received local treatment of the primary tumor only. In the remaining 28 patients simultaneous surgical treatment of the primary and the metastatic tumor was performed. The removal of metastatic lesions was complete in 25 and incomplete in 3 patients. With a median follow-up of 8 years (5.5-10.8) all 14 patients who never achieved a tumor-free status died. Of the 30 patients who achieved remission 5 (17%) remained continuously free of disease and 25 developed new metastases, associated with local recurrence in 4 cases. The 5-year overall survival for all 44 patients of the study was 14%, and the 5-year disease-free survival for the 30 patients who reached remission was 17%. These results are significantly worse than those achieved with the same chemotherapy protocol in 144 contemporary patients with localized disease at presentation (73% disease-free and 79% overall survival). We conclude that, despite aggressive chemotherapy which is successful in patients with localized disease, the prognosis remains very poor for patients with osteosarcoma of the extremities with lung metastases at presentation, and justifies the use of novel therapies.

Adolescent↗

[The preoperative staging of rectal cancer. A comparative assessment between endorectal echography and pelvic CT].

The authors report a comparative study between endorectal ultrasonography (EU) and computed tomography (CT) in the preoperative assessment of 94 patients with rectal cancer. In evaluating the depth of wall penetration of rectal tumors EUS and CT offered good results: EUS confirmed a clear superiority with overall accuracy of 88.4% versus 80% of CT. On the contrary, in detecting lymph node metastases both techniques had poor results obtaining a correct diagnosis in 75.6% of the cases with EUS and in 69.4% of the cases with CT. In conclusion, the authors believe that EUS and CT may by very useful in the study of tumor penetration of the rectal wall; while in the study of lymph node involvement new techniques for a more accurate diagnosis are needed.

Adult↗

[Experimental study of postoperative lavage: standardization of the method].

Postoperative infections are an outstanding problem in a surgical department. We have been studying them from a clinical and experimental point of view has a long time. In this study we present a method standardisation of postoperative peritoneal lavage as prevention of surgical infections. Winstar mice, infected with intra peritoneal E. coli cultures, underwent peritoneal lavage with saline solution or sterile water. The results showed the right amount of solution and the exact administration of lavage according to grade of infection. Encouraged by this result we are going to test the efficacy of anti microbial agents for the postoperative peritoneal lavage.

Animals↗

[Postoperative lavage. Experimental study of the use of antiseptic solutions].

The authors report their experience of surgical infections and particularly peritoneal intraoperative lavage. In a previous study they have standardized the technique. In this study they report on the lavage adding antiseptic substances in the solution. The experimental, controlled study, was carried out on Wistar rat stock, which were submitted to median laparotomy through which was injected a standard bacterial dose composed of 5 bn E. Coli. The peritoneal cavity was washed out after a few minutes with physiological solution with clorhexidine or PVPI dissolved. The main results were an increase of aderential syndrome and a less survival percent age (physiological solution = 100%, clorhexidine = 60%, iodophors = 23%). The authors concluded by pointing out that the use of antiseptic peritoneal lavage solution is a method that should be proscribed from operating rooms because it is unnecessary and detrimental to health.

Animals↗

[Chemo-antibiotic prophylaxis in general surgery. A study of 1722 cases].

Up until now the problem of surgical infections has been one of the most important which surgeons must confront daily. In 1989 our Institute began programs for control and surveillance of surgical infections; these include, among others, the use of chemo-antibiotic prophylaxis protocols applied to all of the patients hospitalized for surgery. The authors report two years application of three protocols of chemo-antibiotic prophylaxis related to 1722 patients, in which we pointed out the passage from 27.6% of infected cases in the control group to 10.2% infected cases in one of the groups subject to prophylaxis. In these cases the antibiotic prophylaxis also acted reducing in a spectacular manner the incidence of clinically not significant infections.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Osteosarcoma. Low-grade intraosseous-type osteosarcoma, histologically resembling parosteal osteosarcoma, fibrous dysplasia, and desmoplastic fibroma.

BACKGROUND: Low-grade intraosseous osteosarcoma is a rare variety of osteosarcoma and it is difficult to recognize. METHODS: A series of 10 patients with low-grade intraosseous osteosarcoma is reported. These patients were identified from the Istituto Rizzoli files, which includes approximately 1000 cases of osteosarcoma. Clinical data and radiographic and histologic features were studied. RESULTS: The radiographic appearance confirmed malignancy in five patients and suggested it in two. A benign lesion was diagnosed in three patients. Three lesions resembled parosteal osteosarcoma, two appeared similar to fibrous dysplasia, and two had features of desmoplastic fibroma. A mixed histologic pattern was found in three other tumors. Recurrence after intralesional excision in all patients indicated the aggressive nature of this lesion. The development of metastases in two patients and progression in the grade of malignancy in one of these highlighted the malignant nature of the tumor. CONCLUSIONS: The correct diagnosis would permit adequate treatment with wide surgical margins.

Adolescent↗

No advantages in the addition of ifosfamide and VP-16 to the standard four-drug regimen in the maintenance phase of neoadjuvant chemotherapy of Ewing's sarcoma of bone: results of two sequential studies.

Between January 1988 and December 1990, 74 patients with localized Ewing's sarcoma of bone were treated with a new protocol that consisted of an initial 6-week period of chemotherapy with vincristine (VCR), adriamycin (ADM) and cyclophosphamide (EDX) followed by local therapy and additional chemotherapy with the same drugs previously indicated plus ifosfamide and VP-16. The rationale for the addition of ifosfamide and VP-16 to the four drugs of the standard chemotherapy of this tumor was that this drug combination was previously very effective in the treatment of metastases from Ewing's sarcoma even in patients who did not respond to cyclophosphamide. As local treatment all patients were offered surgery, when feasible (70 cases). Forty-three patients accepted and 27 refused. These patients, as the 4 patients in whom surgery was not considered feasible, were treated with radiation therapy alone (50-60 Gy). In the remaining patients amputation was performed in 4 cases, rotationplasty in 3 and resection in 36. Where conservative surgery was marginal or intralesional (30 cases), radiotherapy at lower doses (40-45 Gy) was also delivered. At a mean follow-up of 3.5 years (2-7), 43 patients (58%) remained continuously disease-free and 31 relapsed (29 with metastases and 2 with both metastases and local recurrences). These results do not differ from those obtained at our Institution in 98 patients treated between 1983 and 1988 with a neoadjuvant protocol in which only VCR, ADM, EDX and dactinomycin (DAC) were used (3-year continuously disease-free survival (CDFS) respectively of 54% and 55%). Despite the fact that these results came from a nonrandomized study, the Authors conclude that the addition of ifosfamide and VP-16 to the four-drug standard regimen did not improve the outcome of the patients with Ewing's sarcoma of bone which remains a lethal disease in about 50% of the cases. These findings stress the need to find more effective chemotherapeutic regimens for the associated treatment of this tumor.

Adolescent↗

Complications and surgical indications in 144 cases of nonmetastatic osteosarcoma of the extremities treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

From September 1986 to December 1989, 144 patients with osteosarcoma of the extremities were treated with combined surgery and neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The disease-free survival was 79% for good responders (necrosis greater than 90%) and 72% for poor responders (necrosis less than 90%), and the local recurrence rate was low. Improvement in long-term prognosis and the increase of limb-sparing surgery determine a higher rate of immediate and late complications. Most of the complications were observed in limb-salvage procedures; 63% of these procedures presented one or more complications. In nine rotationsplasties, there were four complications, and in 13 amputations no complications were observed. Therefore, 55% of patients were affected by surgical complications. Twenty-eight complications were considered minor (not requiring surgery), whereas 77 complications were major. Functional results, evaluated according to Enneking's new system, were higher than 50% in two thirds of the limb-salvage procedures. Complications in limb-salvage procedures are more influenced by the type of reconstruction than by the surgical procedure used. Probably the most troublesome consequence of surgical complications in osteosarcoma is the deviation or delay in administering postoperative chemotherapy, which jeopardizes survival.

Adolescent↗

Selective arterial embolization in the treatment of aneurysmal bone cyst and angioma of bone.

Nineteen aneurysmal bone cysts and five angiomas of bone were treated by selective arterial embolization. The median follow-up was 22 months. In 17 patients healing occurred with complete relief of symptoms; in 11 of these almost complete ossification of the lesion resulted. In the remaining cases, little or no ossification was apparent but ossification may take 1 year or more to occur. No recurrence was observed in any of these cases. Recurrence occurred only in two cases. In one, growth of the recurrence stopped after a second embolization, and the X-rays showed no change. Selective arterial embolization represents a treatment of choice in aneurysmal bone cyst and angioma of bone especially of the spine, sacrum, or pelvis. In these sites embolization replaces surgery which might be hazardous due to intraoperative bleeding.

Adolescent↗