Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

S Pavlovsky

Publications and source records attributed to S Pavlovsky.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Hodgkin's disease in childhood: therapy results in Argentina.

From 1940 to 1977, a total of 152 children aged 15 years or less with the histologic diagnosis of Hodgkin's disease were treated in Argentina. For analysis, these patients were placed into three periods which displayed the most outstanding changes in diagnostic workup and therapy. The periods are as follows: (1) 1940 to 1966 (43 children), (2) 1967 to 1972 (35 children), and (3) 1973 to 1977 (74 children). The patients were treated with extended field radiation therapy and followed by courses of cyclophosphamide-vinblastine-procarbazine-prednisone, with CCNU added (CCVPP) or not added (CVPP) in a randomized trial. The mean age of the whole group was 7.5 years (range 2 to 15 years) and there was a predominance of males (79%). Crude 6-year survival for the three periods were as follows: 1940 to 1966, 34%; 1967 to 1972, 50%; and 1973 to 1977, 79%. We conclude that (1) survival of Hodgkin's disease of childhood has shown a rather marked improvement during the last decade and this progress is probably due to the use of combined multidrug chemotherapy administered under collaborative controlled clinical trials; (2) preliminary evaluation of the results of CVPP and CCVPP therapy shows that the latter combination (CCVPP) neither increases the percent of patients achieving complete remission nor prolongs relapse-survival in Hodgkin's disease of childhood: and (3) all stages of childhood Hodgkin's disease can be successfully managed with multidrug chemotherapy alone.

Adolescent↗

Chemoimmunotherapy with Corynebacterium parvum in acute myelocytic leukemia.

The purpose of this study is to see if immunotherapy with C. parvum and prevention of central nervous system relapse with intrathecal methotrexate can prolong duration of complete remission and survival as well as avoid central nervous system relapse. For induction, three weekly I.V. injections of vincristine and Daunorubicin were given with daily prednisone orally, followed by 5-day courses of Cytosine Arabinoside and 6-mercaptopurine. The patients were randomized to chemotherapy or chemoimmunotherapy. Maintenance consisted of vincristine, Daunorubicin, and prednisone one week every odd month, and a 5-day course of Cytosine Arabinoside and 6-mercaptopurine every even month. Every week, the chemoimmunotherapy group also received, without chemotherapy, one injection of C. parvum 4 mg, subcutaneously. All patients received five weekly injections of intrathecal methotrexate 13 mg/m2 right after complete remission was achieved. Out of 181 evaluable cases, 80 (44%) achieved complete remission, 45 were randomized to chemotherapy, and 35 to chemoimmunotherapy. In the chemoimmunotherapy group 32/35 relapsed, and in the chemotherapy group 36/45. Median duration of complete remission and survival were: for group chemotherapy, 8 and 15 months; for group chemoimmunotherapy, 5 and 10 months. This difference is not significant. Intrathecal methotrexate was given to all patients. Six patients (7%) had central nervous system leukemia at the time of the first injection. None had central nervous system relapse after prevention with intrathecal methotrexate. This method seems useful in preventing central nervous system relapse in patients with acute myeloblastic leukemia, but does not seem to prolong complete remission.

Adolescent↗

Comparison of two combination chemotherapy regimens for multiple myeloma: methyl-CCNU, cyclophosphamide, and prednisone versus melphalan and prednisone.

Of 139 evaluable and previously untreated patients with multiple myeloma, 67 received methyl-CCNU-cyclophosphamide-prednisone (group A) and 72 received melphalan-prednisone (group B); 48% and 33% respectively had good responses and the overall response rates (good plus partial) were 75% and 65% for groups A and B respectively. The survival curves for both groups of patients were similar, with a median survival of 32 months. At 36 months, 70% of those patients who obtained good response were alive, 29% of those with partial response were alive, and 13% of those with no response were alive. The clinical staging system described by Durie and Salmon shows a good prognosis for stage I patients, with 80% remaining alive at 48 months, while the survival curves for stage II and III patients were similar, with 33% and 28% respectively remaining alive at 48 months. The combination of methyl-CCNU-cyclophosphamide-prednisone is not more effective in terms of response rate or duration of survival than melphalan-prednisone.

Adult↗

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in children: an analysis of 122 cases from Argentina.

One hundred twenty two children with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma were studied from January 1966 to December 1975. The first group (1966-1972) did not receive an uniform treatment. The second group (1973-1975) entered in a G.A.T.L.A. protocol consisting of: vincristine-prednisone plus surgery and/or radiotherapy as induction treatment, craniocervical radiotherapy and intrathecal methotrexate as CNS preventive treatment and anti-leukemia (6-mercaptopurine, methotrexate and vincristine-prednisone pulses) or anti-lymphoma (COPP) treatment as maintenance, in a randomized trial. Comparison of survival of the two groups are as follows: series 1966-1972, 22% and 20% at 12 and 24 months of evolution, respectively, and series 1973-1975, 33% and 26% at 12 and 24 months, respectively. After 2 years of complete remission we have not seen any relapse. We conclude that 1) this disease is highly malignant and must be treated with more intensive chemotherapeutic treatment, and 2) there is no difference between antileukemia or anti-lymphoma maintenance treatment, as yet.

Adolescent↗

Evaluation of intensification and maintenance programs in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

This cooperative prospective study was designed to answer the following questions in cases with acute lymphoblastic leukemia induced to achieve complete remission with the combination of vincristine and prednisone (if by day 29 the bone marrow was not M1, daunorubicin was added to the former regimen) and who received preventive CNS therapy with 2400 rad of cobalt-60 to craniocervical region and simultaneously intrathecal methotrexate and dexamethasone: 1) Is a short intensification with cytosine-arabinoside and cyclophosphamide immediately after complete remission useful? 2) Does the use of weekly doses of 6-mercaptopurine and methotrexate have the same maintenance effect as daily 6-mercaptopurine and twice weekly methotrexate? and 3) Do further 3 month-doses of intrathecal methotrexate and dexamethasone help to decrease still more the incidence of meningeal leukemia? From October 1972 to December 1975, 473 previously untreated patients entered this study and 465 (390 children and 75 adults) are evaluated in this paper. Of them, 373 (80%) achieved complete remission (children 84% and adults 61%). Out of 109 "high risk" children (one or more of the following characteristics at diagnosis: marked organomegaly, mediastinal widening, leukocytosis above 50000/mm3 and CNS involvement) 83 (76%) and out of 281 "standard risk" children (all the others) 244 (87%) achieved complete remission. The median duration of complete remission according to different prognostic factors was as follows: "high risk" children 10 months, adults 24 months and "standard risk" children 25 months. Duration of complete remission of the "standard risk" children in relation to with or without intensification, daily or weekly maintenance and additional intrathecal therapy or none, showed no significant difference; however, those who received intensification, daily maintenance and further intrathecal therapy behaved slightly better. Median survival for all the cases of this study was as follows: adults 10 months, "high risk" children 12 months and "standard risk" children 26 months. At 36 months, 13% of "high risk" children, 25% of adults and 39% of "standard risk" children are still alive. We conclude that the variables studied in this protocol did not show significant extension of complete remission, however the sum of them seems to offer some advantage. Moreover, what appears clear is the importance of prognostic factors which must be taken into account in future studies.

Adolescent↗