Fifteen metals (lead, cadmium, arsenic, inorganic mercury, organic mercury, iron, manganese, magnesium, chromium, zinc, copper, nickel, cobalt, tin, and aluminum) were determined in the hepatic bile and urine collected simultaneously from three Japanese individuals (2 males, 1 female). The presence of these metals was classified as follows: hepatic biliary concentrations were higher than urinary concentrations (lead, arsenic, and iron); urinary concentrations were higher than hepatic biliary concentrations (cadmium, inorganic mercury, tin, cobalt, magnesium, chromium, copper, zinc, and nickel); hepatic biliary concentrations were almost equal to urinary concentrations (manganese and organic mercury); and relationship between hepatic biliary and urinary concentrations changed occasionally (aluminum). Eight essential metals (iron, manganese, magnesium, zinc, chromium, copper, nickel, and cobalt) were detected at considerable concentrations in hepatic bile. Accounting for the daily flow volume of hepatic bile and the reabsorption of these metals, the supplementation of these metals should occur during treatment of diseases accompanied by loss of hepatic bile.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Comparison of 5-fluorouracil, doxorubicin and mitomycin C with 5-fluorouracil alone in the treatment of pancreatic-biliary carcinomas.

In this multicenter randomized trial, the efficacy of combination chemotherapy using 5-fluorouracil, doxorubicin and mitomycin C (arm A) was compared with that of 5-fluorouracil alone (arm B) in 81 patients with nonresectable carcinomas of the pancreas or biliary tract. There were no significant differences between treatment arms regarding the median time to progressive disease, median survival time, palliative effects or toxicities. It was concluded that combination chemotherapy is feasible but cannot be recommended.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Prospective randomized trial of 5-fluorouracil, doxorubicin, and mitomycin C for non-resectable pancreatic and biliary carcinoma: multicenter randomized trial.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The efficacy of combination chemotherapy, which consists of fluorouracil, doxorubicin and mitomycin, was compared with that of palliative surgery-only in patients (control) having non-resectable pancreatic and biliary carcinomas in a multicenter randomized trial. METHODOLOGY: The patients were assigned to combination chemotherapy consisting of concomitant 5-fluorouracil 200 mg/m2, doxorubicin 15 mg/m2, and mitomycin 5 mg/m2 by intravenous administration. This combination chemotherapy was given concurrently as the initial dose within 1 week after palliative operation, and this regimen was repeated for at least 2 whole courses at 4-week intervals before the next course of therapy. Forty-two cases of this combination chemotherapy group and 41 of the control group were completely eligible for analysis. RESULTS: Regarding the overall 50% inhibition of tumor progression and that of gallbladder carcinoma, there were significantly better outcomes in the modified FAM therapy group. In this group, tumor reduction was achieved in 1 complete response (CR) and 2 partial response (PR) patients. With respect to the overall and differentiated survival times according to the tumor sites and the clinical efficacy, there was no difference between the groups. The most frequent adverse reactions were gastrointestinal manifestations such as anorexia, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea; also noted was alopecia. CONCLUSIONS: Since this combination chemotherapy inhibited the tumor progression for significantly longer duration and, to a lesser extent, reduced the tumor size in non-resectable gallbladder carcinomas compared to a non-administrated chemotherapy group, this study will function as the basis for pursuing a more effective chemotherapy.

Adult↗