Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

U Veronesi

Publications and source records attributed to U Veronesi.

At least 181 records · Page 10Linked to original sources

A randomized trial of adjuvant chemotherapy and immunotherapy in cutaneous melanoma.

In a randomized trial of adjuvant chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or immunochemotherapy, 761 evaluable patients with pathological Stage II cutaneous melanoma anywhere on the body or with pathological Stage I melanoma of the trunk (Clark's level 3 to 5) were studied by the World Health Organization International Melanoma Group. Wide local excision and excisional regional lymphadenectomy alone were performed in 185 patients and the results were compared with those of surgery plus chemotherapy with dacarbazine (in 192 patients), surgery plus immunotherapy with bacille Calmette-Guérin vaccine (in 203), and surgery plus chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy (in 181). The rates of disease-free survival and overall survival at 36 months were 30.4 +/- 8.3 per cent (mean +/- S.E.) and 41.6 +/- 10.0 per cent, respectively, after surgical treatment alone; 37.2 +/- 7.9 per cent and 46.5 +/- 8.3 per cent after surgery plus chemotherapy; 34.8 +/- 7.9 per cent and 48.7 +/- 8.7 per cent after surgery plus immunotherapy; and 33.6 +/- 7.9 per cent and 50.0 +/- 8.8 per cent after surgery plus a combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy. None of the differences between groups was significant, and thus no effect of adjuvant therapy could be demonstrated in this study.

BCG Vaccine↗

Delayed regional lymph node dissection in stage I melanoma of the skin of the lower extremities.

Results of a prospective randomized clinical trial conducted by the WHO Collaborating Centers for the Evaluation of Methods of Diagnosis and Treatment of Melanoma are reported. Five-hundred-fifty-three Stage I patients whose limbs were affected entered the study; 267 were submitted to wide excision and immediate node dissection and 286 had wide excision and node dissection at the time clinically positive nodes were detected. Survival curves of the two treatment groups could be superimposed. No subsets of patients benefitted from immediate node dissection. The authors conclude that delayed node dissection is as effective as the immediate dissection in Stage I melanoma of the extremities if the patient can be checked every three months. If the quarterly follow-up is not guaranteed, immediate node dissection is advisable, at least for melanomas thicker than 2 mm.

Adolescent↗

Comparing radical mastectomy with quadrantectomy, axillary dissection, and radiotherapy in patients with small cancers of the breast.

From 1973 to 1980, we carried out a controlled study at the National Cancer Institute in Milan to consider the value of a conservative procedure in patients with breast cancer of small size. We randomized 701 patients with breast cancer measuring less than 2 cm in diameter and with no palpable axillary lymph nodes to Halsted radical mastectomy or to "quadrantectomy" with axillary dissection and radiotherapy to the ipsilateral residual breast tissue. We treated 349 patients with Halsted mastectomy and 352 with quadrantectomy. The two groups were comparable in age distribution, size and site of primary tumor, menopausal status, and frequency of axillary metastases. There were three local recurrences in the Halsted group and one in the quadrantectomy group. Actuarial curves showed no difference between the two groups in disease-free or overall survival. From these results, mastectomy appears to involve unnecessary mutilation in patients with breast cancer of less than 2 cm and no palpable axillary nodes.

Aged↗

Multimodal treatment in operable breast cancer: five-year results of the CMF programme.

The five-year results of a prospective randomised trial of radical mastectomy (179 patients) versus radical mastectomy followed by adjuvant chemotherapy (207 patients) were analysed. Chemotherapy consisted of 12 monthly cycles of cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and fluorouracil (CMF). Both relapse-free survival (controls 44.6%, CMF group 59.5%) and total survival (controls 66.2%, CMF group 78.4%) were significantly improved. The findings were related to the number of diseased axillary nodes and amount of drug administered, and were independent of CMF-induced amenorrhoea. Menopausal state alone appeared to affect the five-year results only when the amount of drug administered was not taken into account. Salvage treatment at first relapse failed to improve total survival in the controls compared with the CMF group. Acute toxic manifestations were moderate and reversible. Chronic organ damage and increased incidence of second neoplasms (controls 1.7%, CMF group 1.4%) were not observed. The multimodality approach to treatment of primary breast cancer is a new and important advance. This and other studies are continuing.

Adult↗

Inefficacy of internal mammary nodes dissection in breast cancer surgery.

From January 1964 to January 1968, 737 patients with breast cancer were randomized at the Cancer Institute in Milan to undergo either Halsted mastectomy or Halsted mastectomy with internal mammary node dissection; 716 were considered evaluable. The series was part of an international cooperative study. The two groups of patients were comparable in age, menopausal status, quadrant distribution, and frequency of axillary metastases. No patients received postoperative radiotherapy or adjuvant treatments. At ten years, no difference was found in either in the length of disease-free or overall survival in the two series. The overall survival was 60.7% in patients treated with Halsted mastectomy and 57.0% in patients treated with Halsted mastectomy plus internal mammary dissection. In no subgroups was a statistically significant difference found. In the series treated by extended mastectomy, the incidence of internal mammary metastases was 20.5% (24.6% in cases with tumor in medial or central quadrants and 17.7% in cases with tumor in lateral quadrants). The follow-up of the patients treated by Halsted mastectomy showed that only 15 had a parasternal recurrence; the expected number was 75. In nine patients, parasternal recurrences were the first site of relapse of the disease. All of them were treated with radiotherapy, and in four a complete control was obtained.

Adult↗

Xeroradiography of soft tissue tumors.

The main features of 300 consecutive cases of soft tissue tumors at xeroradiography were submitted to retrospective evaluation. The parameters assessed were: visibility, density, shape, size, outline and relationships of the lesions. The distribution of each parameter between benign and malignant tumors was evaluated by means of statistical analysis. The xerographic signs of malignancy of soft tissue tumors are reviewed and the typical features of some particular tumors are outlined.

Diagnosis, Differential↗

Multimodal treatment for locally advanced breast cancer. Result of chemotherapy-radiotherapy versus chemotherapy-surgery.

In a prospective randomized study, the efficacy of two combined modality approaches (chemotherapy plus radiotherapy or chemotherapy plus mastectomy) was tested in a total of 132 women with locally advanced breast cancer. Chemotherapy consisted of Adriamycin plus vincristine (AV) administered for three cycles before either local-regional modality and subsequently for seven additional cycles. Although a higher proportion of women achieved complete remission after mastectomy (100%) compared to women given radiotherapy (60%), the total response rate at the end of combined modality was identical (75%). There was no significant difference between the two treatment groups in terms of patterns of treatment failure, median duration of response, and total survival. Treatment was not influenced by menopausal or estrogen receptor status. Two patients of the surgical group showed Adriamycin-induced cardiomyopathy after cumulative doses less than 500 mg/m2. The results of present study failed to indicate that surgery per se improved the overall results including local control, over radiotherapy in a combined modality setting.

Adult↗

Adjuvant combination chemotherapy for operable breast cancer. Trials in progress at the Istituto Nazionale Tumori of Milan.

Adjuvant trials ongoing at the Istituto Nazionale Tumori of Milan for operable breast cancer with nodal involvement are reviewed in this paper. In the first trial (cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, 5-fluorouracil [CMF] versus control), the early 5-year results confirm the usefulness of combination chemotherapy in significantly affecting the relapse-free survival (RFS) and total survival rates. The degree of axillary node involvement remains the most important prognostic indicator also in patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy. The contention concerning the therapeutic effect of CMF in pre- versus postmenopausal women is overcome by the observation that about 80% of patients receiving greater than 85% of the planned dose are surviving relapse free at 5 years regardless of their menopausal status. The 3-year results of the second CMF trial indicate that both RFS and total survival are comparable between the groups receiving 12 or 6 cycles of adjuvant CMF. The results were not affected by drug-induced amenorrhea nor by estrogen receptor status. Provided the percent of dose administered is high, there is probably no real advantage in prolonging CMF chemotherapy beyond the sixth month. However, the results are still preliminary.

Aged↗

Stage I melanoma of the limbs. Immediate versus delayed node dissection.

553 patients with stage I malignant melanoma of the limbs entered a prospective randomized clinical trial carried out by the W.H.O. Collaborating Centres for Evaluation of Methods of Diagnosis and Treatment of Melanoma from September 1967 to January 1974. 286 patients were submitted to wide excision of primary and node dissection at the time as appearance of regional lymph node metastases and 267 to wide excision and immediate node dissection. Survival was identical in the 2 groups. Different subsets of patients were evaluated to assess whether some groups of patients may benefit from immediate node dissection. As regards sex, females and a significantly higher survival rate than males (p < 0.05), but results were not improved by immediate node dissection. Maximum diameter and elevation of primary melanoma were significantly related to survival but also in these cases immediate node dissection did not achieve better results. 63 patients had an excisional biopsy of their melanoma within 4 weeks before final treatment. This procedure did not worsen survival and also in this case immediate node dissection did not improve survival. 273 cases were classified according to histologic type: survival of superficial spreading and nodular melanoma was not different at a statistically significant level after the 2 treatment modalities. 325 cases were considered classifiable according to Clark's levels, out of these 165 were submitted to immediate node dissection. Neither level III nor level IV cases showed higher survival rate after immediate node dissection. Maximum tumor thickness according to Breslow was evaluated in 338 cases: 188 were submitted to wide excision and immediate node dissection. In no clusters of thickness did the enlarged surgical procedure achieve better results. The authors conclude that there is good evidence that in stage I melanoma of the extremities delayed dissection.

Adolescent↗

Surgical treatment of intestinal complications after radiotherapy and surgery for malignant lymphoma and carcinoma of the testis.

The aim of this paper is the analysis of the complications occurred after surgical and radiological procedures, for staging and treatment of malignant lymphomas and testicular carcinoma with an evaluation of the possible efficacy of their surgical treatment. At the Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori of Milan during the period 1970-1976, 718 patients with malignant lymphomas were staged with laparosplenectomy; 444 of them received radiotherapy on the abdominal area. Laparosplenectomy was not performed on other 123 cases that were irradiated as well on the abdominal area. Retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy or explorative laparotomy were carried out in 98 patients with carcinoma of the testis and 46 of them received adjuvant radiotherapy; other 29 were irradiated without previous surgical procedures. After surgery alone morbidity and mortality rate were 2.7% and 0.73% respectively. The mortality/morbidity ratio was 26%. The incidence of complications after radiotherapy alone was 3.3%. No deaths followed the treatment. Combined treatment had a morbidity rate of 5.5% and mortality rate of 2%. The mortality/morbidity ratio was 37%. Complications were treated mainly by surgery: out of 50 interventions, 22 were intestinal resections. New secondary complications were however frequent (more than 50% after intestinal resection) especially in patients originally treated with laparosplenectomy or retroperitoneal dissection plus radiotherapy.

Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage↗

Axillary lymph node metastases from occult carcinoma of the breast.

From the case records of the Istituto Nazionale Tumori of Milan from 1956 to 1976, 49 cases of metastases in axillary lymph nodes from an occult carcinoma of the breast were selected. Forty-four patients underwent removal of the suspicious breast. In 11 patients no tumor was found at the pathologic examination. The survival of these patients was no different from the survival of those in whom the tumor was found. The 5-year survival of the total series was 87%, confirming that this type of presentation of breast cancer has a prognosis that is better than that generally reported for stage II carcinoma of the breast.

Adult↗