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PubMed2004

Infliximab maintenance therapy for fistulizing Crohn's disease.

BACKGROUND: Infliximab, a monoclonal antibody against tumor necrosis factor, is an effective maintenance therapy for patients with Crohn's disease without fistulas. It is not known whether infliximab is an effective maintenance therapy for patients with fistulas. METHODS: We performed a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of infliximab maintenance therapy in 306 adult patients with Crohn's disease and one or more draining abdominal or perianal fistulas of at least three months' duration. Patients received 5 mg of infliximab per kilogram of body weight intravenously on weeks 0, 2, and 6. A total of 195 patients who had a response at weeks 10 and 14 and 87 patients who had no response were then randomly assigned to receive placebo or 5 mg of infliximab per kilogram every eight weeks and to be followed to week 54. The primary analysis was the time to the loss of response among patients who had a response at week 14 and underwent randomization. RESULTS: The time to loss of response was significantly longer for patients who received infliximab maintenance therapy than for those who received placebo maintenance (more than 40 weeks vs. 14 weeks, P<0.001). At week 54, 19 percent of patients in the placebo maintenance group had a complete absence of draining fistulas, as compared with 36 percent of patients in the infliximab maintenance group (P=0.009). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with fistulizing Crohn's disease who have a response to induction therapy with infliximab have an increased likelihood of a sustained response over a 54-week period if infliximab treatment is continued every 8 weeks.

Adult↗

PubMed1975

Maintenance requirements for energy in cross-bred cattle.

1. Twenty-seven energy and protein balances were done using nine cross-bred (Brown Swiss times Sahiwal) mature bullocks in a series of three balance trials. The bullocks were fed 75, 100 and 125 percent of the metabolizable energy (ME) and digestible crude protein standard values recommended by the (US) National Research Council (1966). Heat production was estimated by indirect calorimetry, by collection and analysis of respiratory gases. 2. Utilization of energy for maintenance and fat production was estimated by computing regression of energy balance v. digestible energy (DE) and ME separately on a metabolic body size (kg body-weight (W)0-75) basis. Maintenance energy requirements and efficiency of utilization of ME for lipogenesis were estimated using multiple regression of ME intake, also. Heat production (and thus energy balance) was corrected for excess nitrogen intake. 3. An attempt was made to measure basal heat production of bullocks so that the net energy requirements for maintenance could be estimated. Extrapolation of the regression line of energy balance v. ME intake below maintenance on a W0-75 basis gave a basal metabolism of 348-09 kJ/W0-75 per d. 4. Energy requirements for maintenance were (kJ/kg W0-75 per d): 539-43 DE, 448-81 ME and 348-09 net energy. The results of multiple regression gave a requirement of 432-15 kJ ME/kg W0-75 per d for maintenance. 5. The efficiency of utilization of ME for maintenance was 81-34 percent while for lipogenesis it was 54-5 percent.

Animal Feed↗

PubMed1993

[The effect of the protein level of food on the energy maintenance requirement of growing rats on different feeding regimens].

Male Wistar rats were fed in the live weight range between 70 and 200 g in periods alternately for maintenance and weight gain (semi ad libitum). The diets contained 10, 40 and 70% crude protein, resp., the ambient temperature was 30 degrees C. In agreement with two previous experiments 2 different feed regimes were used. Whereas in the first growth phase (up to about 150 g live weight) the supply of protein was constant for each group, in the second growth phase the protein level was changed between the groups from one period to the other. The energy metabolism on the feeding level of maintenance was measured by indirect calorimetry. At both feeding regimes a dependence of energy maintenance requirement on the protein level of feeding was established. The differences in the maintenance requirement between the 10% and 70% protein level and in the first growth phase also between the 10% and 40% protein level corresponded on average to a growth phase the expected values of which result from the different efficiency of ATP synthesis in the oxidative degradation of nutrients. It follows that--in accordance with the previous findings--the feeding regime does not influence the ratio of energetic utilization of nutrients in the maintenance metabolism of growing rats under the experimental conditions used by us. Further the results of all our studies on the dependence of the energy maintenance requirement of growing rats on the nutrient composition are summarized. We conclude that a dependence on the protein-carbohydrate ratio of the diet according to the different efficiency of ATP synthesis in the protein and carbohydrate catabolism can be reproducibly established by our experimental methods only then, if more than 50% of the energy maintenance requirement are covered from protein energy.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

PubMed1996

Is long-term maintenance of health-related physical activity possible? An analysis of concepts and evidence.

The phenomenon of maintenance of health-related physical activity is explored through an analysis of the underlying concepts and of the existing empirical evidence. The following targets were used for the analysis: (1) the concept of health-related physical activity, (2) the concept of maintenance, (3) common manifestations of maintenance in everyday living, (4) the promotional and behavioral characteristics of health-related physical activity, (5) the known determinants of free-living physical activity, and (6) intervention trials on physical activity in free-living groups. The analyses revealed the inherent resistance to adoption and maintenance of physical activity, particularly that of high-intensity and program-centered activities, the persistence, however, of many simple everyday routines and habits, the multiple determinants discovered for free-living physical activity and a few empirical demonstrations of the successful promotion of the maintenance of physical activity over a year or two. The promotion of the maintenance of health-related physical activity seems thus a distinct possibility provided that (1) the promotional situation is analyzed thoroughly, (2) the activity is chosen carefully with an emphasis on moderation in intensity and integration into the participant's life-style, (3) multiple promotional contacts are used, and (4) support from the participant's social and physical environment is provided. There is a need for more research on the maintenance of health-related physical activity using the stages of change models, behavior modification principles, self-control concepts, the concept of intrinsic motivation and the Relapse model. The method of analysis used here could apply to other health-related behaviors as well.

Attitude to Health↗

PubMed1982

Effect of age and body weight on the maintenance requirement of lean and obese Zucker rats.

The effect of age (34-215 days) and body weight (80-627 g) on the maintenance requirements of lean (n = 4) and obese (n = 4) Zucker rats was determined in 5 maintenance trials. The rats were fed a semipurified, 20% protein diet. The metabolizable energy intake (MEI) required for maintenance of body weight (BW) was determined in weekly intake-metabolism trials. Maintenance requirements [kilocalories MEI/(day.kilogram BW)] were lower (P less than 0.01) for obese rats than for lean rats, and they decreased with age for both types, respectively (Y = 206.23 - 0.3524 X; r = -0.547 and Y = 252.61 -0.4818 X; r = -0.649). Maintenance requirements (kilocalories MEI/day) of obese rats were lower (P less than 0.01) than lean rats, respectively, when expressed in terms of grams body weight (Y = 7.03 + 0.1333 X; r = 0.994 and Y = 9.04 + 0.1441 X; r = 0.994), metabolic body size (kilogram 0.75) (Y = -4.52 + 132.33 X; r = 0.989 and Y = 0.05 + 130.52 X; r-0.992) or least squares, type-specific exponent [Y = 119.03 (kilogram0.77); r = 0.975 and Y = 120.87 (kilogram 0.71); r = 0.986]. The results indicate that obese Zucker rats have lower maintenance requirements than their lean littermates and that maintenance requirements are as closely related to body weight as to metabolic body size or type-specific exponent for each body type.

Aging↗

PubMed1992

Long-term respiration in relation to growth and maintenance processes of the aboveground parts of a hinoki forest tree.

Over a three-year period, CO(2) exchange rates were measured continuously on the aboveground parts of a 13-year-old hinoki (Chamaecyparis obtusa (Sieb. et Zucc.) Endl.) tree in the field, using an open gas-exchange system tracking ambient temperature. The relationship between daily aerial respiratory consumption and daily gross production, which was analyzed monthly, closely resembled McCree's equation. The value of the coefficient of growth respiration ranged between 0.0 in winter and 0.16 in summer and increased with increasing monthly mean temperature. A clockwise loop was observed for monthly change in the relationship between the coefficient of growth respiration and temperature. Maintenance respiration could be formulated as a power function of aboveground dry weight. The exponent of the equation ranged from 0.3 to 1.1. A value of 1.1 in May and June, when trees were growing most actively, indicated that maintenance respiration was directly proportional to aboveground weight. In March, April, July, and August, maintenance respiration was not proportional to aboveground weight, but it was closely proportional to surface area. The exponent value exhibited seasonal change with a clockwise loop in response to monthly average temperature. During the dormant season, respiration was used only for maintenance purposes, whereas during the growing season both growth and maintenance respiration occurred. Annual growth and maintenance respiration increased with increasing tree age. The average annual contribution to total respiratory consumption was 21% for growth respiration and 79% for maintenance respiration.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2003

Long-term maintenance ECT: a retrospective review of efficacy and cognitive outcome.

Continuation and maintenance electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) are used to prevent relapse of depression after a successful course of index ECT. Such a course of treatment is typically extended for as long as a year. However, some patients seem to require longer courses of maintenance ECT. Little is known about the outcomes of long-term use (> 1 year) of maintenance ECT. We reviewed our maintenance ECT practice for the year 2000 and found that 43 patients had been receiving maintenance ECT for more than a year. This retrospective study reviews the outcomes of these patients. All patients had depression associated with either unipolar or bipolar disorder or schizoaffective disorder. These patients had multiple medication or psychotherapy trials or both and multiple hospitalizations before receiving maintenance ECT. Effects on depressive symptoms, level of functioning, health care use, frequency of hospitalizations, and cognition are discussed. We conclude that extended maintenance ECT is efficacious and well tolerated and reduces hospital use for a population of chronically depressed patients refractory to medication.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Continuation and maintenance electroconvulsive therapy for the treatment of depressive illness: a response to the National Institute for Clinical Excellence report.

Continuation and maintenance electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is used to prevent relapse and recurrence of depressive episodes in those patients who have failed previous continuation and/or maintenance pharmacotherapy and who have also responded to an acute course of ECT. These patients frequently have histories of medication-resistant depression, medication intolerance, and/or comorbid medical conditions that complicate the management of their psychiatric illness. Previous studies of continuation and maintenance ECT, mostly consisting of case reports and retrospective chart reviews, as well as several prospective studies, support the practice of continuation and maintenance ECT as a viable treatment option for these difficult-to-treat patients. However, continuation and maintenance ECT have come under fire recently because of concerns of insufficient controlled studies demonstrating its efficacy, its long-term benefits, and its risks. This article thus reviews the most recent data available on the use of continuation and maintenance ECT in the treatment of depressive disorders. Although few new prospective controlled studies exist in the literature, published and emerging data continue to support the use of continuation and maintenance ECT, particularly in those individuals with medication-refractory, ECT-responsive, and relapse-prone depression.

Depressive Disorder↗

PubMed1994

Retention in methadone maintenance and heroin addicts' risk of death.

A long-term follow-up was made of a cohort of 307 heroin addicts admitted into a high-dose, Australian methadone maintenance programme in the early 1970s. Using data from clinic records, official death records and methadone treatment histories, it was found that subjects were nearly three times as likely to die outside of methadone maintenance as in it (95% CI RR 1.45 to 5.61). Data were further analyzed using Cox regression to investigate the association of maximum daily methadone dose and a change in clinic policy with retention in maintenance treatment. It is estimated that subjects given a maximum daily dose of 80 mg were nearly twice as likely to be discharged during the first three years of maintenance as those given 120 mg (95% CI RR 1.3 to 2.2). The estimated median time in maintenance for subjects given a maximum dose of 120 mg was 1150 days while for 80 mg it was 660 days. It is further estimated that the change in clinic policy from abstinence to indefinite maintenance reduced to one-third subjects' risk of leaving after three years' of treatment (95% CI RR 0.19 to 0.54). It is concluded that, in order to minimize heroin addicts' risk of death, they should be offered indefinite, high-dose methadone maintenance.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Cost and cost-effectiveness of standard methadone maintenance treatment compared to enriched 180-day methadone detoxification.

AIMS: To compare the cost and cost-effectiveness of methadone maintenance treatment and 180-day methadone detoxification enriched with psychosocial services. DESIGN: Randomized controlled study conducted from May 1995 to April 1999. SETTING: Research clinic in an established drug treatment program. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred and seventy-nine adults with diagnosed opioid dependence. Intervention Patients were randomized to methadone maintenance (n = 91), which required monthly 1 hour/week of psychosocial therapy during the first 6 months or 180-day detoxification (n = 88), which required 3 hours/week of psychosocial therapy and 14 education sessions during the first 6 months. MEASUREMENTS: Total health-care costs and self-reported injection drug use. A two-state Markov model was used to estimate quality-adjusted years of survival. Findings Methadone maintenance produced significantly greater reductions in illicit opioid use than 180-day detoxification during the last 6 months of treatment. Total health-care costs were greater for maintenance than detoxification treatment ($7564 versus $6687; P < 0.001). Although study costs were significantly higher for methadone maintenance than detoxification patients ($4739 versus $2855, P < 0.001), detoxification patients incurred significantly higher costs for substance abuse and mental health care received outside the study. Methadone maintenance may provide a modest survival advantage compared with detoxification. The cost per life-year gained is $16 967. Sensitivity analysis revealed a cost-effectiveness ratio of less than $20 000 per quality-adjusted life-year over a wide range of modeling assumptions. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with enriched detoxification services, methadone maintenance is more effective than enriched detoxification services with a cost-effectiveness ratio within the range of many accepted medical interventions and may provide a survival advantage. Results provide additional support for the use of sustained methadone therapy as opposed to detoxification for treating opioid addiction.

Adult↗

PubMed1990

Long-term maintenance treatment of gastric ulcers with ranitidine.

One hundred and twenty patients with gastric ulcer disease, who had been receiving maintenance treatment with ranitidine (150 or 300 mg/day) for periods up to 7 years, were studied retrospectively. The proportion of patients remaining free from symptomatic recurrence of ulcer during maintenance treatment was 97% after 1 year; 90% after 3 years; and 79% after 5 years. No patient developed haemorrhage or perforation during maintenance treatment. None of the demographic features was shown to be associated with a significantly increased risk of ulcer recurrence during maintenance treatment. Comparison of the recurrence rates during maintenance treatment with those during periods without active anti-ulcer therapy, using life table and incidence density analysis, showed a significant difference in favour of maintenance treatment. We conclude that maintenance treatment with ranitidine for 5 years significantly reduces the risk of symptomatic ulcer recurrence in patients with gastric ulcer.

Adult↗

PubMed1990

Asymptomatic duodenal ulcers occurring during maintenance treatment with ranitidine.

Fifty-seven patients who developed asymptomatic recurrence of duodenal ulceration during maintenance treatment with ranitidine were followed up to assess the risk of developing symptoms or complications of ulcer disease. The risk of development of symptomatic ulcer recurrence was 4% in the first year of follow-up during continuous maintenance treatment, irrespective of whether or not the asymptomatic ulcer had been actively treated (by doubling the dose of ranitidine used for maintenance therapy). The asymptomatic duodenal ulceration during maintenance treatment did not predispose to complications such as haemorrhage or perforation. It seems, therefore, that patients receiving maintenance treatment for duodenal ulceration do not require endoscopic re-examination unless symptoms have recurred, because the asymptomatic recurrences of duodenal ulceration occurring during maintenance treatment are clinically benign, usually heal spontaneously if maintenance treatment is continued, and do not require active medical intervention.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Interviews and assessments of returning non-compliant periodontal maintenance patients.

BACKGROUND: Periodontal therapy without a maintenance programme has been shown to be of doubtful value. Most studies show a low-level of compliance with periodontal maintenance therapy. Many suggestions as to the reasons for this have been put forward, but it has been difficult to confirm these, as the patients are not available to be interviewed. AIM: To identify, interview and assess returning non-compliant periodontal maintenance patients. METHOD: All patients who had undergone periodontal therapy between 1986 and 2004 but not complied with the maintenance therapy were interviewed and assessed when they later returned to the specialist office for treatment. RESULTS: Sixty-one patients with an average age of 56.4 years (SD 11,1) were studied. There were 18 males and 43 females. The patients were compliant for 3.4 years (SD 3.2) before leaving and returning after 5.5 years (SD 3.3) of non-compliance. Average tooth loss while non-compliant was 1.6 teeth (SD 2.8). The interviews revealed that 37 patients attended their own dentist's office exclusively for maintenance therapy, eight patients gave health reasons and seven patients lack of motivation or failure to cooperate. Thirty-six patients were re-referred by their own dentist, 13 changed dentist and were referred by this dentist, while 12 patients contacted the specialist office directly. Fifty-three patients claimed to have been fully compliant with their own dentist while non-compliant with the specialist office. CONCLUSION: The main reason for non-compliance was that the patients did attend their own dentist exclusively for maintenance therapy. Tooth loss and periodontal deterioration was more marked in this group than patients who in addition attended the specialist office for maintenance therapy.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Atovaquone maintenance therapy prevents reactivation of toxoplasmic encephalitis in a murine model of reactivated toxoplasmosis.

Acute therapy with pyrimethamine plus sulfadiazine is the treatment of choice for reactivated toxoplasmic encephalitis (TE). Acute therapy is followed by lifelong maintenance therapy (secondary prophylaxis) with the same drugs at lower dosages. The use of pyrimethamine plus sulfadiazine is hampered by severe side effects including allergic reactions and hematotoxicity. Alternative treatment regimens with pyrimethamine plus clindamycin or other antiparasitic drugs are less efficacious. Atovaquone nanosuspensions show excellent therapeutic effects for "acute" intravenous (i.v.) treatment of reactivated TE in a murine model. In the present study, the therapeutic efficacy of atovaquone for oral "maintenance" therapy was investigated. Mice with a targeted mutation in the interferon regulatory factor 8 gene were latently infected with Toxoplasma gondii, developed reactivated TE, and received acute i.v. therapy with atovaquone nanosuspensions. Mice were then treated orally with atovaquone suspension or other antiparasitic drugs to prevent relapse of TE. Maintenance therapy with atovaquone at daily doses of 50 or 100 mg/kg (body weight) protected mice against reactivated TE and death. This maintenance treatment was superior to standard therapy with pyrimethamine plus sulfadiazine. The latter combination was superior to the combination of pyrimethamine plus clindamycin. Inflammatory changes in the brain parenchyma and meninges, as well as parasite numbers, in the brains of mice confirmed the therapeutic efficacy of atovaquone for maintenance therapy. Atovaquone was detectable in sera, brains, livers, and lungs of infected mice by high-performance liquid chromatography and/or mass spectrometry. In conclusion, atovaquone appears to be superior to the standard maintenance therapy regimens in a murine model of reactivated TE. The therapeutic efficacy of atovaquone for maintenance therapy against TE should be further investigated in clinical trials.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Relationship of variability in residual symptoms with recurrence of major depressive disorder during maintenance treatment.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate how residual symptoms from an index episode of major depressive disorder may be associated with recurrence, the authors conducted a trial involving four maintenance treatment approaches and examined 1) whether the level and variability of residual symptoms differed among the maintenance treatment conditions and 2) whether greater symptom variability is associated with a higher likelihood of recurrence and more rapid recurrence. METHOD: Patients enrolled in a maintenance treatment study (N=114) were randomly assigned to one of four maintenance treatment conditions: imipramine plus interpersonal psychotherapy, imipramine alone, interpersonal psychotherapy alone, or no active treatment. Residual symptoms were characterized both as continuous variables (mean values and coefficients of variation for Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and Global Assessment Scale [GAS] scores) and as a categorical variable, the percentage of maintenance evaluations with a Hamilton depression scale score > or =8 (e.g., with a symptom peak). RESULTS: Analysis of variance revealed no differences among the four treatment conditions in patients' levels of residual symptoms or symptom variability assessed as a continuous variable, but patients in the combined treatment group had fewer symptom peaks, compared to those in the placebo and interpersonal psychotherapy groups. Cox proportional hazards modeling showed that higher coefficients of variation for both the Hamilton depression scale and the GAS scores and a greater percentage of evaluations with symptom peaks were associated with shorter survival times. CONCLUSIONS: A higher level of symptom variability during maintenance treatment is associated with higher risk for recurrence of depression and may provide a specific target for maintenance treatments.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

fMRI study of maintenance and manipulation processes within working memory in first-episode schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE: Working memory, a critical cognitive capacity that is affected in schizophrenia, can be divided into maintenance and manipulation processes. Previous behavioral research suggested that manipulation is more affected than maintenance in patients with chronic schizophrenia. In this study of first-episode schizophrenia patients, the authors evaluated the extent to which the two working memory processes are affected early in the course of schizophrenia. METHOD: Study subjects were 11 first-episode schizophrenia patients and 11 matched healthy comparison subjects. Each group performed two verbal working memory tasks while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging. One task required maintenance of information; the other required manipulation of information in addition to maintenance. RESULTS: Under behaviorally matched conditions, both groups activated a predominantly left-sided frontal-parietal network. The manipulation plus maintenance task elicited activation of greater magnitude and spatial extent. With both tasks, patients showed less bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activation and greater ventrolateral prefrontal cortex activation, relative to the comparison subjects. A group-by-task interaction was observed for activation at the left dorsolateral and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex. The increase in activation when patients engaged in the manipulation plus maintenance task was disproportionately less in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and greater in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex. CONCLUSIONS: These functional neuroanatomical findings add support to earlier suggestions that manipulation of information is selectively more affected than maintenance of information in persons with schizophrenia. They also suggest the presence of interacting regions of dysfunctional and compensatory prefrontal responses in the dorsolateral and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, respectively, that are more prominent when information is manipulated. This disrupted prefrontal network is present relatively early in the course of schizophrenia.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Maintenance therapy with alternate-day prednisone improves survival in multiple myeloma patients.

The role of maintenance therapy in multiple myeloma is controversial. Recent studies have shown an improvement in both progression-free and overall survival for patients receiving maintenance treatment with a combination of interferon and glucocorticoids, compared with interferon alone. The role of glucocorticoids alone as maintenance therapy has not been previously addressed. We compared alternate-day, oral prednisone at 2 different dose levels (10 mg versus 50 mg) for remission maintenance among previously untreated myeloma patients following a response to induction with standard-dose vincristine, doxorubicin, and dexamethasone with prednisone (VAD-P) or VAD-P plus quinine (VAD-P/Q). There were 250 eligible patients registered on Southwest Oncology Group study 9210 and randomized to receive VAD-P or VAD-P/Q. There were 125 patients achieving at least a 25% tumor reduction following induction therapy who were randomized to either physiologic (10 mg) or pharmacologic (50 mg) doses of alternate-day, oral prednisone until disease progression. At the time of study entry, patient characteristics were similar in VAD-P and VAD-P/Q patients and in the 2 arms randomized to maintenance therapy. After a median follow-up of 53 months, there was no difference in either progression-free or overall survival between the 2 induction regimens. However, from the time of maintenance randomization, both progression-free (14 versus 5 months; P =.003) and overall survival (37 versus 26 months; P =.05) were significantly improved in patients receiving 50 mg as compared with 10 mg alternate-day prednisone. There was no difference in treatment-related adverse events between the groups. Thus, 50 mg, oral, alternate-day prednisone is effective maintenance treatment for multiple myeloma patients who achieve a response to induction chemotherapy. (Blood. 2002;99:3163-3168)

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Randomized trial comparing induction chemotherapy versus induction chemotherapy followed by maintenance chemotherapy in small-cell lung cancer. European Lung Cancer Working Party.

PURPOSE AND METHODS: The European Lung Cancer Working Party (ELCWP) performed a randomized trial with the primary end point to determine if maintenance chemotherapy with 12 courses of etoposide (120 mg/m2 on days 1 and 3) and vindesine (3 mg/m2 on day 3) could improve progression-free survival in small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients who responded to six courses of induction chemotherapy with ifosfamide, etoposide, and an anthracycline (doxorubicin or epirubicin). RESULTS: Among 235 eligible patients initially registered, 91 were randomized to receive maintenance therapy, including seven patients who were no longer responding. Among 84 randomized responders, progression-free survival was significantly improved (P = .003) by maintenance therapy, with median durations (maintenance v follow-up) of 25 versus 12 weeks after the second randomization, but survival was not significantly increased (P = .10), with median durations of 48 and 38 weeks. However, in a multi-variate analysis that took into account disease extent, maintenance therapy, Karnofsky performance status (PS), and absolute dose-intensity (ADI) of anthracycline given during induction, limited disease (LD) and maintenance were found to be independent positive predictors of survival. CONCLUSION: We conclude that maintenance chemotherapy in responding patients is beneficial in SCLC.

Adult↗