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At least 433 records · Page 24Linked to original sources
PubMed2004

Treatment of advanced digestive non-colon cancer with a weekly 24-h infusion of high-dose 5-fluorouracil modulated by folinic acid and cisplatin: an easy-to-use and well-tolerated combination.

The combination of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) modulated by folinic acid (FA) and cisplatin is commonly used in advanced digestive non-colon cancers (ADNCC). In order to simplify treatment administration by avoiding cisplatin-related hydration, we investigated a weekly regimen of 5-FU/FA/cisplatin. Patients with ADNCC were treated with 5-FU 2.0 g/m2, FA 500 mg/m2 and cisplatin 25 mg/m2 day 1, for 6 weeks with a 2-week rest, and were assessed for toxicity, tumor response and disease-free survival. Forty-three patients with measurable ADNCC were treated with this weekly regimen. Primary tumor sites were mainly esophagus (n = 17), stomach (n = 12) and pancreas (n = 9). Results were as follows. Toxicity was mostly hematological, with 16% grade 3/4 neutropenia (seven of 43) and 4% febrile neutropenia (two of 43). Objective response (OR) was observed in 19 of 43 (44%) patients including four complete responses (9%) and 15 partial responses (35%). Another 18 patients (42%) experienced stable disease. Time to progression was 6.5 months. The median response and stable disease durations were 4.3 (range 3-34) and 5 (range 2-16) months, respectively. We conclude that weekly administration of 5-FU/FA/cisplatin is an active and well-tolerated regimen. Toxicity is manageable and allows chemotherapy on an outpatient basis without hydration program as required when cisplatin is used at the dose of 50 mg/m2.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Pepsinogen C expression in tumors of extragastric origin.

We have examined by immunohistochemistry the ability of human carcinomas of various origin to produce pepsinogen C, an aspartyl proteinase mainly involved in the digestion of proteins in the stomach and recently found to be associated with breast carcinomas. Of the 268 tumors analyzed 80 (29.8%) showed positive staining for pepsinogen C. These positive tumors included 12 gastric (38.7% of the 31 examined cases), nine pancreatic (42.8%), two renal (20%), 12 prostatic (40%), three bladder (27.3%), 14 endometrial (29.7%) and 18 ovarian (40%) carcinomas. We also detected 10 melanomas (50%) that were positive for pepsinogen C. By contrast, immunohistochemical staining for the proteinase was not detected in colorectal, cervical, lung and basal cell skin carcinomas. These results demonstrate that pepsinogen C, a proteolytic enzyme of highly restricted expression in human tissues, can also be expressed by a wide variety of human carcinomas. In addition, and similar to pepsinogen C expression in breast carcinomas, the production of this enzyme by different human tumors might be related to putative hormonal alterations associated with the development and progression of these tumors.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗
PubMed2002

Global and regional estimates of cancer mortality and incidence by site: II. Results for the global burden of disease 2000.

BACKGROUND: Mortality estimates alone are not sufficient to understand the true magnitude of cancer burden. We present the detailed estimates of mortality and incidence by site as the basis for the future estimation of cancer burden for the Global Burden of Disease 2000 study. METHODS: Age- and sex- specific mortality envelope for all malignancies by region was derived from the analysis of country life-tables and cause of death. We estimated the site-specific cancer mortality distributions from vital records and cancer survival model. The regional cancer mortality by site is estimated by disaggregating the regional cancer mortality envelope based on the mortality distribution. Estimated incidence-to-mortality rate ratios were used to back calculate the final cancer incidence estimates by site. RESULTS: In 2000, cancer accounted for over 7 million deaths (13% of total mortality) and there were more than 10 million new cancer cases world wide in 2000. More than 60% of cancer deaths and approximately half of new cases occurred in developing regions. Lung cancer was the most common cancers in the world, followed by cancers of stomach, liver, colon and rectum, and breast. There was a significant variations in the distribution of site-specific cancer mortality and incidence by region. CONCLUSIONS: Despite a regional variation, the most common cancers are potentially preventable. Cancer burden estimation by taking into account both mortality and morbidity is an essential step to set research priorities and policy formulation. Also it can used for setting priorities when combined with data on costs of interventions against cancers.

Africa↗
PubMed1987

Limitations to the killing of tumours using radiolabelled antibodies.

We have calculated the minimum requirements for effective therapy using intravenously administered, tumour-directed antibodies labelled with either iodine 131 or yttrium 90. A lethally large amount of either radionuclide would be required to achieve tumour destruction. At least a 10-fold increase in tumour uptake is necessary to combine tumour destruction with a survivable whole-body dose. The required improvement in specific uptake can be substantially reduced by accelerating the excretion of radioactivity outside the tumour. For all situations studied, yttrium 90 is superior to iodine 131 as a cytotoxic label.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1992

Malignant biliary obstruction: efficacy of thin-section dynamic CT in determining resectability.

OBJECTIVE: Several authorities advocate the use of preoperative angiography to determine the resectability of pancreatic and periampullary tumors, claiming that CT alone is not sufficiently accurate for this purpose. Our objective was to assess the value of CT in predicting surgical resectability in patients with malignant biliary obstruction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of 380 consecutive cases of malignant biliary obstruction spanning a 4-year period. Most patients (230) were treated nonoperatively. Sixty-seven patients had surgery, pathologic confirmation of malignancy, and preoperative CT scans available for review. The CT scans were assessed for surgical resectability of tumor by an interpreter who did not know the patient's history. RESULTS: Forty-two patients had pancreatic adenocarcinoma, six had ampullary carcinoma, seven had cholangiocarcinoma, and 12 had other malignant neoplasms. Of 47 patients with tumors thought to be unresectable on the basis of CT findings, 42 had tumors that were found to be unresectable at surgery (positive predictive value, 89%). Of 20 patients with tumors thought to be resectable, 16 had tumors that were surgically resectable (positive predictive value, 80%). CT did not show metastases to duodenal lymph nodes (n = 2), portal vein infiltration (n = 1), and small hepatic metastases (n = 1). Visualization of most of these at angiography would not be expected. The CT finding of infiltration of the periarterial fat around the celiac or superior mesenteric arteries was reliable for predicting surgical unresectability. Lymphadenopathy and infiltration of nonperivascular fat planes were less reliable predictors of unresectability. CONCLUSION: Although some findings on CT that suggest unresectability are less reliable than others, the accuracy of CT compares favorably with reports on the accuracy of angiography for assessing tumor resectability in cases of malignant biliary obstruction. The addition of angiography to the examination of patients with potentially resectable lesions is not justified when high-quality, thin-section dynamic CT has been performed.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1998

Mediterranean epidemiological evidence on tomatoes and the prevention of digestive-tract cancers.

Tomatoes have been estimated as the second most important source of vitamin C, after oranges, in an Italian population. We have therefore considered the relationship between tomato intake and the risk of digestive tract cancers using data from a series of case-control studies conducted in Italy between 1983 and 1992, and including 317 histologically confirmed, incident cases of cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx, 85 of the esophagus, 723 of the stomach, 955 of the colon, and 629 of the rectum, and a total of 2879 controls admitted for acute, non-neoplastic conditions, unrelated to long-term modifications of diet. Multivariate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for subsequent quartiles of intake of tomatoes were derived, after allowance for age, sex, study center, education, smoking, alcohol drinking, and total calorie intake. There was a consistent pattern of protection for all sites. The ORs for the highest consumption quartile were 0.65 (95% CI 0.4-1.0) for oral cavity, pharynx, and esophagus, 0.43 (95% CI 0.3-0.6) for stomach, 0.39 (95% CI 0.3-0.5) for colon, and 0.42 (95% CI 0.3-0.6) for rectum. Another study of colorectal cancer, based on 1,953 cases and 4,154 controls, conducted between 1992 and 1996 and using a more detailed food frequency questionnaire, confirmed that tomato intake was significantly protective on colorectal cancer risk, even after allowance for several potential confounding factors, including measures of body mass index, calorie intake, and physical activity. The ORs for the highest consumption quintile were 0.79 (95% CI 0.6-0.9) for colon, and 0.71 (95% CI 0.5-0.9) for rectal cancer. The beneficial effect of tomatoes observed in these epidemiological studies may be due to the fact that they constitute one of the most specific features of the Mediterranean diet. This has both a scientific and a public health relevance.

Chemoprevention↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Laparoscopic surgery for cancer patients.

Laparoscopy is an effective tool for diagnosis and staging of malignancies. Laparoscopic resection of abdominal tumors has been performed rarely, with two exceptions: laparoscopic adrenalectomy and laparoscopic resection of colorectal cancer. One of the best applications of minimally invasive surgery is the use of laparoscopic techniques for palliation of abdominal cancer. Requiring thorough training and preparation of surgeons and mandating their strict credentialing will reduce the risk of complications from laparoscopic surgery.

Abdominal Neoplasms↗
PubMed2006

One-step palliative treatment method for obstructive jaundice caused by unresectable malignancies by percutaneous transhepatic insertion of an expandable metallic stent.

AIM: To describe a simple one-step method involving percutaneous transhepatic insertion of an expandable metal stent (EMS) used in the treatment of obstructive jaundice caused by unresectable malignancies. METHODS: Fourteen patients diagnosed with obstructive jaundice due to unresectable malignancies were included in the study. The malignancies in these patients were a result of very advanced carcinoma or old age. Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography was performed under ultrasonographic guidance. After a catheter with an inner metallic guide was advanced into the duodenum, an EMS was placed in the common bile duct, between a point 1 cm beyond the papilla of Vater and the entrance to the hepatic hilum. In cases where it was difficult to span the distance using just a single EMS, an additional stent was positioned. A drainage catheter was left in place to act as a hemostat. The catheter was removed after resolution of cholestasis and stent patency was confirmed 2 or 3 d post-procedure. RESULTS: One-step insertion of the EMS was achieved in all patients with a procedure mean time of 24.4 min. Out of the patients who required 2 EMS, 4 needed a procedure time exceeding 30 min. The mean time for removal of the catheter post-procedure was 2.3 d. All patients died of malignancy with a mean follow-up time of 7.8 mo. No stent-related complication or stent obstruction was encountered. CONCLUSIONS: One-step percutaneous transhepatic insertion of EMS is a simple procedure for resolving biliary obstruction and can effectively improve the patient's quality of life.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Quantification of thymidylate synthase gene expression in human gastrointestinal carcinoma tissues using competitive PCR.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Thymidylate synthase (TS) is a target enzyme for 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). It is important to know the TS expression level in tumor tissue for chemotherapy. We evaluated the TS expression level using competitive polymerase chain reaction (cPCR), and estimated the reliability and reproducibility of this method. METHODOLOGY: TS expression was assessed by both Fluorodeoxyuridine-monophosphate (FdUMP) binding assay and cPCR in 9 human adenocarcinoma cell lines and 50 human adenocarcinoma tissues obtained by surgical resection. TS expression was also assessed by cPCR in nine biopsy specimens obtained before surgery. We synthesized TS and beta-actin competitors. Following cPCR, PCR products were quantified on ethidium bromide-stained gels using a digital image analyzer. TS mRNA/beta-actin mRNA ratio was used to determine relative TS expression level. RESULTS: The number of FdUMP binding sites on TS and TS mRNA/beta-actin mRNA ratio were significantly correlated in both cell lines and surgically resected specimens (p < 0.01). A linear regression line formed from the data points was obtained for TS mRNA/beta-actin mRNA ratios in surgical specimens versus TS mRNA/beta-actin mRNA ratios in biopsy specimens (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Assessment of TS expression by cPCR using our competitors was accurate and reproducible.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1992

The monoclonal antibody (MAB) CD 68 allows the immunocytochemical identification of macrophages in primary and metastatic brain tumors in paraffin embedded tissues.

While using the MAB CD 68 applied to paraffin embedded tissue specimen, macrophages could be marked in 31 primary brain tumors of glial origin and in 17 metastatic tumors from which 7 were carcinomas of the lung, 5 carcinomas of the breast, 2 from the digestive tract and 3 were clear cell carcinomas of the kidney. Despite quantitative differences between the primary and metastatic tumors in all specimen examined macrophages were found. The macrophages were localized within the tumor tissue, at the periphery of the tumor and its surroundings. In some cases cells with an intensive staining reactions were visible in blood vessel walls. No correlation between the type of tumor and intensity of macrophages infiltration has been found, however there were quantitative differences between primary and metastatic tumors.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1992

Cancer morbidity and mortality in USA Mormons and Seventh-day Adventists.

Comparison of cancer morbidity and mortality rates between Mormons and Seventh-day-Adventists and the corresponding rates in the Federal Republic of Germany and the United States, reveals that mortality from malignant neoplasms in general is much lower in Mormons and Seventh-day Adventists than in the Federal Republic of Germany. The difference concerns in particular the tobacco-dependent tumors: compared to the rate of affected males in the Federal Republic of Germany, only some 25% of Mormon males are getting lung cancer. Similar patterns are found in laryngeal carcinoma. Tumors that are related to both alcohol and tobacco, such as carcinomas of tongue, pharynx and esophagus, are also significantly less frequent in Mormons. Malignant neoplasms of the female genital tract show distinct analogies: cervical carcinoma has a morbidity rate of only 26.7% of affected women in Germany. Accordingly, mortality rates of Mormons and Seventh-day Adventists show a significant lower level when compared with cancer data of lung, colon and rectum, and prostate from the best German cancer registry (Saarland). Some tumor rates are higher in Mormons, e.g. malignant melanoma, also all types of malignant lymphoma and myeloma. The life expectancy is generally elevated by 2-4 years in Mormons and Seventh-day Adventists. The association with the particular life style of both religious groups, especially the strict reduction of tobacco consumption, and factors of dietary and other habits is discussed.

Colorectal Neoplasms↗
PubMed1991

[Metastases of malignant tumor in the jaw. Analysis of 30 case reports].

30 metastases of malignant tumors in jaws were retrospectively studied. They occurred more often in women than in men (17 F/13 H). In 21 cases, the primitive cancer was known and had been treated 1 to 4 years before. In the other cases (9), the bone metastasis led to the discovery of a latent tumor. Clinical signs and symptoms included swelling, pain, loosening of teeth, labio-mental anaesthesia and rarely pathologic fracture. Radiologically, all but two patients had radiolucent lesion. These metastases almost always involved the mandible (95% of cases) and in that bone, most often molar area and angle. Histologically, the majority of lesions were adenocarcinomas from breast (33%) and alimentary canal (stomach, colon). Epidermoid bronchial carcinomas were seen in 5 cases and malignant melanomas in 2 cases. Only one sarcoma of this series was arising from a liposarcoma of the thigh. In all but one patients, evolution was quickly lethal.

Adult↗