Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “GASTROINTESTINAL NEOPLASMS”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 505 records · Page 28Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

[Photodynamic therapy. A new method for the treatment of cancer].

This therapy is best understood as light activated chemotherapy. The chemotherapeutic agents, so-called photosensitizers, are relatively harmless without light. The photosensitizer is given systemically and is concentrated or retained in malignant tissue, the activating light is applied locally. The therapy is approved in The United States of America, Canada, The Netherlands, France, Germany and Japan for treatment of certain malignancies. An approval is pending at The Danish National Board of Health. Photodynamic therapy is potentially curative for many superficial or luminal tumours, and can eradicate micrometastases in the tumour bed.

Brain Neoplasms↗
PubMed1999

[Gastrointestinal cancer-associated antigen (GICA) and intravascular hemolysis. Report of 2 cases and review of the literature].

GICA or CA 19-9, monosialyl Lewis (a) antigen, is a ganglioside, component of cellular wall. GICA is known as a neoplastic marker with high correlation, specificity and sensibility for the gastrointestinal neoplasms, mainly of the pancreas. Two cases of intravascular haemolysis are reported (a case in woman with Moschowitz's syndrome and a case in man with mitral prosthetic valve and mild congestive heart failure) with elevated serum levels of GICA. First in the literature, the Authors hypothesize a strict correlation between the aspecific elevation of GICA serum levels and diffuse membrane cell damage in several body districts, and its significance (1-6%) in hemolytic, non neoplastic pathology. Its serum evaluation will be useful in the early diagnosis and follow-up of hemolytic pictures associated with several diseases (e.g.: thrombotic microangiopathies, as TTP, HUS, HELLP, etc; hemolysis by prosthetic valves, congenital cardiopathies, etc.; liver diseases; hemolytic anemias caused by intra- and extra-corpuscular defects). The literature is widely reviewed about significance of GICA serum elevation in neoplastic pathology, its diagnostic pitfall even in the presence of neoplastic diseases, aspecific elevation in non neoplastic diseases and its correlation with other illnesses.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Preclinical pharmacology and clinical uses of topotecan].

Topotecan, a soluble semisynthetic derivative of camptothecin, is a specific inhibitor of topoisomerase I and is endowed of potent antiproliferative effect in vitro and in vivo on tumoral cell lines as well as on endothelial cells. Moreover, topotecan is able to interfere with the development of blood vessels in many in vivo experimental models. During the last years, several phase I clinical studies have demonstrated that the five-daily schedule is the most effective for the treatment of neoplastic diseases of children and adults. In particular, the best clinical results have been obtained in patients affected by metastatic ovarian cancer, small cell (SCLC) and non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), as well as mammary and gastrointestinal neoplasms. High response rates have been observed in myelodysplastic syndromes and myeloma. The clinical effectiveness of topotecan has been also demonstrated in ovarian carcinoma, even after failure of first or second line chemotherapy and in SCLC, where the response rate is 39%, while the percentage decreases up to 7% in case of drug resistance, with a median survival of 5.4 months. Toxicologic profile of topotecan is foreseeable and manageable, and the most frequent and severe toxicity is represented by myelosuppression. Leukopenia and neutropenia, which follow the administration of topotecan, are non-cumulative and self-limiting and unfrequently complicated by infections, whereas non-hematologic toxicities are uncommon and generally of mild-to-moderate degree. Topotecan is under continuous clinical evaluation for the treatment of neoplasms other than those reported above, alone or in combination with antineoplastic drugs in poly-chemotherapeutic protocols.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed2000

Laboratory tests for neuroendocrine tumours.

Neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) often have a good prognosis and have peculiar biological characteristics, among which the ability to produce and release biologically active substances. Hypersecretion of hormones, biogenic amines or growth factors often cause severe syndromes that are very debilitating. Now sensitive assays for the measurement of these substances have been developed and this has improved the possibility of patient follow-up by means of in vitro examinations. The decision about which in vitro examination to be utilised for NET management is very difficult because of the NET low incidence, the very large number of measurable hormones, the difficulty or low patient compliance for some diagnostic tests. In this review we describe the most useful laboratory tests for determining the diagnosis of NET, their prognostic significance and the clinical value of specific marker evaluation in the follow-up of the NET patient. Particular consideration has been given to biomarkers for gastroenteropancreatic and sympatho-adrenal system tumours and for prostate and breast cancers with neuroendocrine differentiation.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗
PubMed2000

Intraoperative use of gamma-detecting probes to localize neuroendocrine tumors.

Neuroendocrine tumors are characterized by the expression of different peptides and biogenic amines. These rare tumors tend to grow slowly and are notoriously difficult to localize, at least in the early stages. Surgical removal is the only definitive therapeutic option for neuroendocrine tumors and relief from hyperfunctional status. The effectiveness of surgical treatment is invariably dependent upon the complete surgical excision of all tumor tissue, because microscopic and occult disease not readily seen by the surgeon may remain in situ, leading to shortened survival. Therefore, pre- and intraoperative localization of the primary as well as of metastatic tumors is of utmost importance. Radioguided surgery (RGS) is an intraoperative technique that enables the surgeon to localize radiolabelled tissue based on the characteristics of the various tissues. Concerning gastroenteropancreatic tumors (GEP), intraoperative gamma probe examination is able to reveal small tumor sites accumulating (111In-DTPA-D-Phe1)-pentetreotide more efficiently (> 90%) than somatostatin receptor scintigraphy (68%-77%), because lesions with a size smaller than 5 mm in greatest dimension could be identified. Furthermore, RGS identified 57% more lesions when compared to the "palpating finger" of the surgeon. In medullary thyroid cancer (MTC), surgical removal of the tumor is the first and most efficient treatment of the disease. Persistent or increasing serum calcitonin and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels imply tumor recurrence after thyroid ablation. For imaging recurrent MTC many radiopharmaceuticals have been used to visualize tumor sites, but none of them has shown excellent sensitivity. Preoperative somatostatin receptor scintigraphy and intraoperative RGS in patients with recurrent MTC demonstrate only part of the tumor sites and cannot visualize small tumor sites (less than 10 mm). In comparison, RGS using 99mTc(V)-DMSA detects metastases with a size of 5 mm in diameter, whereas the "palpating finger" of the surgeon localized metastases with a size of more than 1 cm in diameter. In patients with recurrent MTC, intraoperative gamma probe examination is able to localize over 30% more tumor lesions when compared with conventional preoperative imaging modalities and surgical findings. MIBG scintigraphy is the most sensitive technique for the detection and staging of neuroblastoma (sensitivity 92%; specificity nearly 100%). Intraoperative RGS with iodine labelled MIBG has been developed to improve the definition of tumor limits or to localize small, nonpalpable tumors. Comparison of 123I- and 125I-labelled MIBG revealed a sensitivity of 91% and 92%, respectively; the specificity of 125I (85%) was significantly higher than that of 123I (55%). In addition to scintigraphy of the adrenal glands by precusors of adrenal hormones, imaging with a radiolabelled somatostatin analogue is possible; however, (111In-DTPA-D-Phe1)-pentetreotide is not specific for any adrenal disease or function and the relatively high radioligand accumulation in the kidneys limited the use for detection of tumors in the area of the adrenal glands.

Endocrine Gland Neoplasms↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Neuroendocrine tumors of the gastroenteric canal. Anatomopathological and diagnostic-therapeutic definition. Description of a case with a rare cecal localisation.

The authors take the case of a neuroendocrine tumour of the cecum as the starting point for an analysis of the anatomopathological and diagnostic-therapeutic aspects of these neoplasms. Furthermore, the authors underline that neuroendocrine tumours (NET) of the colon represent an extremely rare nosological entity and that they are heterogeneous from a clinical and biochemical point of view, thus making a reliable preoperative diagnosis a problem that is still difficult to resolve today.

Cecal Neoplasms↗
PubMed2000

Clinical status of laparoscopic bowel surgery for GI malignancy.

Laparoscopic colorectal surgery is being utilized increasingly for benign diseases. Recent published series have proven that morbidity and mortality from laparoscopic procedures are superior to those seen after traditional open procedures. However, although the technical feasibility of laparoscopic bowel resections has been confirmed, the oncologic advisability has not. The procedures are not yet standards of care, due to port site recurrences, inadequate lymph node harvest, inadequate resection margins, and level of ligation. At present, laparoscopic bowel resection for cure of malignancy does not confer significant benefits when compared to laparotomy and, indeed, has been associated with some serious problems. Long-term critical evaluation of large numbers of patients in prospective, randomized trials is needed to define any merits of laparoscopy. Until such data become available, laparoscopy for attempted cure of colorectal malignancy should be performed only within the context of peer-reviewed, externally monitored, prospective, randomized trials. However, these techniques are perfectly appropriate for palliation of metastatic disease.

Clinical Trials as Topic↗
PubMed2001

Cancer procoagulant as a marker in monitoring the therapy in cases of oesophageal, stomach and colorectal cancer.

Cancer procoagulant activity in the blood serum of patients with oesophagal, gastric and colorectal cancer was evaluated before and after the tumour removal. Cancer procoagulant activity was significantly higher before the operation in comparison to the control group and was reduced after a total operative procedure, whereas it was kept on a high level after a non-radical procedure or in cases of metastases. Examination results point to the possibility of using the evaluation of cancer procoagulant activity in monitoring the course of treatment of patients with oesophagal, gastric and colorectal cancer.

Biomarkers↗
PubMed2002

Clinical role of positron emission tomography (PET) in endocrine tumours.

Positron emission tomography (PET) is considered one of the most effective nuclear medicine imaging modality in oncology. In many types of malignant tumours PET has proven to be high sensitive in detecting both primary neoplasm and metastatic disease both before therapy for staging purposes and after surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy during follow-up. In particular, PET showed high accuracy in differentiating post-treatment scar from viable tumoural tissue and high sensitivity in visualising very small metastatic foci as those in normal-sized (less than 1 cm in diameter) lymph nodes. A large variety of positron emitter tracers have been produced for PET imaging: the most widely used tracer in clinical oncology is 18F-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (18F-FDG). Deoxy-glucose (DG) is a glucose analog that enters the cell using specific transmenbrane carrier proteins (especially GLUT-1). Once within the cytoplasm, DG is phosphorylated to FG-6-phosphate but does not appear to be further metabolised. In most malignant tumours there is an increase of the glycolityc metabolism which accounts for an increase of the FDG uptake. However, the metabolic cellular activity can be only slightly increased or even normal in well differentiated and slow growing tumours as some endocrine neoplasms. In the present review, the clinical usefulness and limits of PET imaging are discussed in the management of patients with endocrine tumors.

Adrenal Gland Neoplasms↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Symptomatic ileocolic fistula as a complication of endoscopic laser therapy. A case report.

Since 1973, laser photo therapy is used in the treatment of gastrointestinal neoplasms as well as in various forms of intestinal hemorrhage. Complications including hemorrhage, stenosis and perforation are well documented but ileocolic fistulas after laser therapy for a villous adenoma have been rarely reported. We report the case of a patient with diarrhea related to an ileocecal fistula. This fistula appeared 1 year after laser therapy for a villous tumor of the cecum.

Aged↗
PubMed1975

Investigation of cell-vitality in tumor specimen after cryosurgical operations.

Carcinomas of the gastro-intestinal tract were resected in 6 patients either by cryosurgery or in the usual, conventional manner without freezing the tumor. Cells from the tumorsections in each case were isolated by the use of enzymes and were examined for vitality following trypan-blue vital staining. In 5 out of 6 cryosurgical cases fewer than 10% of the cells were vital compared with sections from nonfrozen specimen. In one case the freezing method (cryosurgery) did not have any influence on the cell vitality. The cell-damaging effect of cryosurgical procedures proven in vitro suggests possible additional therapeutic effects in tumor-patients. Cryosurgery has proven useful in the treatment of hypertrophic prostates, when an unusual risk was involved. Recently it has also been used in the surgical treatment of carcinomas of the skin, the bladder and the cervix (1; 2, 3, 6). Approximately a year ago we started to use cryosurgery in our hospital in inoperable abdominal tumors. After freezing the primary tumor or its metastases a massive breakdown of the remaining tumor in-situ occurs, which might produce a palliative effect. As a result of freezing the tumor before resection, we expect a decrease in the spread of tumor cells during surgery and a stimulation and mobilization of specific immune response against the tumor (5). In order to increase our knowledge of the biological behaviour of cryosurgically treated tumors, we investigated in the present study teh cell-vitality in tumor tissues before and after cryosurgery.

Cell Survival↗
PubMed2002

Study of gastrointestinal stromal tumors by light microscopy, electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the morphological features, immunohistochemical speciality of the gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), and its histogenesis as well. METHODS: The morphologic characteristics of GISTs were studied in 65 cases using light microscopy and 17 cases by electron microscopy. The expression of c-kit (CD117), CD34, vimentin, SMA, actin, desmin, S-100 and MBP were detected in all the cases with EnVision trade mark staining. RESULTS: Among 65 cases of GISTs, 46 were spindle cell type, 6 epithelioid cell type and 13 mixture type, equivalent to 85.5% (65 of 76) of all of the mesenchymal tumors of gastrointestinal tract admitted in the same period. The epithelioid cell type tumors composed of mainly the epithelioid cells, predominantly short spindle, oval or round in pattern, with an overall eosinophilic cytoplasm by hematoxylin-eosin stain. Focal cytoplasmic vacuolization was often seen. Sometimes signet-ring like cells and cells with a clear cytoplasm were seen in the epithelioid stromal tumor. The tumor cells arranged in interlacing fascicles forming whorls or sometimes cell clusters. Electronic microscopy showed the presence of interdigitating cell processes, in some areas, synapse-like structure and numerous desmosome-like junctions as well as a few gap junctions and small round neurosecretory granules. There were also abundant intermediate filaments and thin filaments of actin-type with longitudinal condensations (dense bodies). All of the 65 stromal tumors were strongly positive for vimentin (100%), 61 out of 65 tumors positive for CD117 (c-kit) (93.8%) and 51 out of 65 positive for CD34 (78.5%). Some cases also expressed SMA, actin, S-100 and MBP. CONCLUSIONS: GISTs were the most frequent mesenchymal tumor seen in the gastrointestinal tract. Under light microscope, the morphology of stromal tumors looks sometimes like a leiomyoma and Schwannoma. The application of immunohistochemical markers (particularly CD117 and CD34) and ultrastructural study are considered necessary for the differential diagnosis. GISTs may originate from the pluripotential precursor cells like the interstitial cells of Cajal.

Gastrointestinal Neoplasms↗