Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Digestive System 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 919 records · Page 51Linked to original sources

[Effect of intravenous treatment with tumor necrosis factor alpha in patients with advanced cancer--phase I clinical trials].

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is the protein produced by the activated macrophages with the ability to produce haemorrhagic necrosis of tumor, and in some cases complete tumor remission in vivo, as well as cytotoxicity of neoplastic cells in vitro. These properties made us undertake clinical studies on THF. We performed a Phase I assessment of recombinant human THF alpha in 16 patients with advanced solid neoplasms. Therapy consisted of a 30 minute intravenous (IV) infusion on day i thraugh 5, every 2 weeks. Daily doses ranged from 25 micrograms/m2 to 200 micrograms/m2. Side effects hypotension tachycardia nausea or vomiting, headache. No major changes in liver or renal function were seen.

Adult↗

[Comparison of the quantitative determination of blood in stools with the Hemoccult test in various digestive tract diseases].

The reported investigations of haemoglobin (Hb) concentration in stools of healthy subjects and patients with digestive tract diseases were carried out for determining the physiological value of blood loss into the digestive tract, and for comparing the sensitivity of quantitative and qualitative tests for demonstration of occult blood in stools in cases of colonic neoplasms. The qualitative Haemoccult test was compared to the quantitative test based on heme conversion to porphyrins by iron decoupling, which makes possible determination of total Hb content in stools and measurement of the so called intestinal fraction which develops as a result of Hb conversion to porphyrins in the upper digestive tract.

Adult↗

Chromogranin A, neuron-specific enolase and synaptophysin as neuroendocrine cell markers in the diagnosis of tumours of the gastro-entero-pancreatic system.

Neuroendocrine (NE) tumours of the gastro-entero-pancreatic tract were analysed immunohistochemically for the expression of chromogranin A, neuron-specific enolase and synaptophysin. In all cases at least one marker was present and in 17 out of 19 investigated neoplasms, at least one of the three markers could be demonstrated in more than 75% of the NE tumour cells. Monoclonal antibody chromogranin A stained a much higher proportion of NE cells in tumours with hormonal activity than in hormonally inactive ones. Immunostaining of the primary tumour as compared to its respective metastases was almost identical. Thus, chromogranin A, neuron-specific enolase and synaptophysin identify NE tumours and their metastases regardless of their localization and their state of hormonal activity. As 'panendocrine' markers of NE tumours they are of special diagnostic value in NE tumours that do not produce hormones and peptides.

Adult↗

The presence of a systemic inflammatory response predicts poorer survival in patients receiving adjuvant 5-FU chemotherapy following potentially curative resection for colorectal cancer.

There is increasing evidence that the presence of a systemic inflammatory response plays an important role in survival following curative resection for colorectal cancer. The present study evaluated the relationship between C-reactive protein concentrations and survival in a cohort of patients receiving adjuvant 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) chemotherapy following potentially curative resection for colorectal cancer. In all, 222 patients undergoing potentially curative resection for colorectal cancer were studied. Of these, 50 patients received adjuvant 5-FU-based chemotherapy. Circulating concentrations of C-reactive protein were measured prior to surgery. The minimum follow-up was 15 months; the median follow-up of the survivors was 38 months. During this period 61 patients died, 32 patients of their cancer and 29 of intercurrent disease. In those patients who did not receive adjuvant chemotherapy, age (P < 0.001), Dukes stage (P < 0.05) and an elevated C-reactive protein (P < 0.01) were significantly associated with survival. In those patients who did receive adjuvant chemotherapy, an elevated C-reactive protein concentration (P < 0.01) was significantly associated with survival. The presence of a systemic inflammatory response is an independent predictor of poor outcome in patients receiving adjuvant 5-FU-based chemotherapy following potentially curative resection for colorectal cancer.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Cancer among the foreign-born in New York State.

Cancer deaths among white, foreign-born residents of New York State (exclusive of New York City) during the years 1969 through 1971 were analyzed according to country of birth. The largest numbers of immigrants came from Great Britain, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Poland, Italy, USSR, and Canada. Several distinctive features emerged from these data: Irish immigrants have an increased risk of dying from oropharyngeal, gastrointestinal, lung, and prostate cancers. Among all migrant groups studied, contrasting mortality patterns observed for carcinomas of the stomach, colon, and rectum provide further support for the concept that these neoplasms result from different etiologic processes. For the leukemias, lymphomas, and carcinomas of the breast and colon, each of the migrant groups acquired the higher risk common to others in the host country. This rise in risk suggests a major environmental component for cancers of these sites.

Canada↗

The carcinogenic effect of nitrosopiperidine administered in the drinking water of Syrian golden hamsters.

Syrian golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus W.) were used to test the long-term carcinogenic effect of nitrosopiperidine (NP). Groups of 30 females and 30 males were given 0.05%, 0.025% and 0.006% NP in their drinking water for life. The animals developed neoplasms in the larynx, pharynx, trachea and forestomach (papillary polyps, papillomas and epidermoid carcinomas) and in the liver (hepatocellular adenomas, carcinomas). In addition, cholangiocellular and endothelial liver tumours and colon adenocarcinomas were observed. The overall tumour frequency was dose-dependent and higher in males than in females.

Animals↗

Age-related neoplasia in a lifetime study of ad libitum-fed and food-restricted B6C3F1 mice.

Longevity, body weight, and age-specific neoplasia were determined in 1,064 B6C3F1 mice as part of a coordinated study of food restriction (FR). Restricted animals were offered 60% of the diet consumed by the ad libitum (AL) group. Longevity data were derived from a set of 56 animals of each sex from each diet group, which were examined whenever dead or moribund. For cross-sectional data, a parallel set of 210 animals were sacrificed in groups of 12-15 at 6-mo intervals. Lifetime body weight was reduced in the FR mice approximately proportional to restriction (i.e., 40%). Food restriction increased the age at 50% survival (median) by 36% in both sexes and increased the maximal lifespan (mean age of oldest 10%) by 21.5% in males and by 32.5% in females. In 56 males of the longevity groups, there were 89 neoplasms in the AL subgroup versus 53 in FR; 56 AL females had 100, versus 58 in 55 FR females. Increase in lifespan of the restricted animals was achieved primarily by decrease in incidence and delay of onset of fatal tumors, of which lymphoma was the most prominent. This report catalogs all of the neoplasms (1,103) observed in longevity and cross-sectional groups, by diet, sex, and age. These data add to the existing knowledge base needed for future studies of dietary restriction and aging as well to evaluate nutrition of animals used in bioassays.

Aging↗

Percutaneous transhepatic drainage. Risks and benefits.

We evaluated the risks and benefits of percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTD) in 44 patients. Patients were divided into two groups, palliative and preoperative, each of which had 22 patients. Major complications included bacteremia, hemobilia, and liver abscess and occurred in ten patients (23%). A liver abscess along the catheter tract may have contributed to the death of one patient with an advanced malignant neoplasm. Major complications were more likely to develop in palliative-group patients (36% v 9%) and those patients were more likely to die within 30 days of the procedure (27% v 0%). Four (57%) of seven palliative-group patients and none of six preoperative-group patients with pre-PTD bilirubin levels higher than 20 mg/dL died within 30 days after PTD. Liver function test results improved within seven days in approximately 85% of the patients. Twenty-one patients (95%) in the preoperative group survived surgery. We concluded that the risk of PTD may outweigh the benefit in the subset of patients with advanced malignant neoplasms and a bilirubin level higher than 20 mg/dL. Even then, however, PTD may be justified if pruritus is incapacitating. Pending results of further randomized trials, we have continued performing PTD preoperatively in patients whose bilirubin levels exceed 10 mg/dL.

Adolescent↗

[Diagnostic and therapeutic opportunities in neuroendocrine tumors of the gastroenteropancreatic system].

Neuroendocrine tumors of the gastroenteropancreatic (GEP) system are rare neoplasms, characterized by their capacity to synthesize, store, and release hormonal products and biogenic amines. Because of their low incidence, limited data about clinical outcomes and prognostic variables are available. They can present clinical symptoms caused by the products secreted, tumor mass or metastases. Assessment of specific or nonspecific tumor markers offers high sensitivity in establishing diagnosis and can also have prognostic significance. Imaging modalities include endoscopic ultrasonography, computerized tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and in particular, scintigraphy with somatostatin analogs. The radical treatment of GEP tumors is tumor surgery, but this is rarely possible. Somatostatin analogs have been the treatment of choice in symptomatic patients with GEP tumors. In poorly differentiated tumors or in selected cases of advanced or rapidly growing disease, interferon alpha, chemotherapy, and/or radio-metabolic treatment with radiolabeled somatostatin analogs can be performed. Symptomatic therapy is also helpful.

Animals↗

[Use of polyplatillen in the treatment of stage IV malignant neoplasms].

Results of the use of polyplatillen--a preparation consisting of sodium nucleinate (deoxyribonucleic acid) and cisplatin combined in the saline balanced solution by means of the original technique--in cancer of the ovaries (198 patients), liver (62), pancreas (35), lungs (12), stomach (5) are presented. Clearly pronounced specific activity of the preparation developed is noted.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

Photodynamic therapy: a promising new modality for the treatment of cancer.

The first reports on photodynamic therapy (PDT) date back to the 1970s. Since then, several thousands of patients, both with early stage and advanced stage solid tumours, have been treated with PDT and many claims have been made regarding its efficacy. Nevertheless, the therapy has not yet found general acceptance by oncologists. Therefore it seems legitimate to ask whether PDT can still be described as "a promising new therapy in the treatment of cancer". Clinically, PDT has been mainly used for bladder cancer, lung cancer and in malignant diseases of the skin and upper aerodigestive tract. The sensitizer used in the photodynamic treatment of most patients is Photofrin, (Photofrin, the commercial name of dihematoporphyrin ether/ester, containing > 80% of the active porphyrin dimers/oligomers (A.M.R. Fisher, A.L. Murphee and C.J. Gomer, Clinical and preclinical photodynamictherapy, Review Series Article, Lasers Surg. Med., 17 (1995) 2-31). It is a complex mixture of porphyrins derived from hematoporphyrin. Although this sensitizer is effective, it is not the most suitable photosensitizer for PDT. Prolonged skin photosensitivity and the relatively low absorbance at 630 nm, a wavelength where tissue penetration of light is not optimal, have been frequently cited as negative aspects hindering general acceptance. A multitude of new sensitizers is currently under evaluation. Most of these "second generation photosensitizers" are chemically pure, absorb light at around 650 nm or greater and induce no or less general skin photosensitivity. Another novel approach is the photosensitization of neoplasms by the induction of endogenous photosensitizers through the application of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA). This article addresses the use of PDT in the disciplines mentioned above and attempts to indicate developments of PDT which could be necessary for this therapy to gain a wider acceptance in the various fields.

Digestive System Neoplasms↗

Tomatoes and risk of digestive-tract cancers.

In view of the persisting uncertainty concerning possible mechanisms by which high vegetable and fruit intake decreases cancer risk, foods with divergent values for potentially important micronutrients are a priority for investigation. Tomatoes are low in beta-carotene, but high in lycopene, an active antioxidative agent. In order to assess the effect of tomatoes on risk of cancers of the digestive tract, data were analyzed from an integrated series of case-control studies conducted between 1985 and 1991 in northern Italy, where tomato intake is high but, also, heterogeneous. The overall dataset included the following histologically confirmed cancer cases: oral cavity and pharynx, 314; esophagus, 85; stomach, 723; colon, 955; and rectum, 629; and a total of 2,879 controls admitted to hospital for acute non-neoplastic or non-digestive conditions, unrelated to long-term dietary modifications. Multivariate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for subsequent quartiles of intake of raw tomatoes were derived, after allowance for age, sex, study center, education, smoking and drinking level, and tertile of total caloric intake. There was a consistent pattern of protection for all sites (OR in the upper quartile ranging between 0.4 and 0.7), most notably for gastrointestinal neoplasms. All trends in risk were highly significant. The beneficial effect of raw tomatoes in this population may be partly due to the fact that they constitute perhaps the most specific feature of the Mediterranean diet. However, if it is true that tomatoes protect against digestive-tract cancers, this is of interest from both a scientific and a public health viewpoint.

Aged↗

Cancer risk in male veterans utilizing the Veterans Administration medical system.

Age-specific incidence curves, cumulative rates, and relative risks were estimated for selected malignancies among male veterans utilizing the Veterans Administration (VA) medical system during 1970 to 1982. Relative risks for malignant tumors of the lung, bronchus, larynx, oral cavity, and esophagus in males using VA hospitals were approximately double the rates for men of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) cancer registry, thereby supporting the existence of strong effects of chronic cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption on the development of neoplasms at these specific anatomic sites. Relative to the SEER male population, there were significant reductions in the cumulative rates of neoplasms of the colon (15%) and extrahepatic biliary tract (30%), no differences in the rates of cancer of the stomach, small intestine, or pancreas, and a 50% increase in the cumulative rate of liver cancer among the veterans. Rates of malignancies of the genitourinary tract were similar in the VA and SEER registries with the exception of cancer of the penis, for which the cumulative rate was 50% higher in the veterans. These results are consistent with an excess of specific risk exposures among male veterans using VA hospitals, viz., cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, poor nutrition, and other factors related to low socioeconomic status. The ultimate utility of the VA tumor registry will depend upon its exploitation by epidemiologists to provide leads for etiologic research.

Adult↗

Cancer mortality of capacitor manufacturing workers.

Experimental studies have demonstrated that certain types of commercially produced polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are carcinogenic. Data in humans are still controversial. This study was undertaken in order to determine possible long-term effects, particularly cancer, in workers engaged in the manufacture of capacitors impregnated with PCBs in a plant operating since 1946. All workers employed for at least 1 week between 1946 and 1978 were admitted to the study (544 males and 1,556 females), and their mortality was examined for the period 1946-1982. Data on environmental contamination, workers' PCBs intake, and health effects (chloracne) were available, which documented the general exposure conditions in the plant. Vital status was ascertained for over 99% of the subjects, and death certificates were obtained for all deceased persons. Expected deaths were calculated using two sets of mortality rates, national and local. Among male workers, cancer deaths (14 obs.) were significantly increased as were deaths owing to cancer of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract (6 obs.). Also, mortality from hematologic neoplasms (3 obs.) and lung cancer (3 obs.) was higher than expected; however, the excess was statistically not significant. Female workers exhibited an overall mortality that was significantly increased above expectations. Cancer deaths (12 obs.) and hematologic neoplasms (4 obs.) were significantly higher than expected when compared with the local population. Interpretation of the results is limited by the small number of deaths; however, the point of interest is the consistency of these results with previous experimental and epidemiologic studies, which indicated the GI tract and lymphatic and hemopoietic tissue as the most probable target sites of the PCBs carcinogenic activity.

Digestive System Neoplasms↗

[Usefulness of chromogranin A determination in the diagnosis of neuroendocrine neoplasia].

Neuroendocrine gastroenteropancreatic tumor diagnosis is a very difficult and expensive procedure. This study compared Chromogranin A (CgA) to Neuron-specific enolase (NSE) in 55 patients affected by neuroendocrine tumors. Advanced local or metastatic neoplasia was found in 43 patients. Radical operation was performed in 12 patients. Seventeen cases of lung microcystoma, 23 cases of other intestinal tumors and 19 patients affected by irritable bowel syndrome were used as controls. CgA sampling demonstrated sensitivity of 73% and specificity of 66%, a positive predictive value of 77% and a negative predictive value of 61% while NSE sampling showed sensitivity of 100%, specificity of 36%, a positive predictive value of 15% and a negative predictive value of 100%. CgA values demonstrated a statistically significant difference between patients with neuroendocrine tumors and tumor-free resected patients (p = 0.0015), microcystoma patients (p = 0.0087), other types of neoplasia (p = 0.01) and irritable bowel syndrome patients (p = 0.0004). No significant difference was found among the same groups when NSE values were analyzed. The high diagnostic accuracy of CgA sampling renders it very useful in early neoplastic detection, even in cases of nonfunctioning neoplasms or absence of liver metastases. In addition, CgA sampling may be an effective screening test in patients with irritable bowel syndrome or with liver or lung metastases when there is no evidence of the primitive tumor.

Adult↗

Type of cigarettes and cancers of the upper digestive and respiratory tract.

The relationship between type of cigarettes smoked and the risk of cancer of upper digestive and respiratory sites was investigated in a case-control study conducted in Northern Italy on 291 males with cancer of the oral cavity or pharynx, 288 with cancer of the esophagus, 162 with cancer of the larynx, and 1,272 control subjects in hospital for acute conditions unrelated to tobacco or alcohol consumption. Using a distinction based on tar-yield or the brand smoked for the longest time (less than 22 mg, low to medium tar; greater than or equal to 22 mg, high tar), the multivariate relative risks among ever-smokers were 8.5 for low/medium and 16.4 for high tar cigarettes for oral and pharyngeal neoplasms, 3.3 and 7.8 for esophageal, and 4.8 and 7.1 for laryngeal cancers. The differences according to type of cigarettes were similar in proportional terms, and hence larger in absolute terms, when analysis was restricted to current smokers only. Thus, these data provide further quantitative evidence on the importance of type of cigarette smoked on the risk of upper-digestive and respiratory tract cancers and have important public health implications.

Adult↗

Anthropometric measures and risk of cancers of the upper digestive and respiratory tract.

Data from a case-control study on the upper digestive and respiratory tract cancers were analyzed to investigate the relationship with anthropometric measures. The data set included 538 oropharyngeal, 410 esophageal, and 388 laryngeal cancer cases and 2,102 controls in hospital for acute nonneoplastic diseases, unrelated to tobacco or alcohol use, recruited in the same catchment areas as the cases. Lower body weight appeared to be an indicator of oropharyngeal and esophageal cancer and, more moderately, of laryngeal cancer. The multivariate odds ratio (OR) for oropharyngeal cancer was 5.0 for subjects in the lowest compared with the highest quartile of weight. The corresponding ORs were 6.2 for esophageal and 2.2 for laryngeal cancer. When quartiles of body mass index (BMI) were considered, the ORs in the lowest quartile were 4.0 for oropharyngeal, 6.3 for esophageal, and 2.4 for laryngeal cancer. Subjects in the lowest quartile of height had ORs of 2.0 for oropharyngeal, 1.6 for esophageal, and 1.4 for laryngeal cancer. When all the upper digestive and respiratory tract neoplasms were considered together, the OR for subjects with lower BMI who were also current smokers compared with never-smokers with higher BMI was 11.4. The OR was 5.0 for those consuming six or more drinks/day and with low BMI. Although the nature of the association needs to be clarified, these data suggest that leanness may be involved in the process of upper digestive and respiratory tract carcinogenesis.

Adult↗