摘要:

Crude and relative survival rates were analyzed using data from 4,199 incident breast cancers in females and 39 breast cancers in males registered between 1974 and 1988 in the Cancer Registry of the Swiss Canton of Vaud. The relative survival rates were 0.94 for females and 0.95 for males at 1 year, 0.87 and 0.95 at 2 years, 0.71 and 0.75 at 5 years, and 0.57 and 0.65 at 10 years. In relation to age at diagnosis, among females the relative survival increased from 0.62 for cases diagnosed under the age of 35 years to 0.78 at the age of 45-49 years, decreased to 0.66-0.68 in the age group 50-59 years, and rose again to reach 0.76 at the age of 65-69 years, declining thereafter to 0.69 at the age range 80-84 years. This pattern was already evident during the first 2 years of follow-up and persisted up to 10 years after diagnosis, although somewhat less defined. For males, no significant difference was evident in relative survival between breast cancers diagnosed before or at the age of 65 years and over, and only the 10-year survival rate was apparently (though not significantly) lower at older ages. Thus, these population-based data show remarkable similarities in survival for female and male breast cancer, despite possible heterogeneities in diagnosis and ascertainment of the disease as well as differences in steroid hormone levels in the two sexes and possible differences in biological characteristics of the disease. Further, they confirm that breast cancer survival varies across subsequent age groups. This possibly reflects selection and modifying effects on incidence and survival of hormone dependency of a proportion of breast cancers, the growth of which could be accelerated during the premenopause and the survival favourably influenced by the decline in steroid hormone levels after the menopause.

ISSN:0030-2414    

DOI:10.1159/000227083

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1992

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

A pilot study was undertaken to compare mitomycin C plus oral high-dose medroxyprogesterone acetate (MMPA) to cyclophosphamide + doxorubicin + fluorouracil (CAF). Thirty-four women were randomized at first relapse to receive MMPA or CAF. Patients were balanced with respect to age, performance status, hormone receptor status, prior adjuvant treatment, site of metastases, and number of metastatic sites. On MMPA 9/18 objective responses occurred and on CAF 12/18. Median time to treatment failure was 5.7 months on MMPA and 7.6 months on CAF; median survival on MMPA was 22.5 months and on CAF 16.7 months. Although there were more objective responses on CAF, this was not statistically significantly different, and CAF was associated with significantly more hemopoietic toxicity. It is concluded that mitomycin C should be further studied in front-line regimens for patients with metastatic breast cancer.

ISSN:0030-2414    

DOI:10.1159/000227084

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1992

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

The modification of estrogen and progesterone receptor status was prospectively studied in mammary carcinoma after short-term (7 days) administration of tamoxifen citrate (30 mg/day). Seventeen patients fulfilled the stringent criteria required for final evaluation. Tamoxifen was administered to them immediately prior to surgery and receptor status was studied on the surgical specimen. Estrogen receptor levels were significantly (p < 0.05) decreased after treatment, whereas progesterone receptors remained statistically unaltered, although they showed a tendency towards significant increase (p = 0.12). Following these results, short-term tamoxifen treatment seems inadequate for the induction of significant levels of progesterone receptors in mammary carcinoma.

ISSN:0030-2414    

DOI:10.1159/000227085

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1992

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

Coagulation disorders are frequently detected in patients affected by different tumours even though clinical symptoms occur in a very small percentage of such subjects. Coagulation processes are probably involved in the mechanism of metastatic spread. We assayed the plasma levels of thrombin-antithrombin III (TAT) complexes in a group of 276 patients with several tumours in different stages in order to achieve a better understanding of the complex interactions between coagulation disorders and either tumour growth or metastatic spread. High levels of TAT complexes were found in 51 % of localized, 66.3% of metastatic and 58.3% of patients with no evidence of disease; a statistically significant difference was observed comparing metastatic cancer either with localized (p < 0.00015) or with free-of-disease (p < 0.004) groups. Gastrointestinal tract neoplasms showed higher levels of TAT complexes in the metastatic than in the localized group. No difference was seen between small-cell and non-small-cell lung-localized cancer. Our results confirm the frequent coexistence of cancer and subclinical blood coagulation disorders. The evidence of higher levels of TAT complexes in metastatic cancer than in the other groups could be related to the mechanisms involved in tumour spread.

ISSN:0030-2414    

DOI:10.1159/000227086

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1992

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

A total of 92 patients with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) were randomized to receive cisplatin (80 mg/m2, day l)/etoposide (100 mg/m2, days 1, 3, 5) (PE) or cisplatin (80 mg/m2, day l)/etoposide (100 mg/m2, days 1,3, 5)/ifosfamide (2 g/m2, days 1,2, 3) (PEI) combination chemotherapy. After 2 courses of chemotherapy, patients with limited disease (LD) received chest irradiation of 40-50 Gy. Of the 89 patients who could be wholly evaluated, the overall response rate was 78% for PE and 74% for PEI therapy (NS). For all patients the complete response (CR) rates were 14 versus 21 %, respectively, and 22 versus 30% for LD. However, the median survival times for all patients were 55 weeks for PE therapy versus 56 weeks for PEI therapy (NS). The 2-year survival rates were 15 and 17%, respectively, for all patients (NS). There was no difference in the duration of response between PE and PEI therapy in cases with CR or partial response. However, severe leukopenia ( < 2,000/mm3) occurred more often after PEI (73%) than after PE (44%) therapy (p < 0.05). These results suggest that PEI is not superior to PE chemotherapy in SCLC. The use of ifosfamide in multimodality treatment regimens needs to be studied further.

ISSN:0030-2414    

DOI:10.1159/000227087

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1992

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

Cholesterol distribution in tumoral tissues and lipid composition in the plasma compartment were determined in patients affected by different histologic types of lung cancer. The results showed that tumoral lung tissues contained 2-fold more total cholesterol and 3.5-fold more esterified cholesterol than normal lung tissues. In the patients the alterations in intracellular cholesterol were also associated with peculiar changes in cholesterol distribution in the plasma compartment. Serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels were markedly lower in than in controls. No significant changes in other lipid parameters were observed in these patients. We suggest that the reduced levels of serum HDL cholesterol observed in patients with lung tumors may be a consequence of the disease, probably mediated by the greater utilization of cholesterol for new membrane biogenesis and by the accumulation of esterified cholesterol in tumoral tissues.

ISSN:0030-2414    

DOI:10.1159/000227088

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1992

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

Twenty-three patients with advanced ovarian cancer were entered into a phase II trial of intraperitoneal cisplatin (60 mg/m2 with escalation to 90 mg/m2 per course). All patients had either minimal residual disease after systemic chemotherapy or a recurrence after attainment of a clinically or surgically complete response. After a median follow-up of 3 years, 12 patients had died and of the 11 remaining alive 4 were without recurrence. Survival ranged between 4 and 48 + months with a median of 30 months. A definite survival advantage with this treatment modality does not appear evident and needs to be demonstrated by randomized studies.

ISSN:0030-2414    

DOI:10.1159/000227089

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1992

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

The recent surge of interest in the mechanisms of action of biomodulators, also known as biological response modifiers, offers a new avenue of approach in the treatment of cancer. The in vitro antitumor activities of these agents, such as interferons, when combined with chemo- or radiotherapy, have generated enthusiasm among clinicians for developing clinical trials. In recent years many antineoplastic agents have been investigated as neoadjuvant or adjuvant therapy for patients with cervical cancer in an attempt to improve local control and to decrease incidence of metastasis. Normal tissue tolerance limits the potential combinations of standard cytotoxic chemotherapeutic agents with radiation. Interferon used as a radiomodulator has been studied mainly for the treatment of lung cancer with promising results. In this paper we report the rationale of combining interferon and radiation for the treatment of patients with cervical cancer.

ISSN:0030-2414    

DOI:10.1159/000227090

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1992

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

Immunostaining with Ki-67 monoclonal antibody was performed on frozen sections of biopsy specimens obtained before and during preoperative radiation therapy from 21 patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. The Ki-67 labeling rates before radiation therapy and at radiation doses of 10 and 20 Gy ranged from 21 to 71% (mean: 35.0%), from 7 to 49% (mean: 25.8%) and from 1 to 44% (mean: 14.8%), respectively. One of the 2 patients whose tumors showing Ki-67 labeling rates of greater than 48% (mean+ 1 SD) before radiation therapy suffered local relapse shortly after the treatment. Moreover, tumors with rapidly decreased Ki-67 labeling rates (lower than 3%) at radiation doses of 20 Gy were related to poor clinical outcome: 4 out of 6 patients whose tumors showed Ki-67 labeling rates below 3% (mean-1 SD) at 20 Gy of irradiation had local relapses or showed distant metastases. These findings indicate that immunostaining with Ki-67 monoclonal antibody of biopsy specimens of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, before and during radiation therapy, is very useful in assessing the clinical outcome of the patients.

ISSN:0030-2414    

DOI:10.1159/000227091

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1992

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

We have investigated the effects of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and hydroxyurea (HU) with radiation on two human head and neck squamous carcinoma cell lines. SQ-20B has a D0 of 239 cGy and an S phase fraction of 37%, while SQ-38 has a D0 of 146 cGy and an S phase fraction of 31 %. For SQ-20B the surviving fraction at 100 cGy was significantly reduced (p < 0.05) when cells were exposed to HU or to 5-FU or both chemotherapy agents together with radiation. No significant effect was seen for SQ-38 with either chemotherapy agent alone or in combination with radiation as compared with radiation alone. Therefore, additive cytotoxicity between 5-FU and HU and radiotherapy was observed only in a head and neck cancer cell line with a higher DO and a higher S phase fraction.

ISSN:0030-2414    

DOI:10.1159/000227092

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1992

数据来源: Karger