摘要:

Encouraging results with Paclitaxel are reported in ovarian cancer patients relapsing and progressing after platinum-based chemotherapy; however, the two populations have different probabilities of a response to a second-line treatment. Here we report the results achieved in 39 patients with platinum-refractory ovarian cancer, treated with Paclitaxel 175 mg/qm2 (or 135 mg/m2 if heavily pretreated) using 3-hour intravenous infusion every 3 weeks, in an attempt to verify the activity of this drug in platinum-resistant patients. The toxicity was mild to moderate and primarily hematologic and neurologic. The objective response rate is 12.8% with no complete responses. The response duration was brief and the median survival 6 (range 1–17) months. An accurate cost-benefit balance is necessary before routinely use of Paclitaxel in platinum-refractory patients. Further research is needed to determine the optimal role of Paclitaxel in the whole therapeutic strategy for ovarian cance

ISSN:0030-2414    

DOI:10.1159/000227586

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1996

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

A hospital-based case-control study of cancer of the endometrium was conducted in Athens, Greece, from 1992 to 1994. The cases were 145 women residents of Greater Athens with histologically confirmed incident cancer of the endometrium, operated in the two cancer hospitals of the Greater Athens area or the major University Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Controls were 298 women residents of Greater Athens hospitalized for bone fractures or other orthopedic conditions in the accident hospital of Greater Athens. The data were analyzed by modeling through multiple logistic regression. The risk of endometrial cancer decreased with the number of livebirths (p for trend < 0.01), with early age at menopause (p = 0.03), and with later age at menarche (p = 0.11), whereas miscarriages and induced abortions were clearly unrelated. There were nonsignificant relations of disease risk with smoking (inverse), alcohol (inverse), and menopausal estrogens (positive), whereas oral contraceptive use was too uncommon to allow meaningful study. The lower risk of the disease associated with current occupations requiring manual activity (p = 0.03) and the lower, although not significantly so (p = 0.36), energy intake of cases in comparison to controls suggest that physical inactivity could be an important risk factor for endometrial cancer. Women with endometrial cancer were significantly taller than control women (p = 0.02). The latter results indicate that excess energy intake in early life, leading to higher attained stature, and excessive energy intake in later life, on account of physical inactivity and leading to higher body weight, converge in increasing the risk for endometrial cancer.

ISSN:0030-2414    

DOI:10.1159/000227587

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1996

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

Background: Endometrial cancer is the most common female genital cancer and approximately 90% of the cases are diagnosed while they are still confined to the uterus. However, the frequency and the pattern of pulmonary metastasis (PM) have not been studied systematically. Patients and Methods: From 1962 to 1989, 90 patients wit PM were identified by computerized search of the medical records of the 1,550 (5.8%) patients admitted to the Massachusetts General Hospital with the diagnosis of uterine cancer. The median age of the patients was 67 years (range from 42 to 88 years). The histology of the uterine neoplasms included 53 adenocarcinomas (59%), 19 sarcomas (21%), 12 adenosqamous carcinomas (13.5%), 4 adenoacanthomas (4.5%), and 2 clear cell adenocarcinomas (2%). Chest radiographs were retrospectively reviewed by two experienced readers. Results: Lung metastases were found at the time of diagnosis of the primary tumor in 20 patients (22%). The usual pattern of PM involved multiple pulmonary nodules in 65 patients (72%); solitary pulmonary nodules were found in 16 (18%), mass lesion in 10 (11%), lymphangitic spread in 3, and pleural effusion in 6 (6.7%). Cavitation and tracheal metastasis were observed in one case each. Conclusion: Pulmonary metastases represent a common site of extrapelvic spread of disease for the small number of patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial carcinoma. The usual type of PM is multiple bilateral nodules.

ISSN:0030-2414    

DOI:10.1159/000227588

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1996

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

Platinum compounds and vinorelbine have been demonstrated to be active in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The aims of the study were to assess tolerability and feasibility of increasing doses of carboplatin (level 1: 300 mg/ m2 on day 1, level 2: 350 mg/m2 on day 1, level 3: 400 mg/m2 on day 1) in combination with a fixed dose of vinorelbine (25 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8) in advanced NSCLC. Forty-two patients entered the study and were evaluable for toxicity and response. The patients were not treated using systemic chemotherapy, had TNM stage IIIB–IV, performance status ECOG 0–2, and their median age was 62 (range 41–70) years. The number of patients evaluable for each dose level was 14. A total of 138 (median 3) courses was administered. Nonhematologic side effects included grade I–II mucositis (9%), neurotoxicity (6%), and infections (4%). Myelotoxicity was manageable and generally of short duration, with 19% of the patients having grade III–IV neutropenia. No significant difference was observed for the three treatment groups. No drug-related death was observed. An objective remission was observed in 10 patients (24% response rate; 95% confidence interval 12–39%), with 5 responses in 14 patients treated with the 400-mg/m2 dose. In conclusion, the combination of carboplatin at a dose of 400 mg/m2 on day 1 and vinorelbine at a dose of 25 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8 can be safely administered as first-line cytotoxic therapy in advanced NSCLC and warrants further

ISSN:0030-2414    

DOI:10.1159/000227589

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1996

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

The role of p53, retinoblastoma (RB) and c-erbB-2 gene proteins in the pathogenesis of anal carcinomas has been examined. A total of 97 patients were included in the study. c-erbB-2, RB and p53 proteins were abnormal in 0, 5 and 34% of the cases, respectively. No correlation was observed between p53 and age, sex, tumour stage, histopathological tumour grading, human papilloma virus (HPV) affection or prognosis. It is concluded that the c-erbB-2 gene is not involved in the development of anal carcinoma; the role of the RB gene is somewhat uncertain, while p53 may be involved in about 1/3 of the cases. However, p53 is not correlated with HPV infection or clinical or histopathological data.

ISSN:0030-2414    

DOI:10.1159/000227590

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1996

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

The adhesion of cancer cells to the vascular endothelium is an important step in the hematogenous metastasis of cancer. Human breast cancer cells adhere to human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) through the interaction of E selection on HUVECs and the carbohydrate ligand sialyl Lewisx on the cancer cells. We investigated the alteration of integrin expression on human breast cancer cells, following selectin-mediated initial adhesion to HUVECs. Four cell lines derived from human breast cancer expressed α2-, α3-, α5 -, α6-and β1-integrins. The expression of (α2β1- and α3β1-integrins on BT-20 cells, strongly expressing epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptors, was markedly increased by addition of the heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HB-EGF). The expression of α2β1-integrin on SK-BR-3 cells also was increased by the addition of HB-EGF. However, no such effect of HB-EGF on the expression of integrins was observed in T-47D and MCF-7 cells, nor on expression of the EGF receptor. The increase of integrin expression in BT-20 cells was inhibited by the addition of the tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein. HB-EGF treatment of BT-20 or SK-BR-3 cells resulted in the augmentation of cancer cell adhesion to immobilized collagen. When BT-20 cells were cocultured with HUVECs, a similar level of augmentation of cancer cell adhesion to collagen was observed. The augmentation of cancer cell adhesion to collagen was inhibited by addition of an anti-HB-EGF-neutralizing antibody. Our interpretation of the results described above is that the cancer cells receive stimulation from cytokines, such as HB-EGF, produced by vascular endothelial cells, following the initial adhesion of cancer cells via selectins. This results in a secondary increase in the expression of cell adhesion molecules, such as the Pi-integrin family, and leads to augmentation in the adhesive activities of cancer cells at the vessel walls. We postulate that these events are the ones involved in the enhanced transmigration of cancer cells to extravascular tissues following the selectin-mediated adhesion to the e

ISSN:0030-2414    

DOI:10.1159/000227591

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1996

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

Pachymic acid, 3-O-acetyl-16 α-hydroxytrametenolic acid, and poricoic acid B had been isolated from the sclerotium of Poria cocos Wolf. These compounds showed a strong inhibitory activity against 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate-induced inflammation in mice. At 0.2 μmol/mouse, these compounds markedly inhibited the promoting effect of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (1 μg/mouse) on skin tumor formation following initiation with 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (50 μg/mouse).

ISSN:0030-2414    

DOI:10.1159/000227592

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1996

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

The anti-tumor-promoting activity of 1′-acetoxychavicol acetate (ACA) was examined in a two-stage carcinogenesis experiment in ICR mouse skin using 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (0.19 μmol) and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA; 1.6 nmol). Topical application of ACA (160 nmol) markedly reduced the average number of tumors per mouse and the ratio of tumor-bearing mice: inhibition ratios 90% (p < 0.001) and 42% (p < 0.005), respectively. ACA even at a dose equimolar to TPA (1.6 nmol) significantly reduced the average number of tumors per mouse: inhibitory ratio 44% (p < 0.05). ACA potently inhibited TPA-induced superoxide (O2) generation in differentiated HL-60 cells (IC50 = 4.3 μM) and suppressed the lipid hydroperoxide formation by 42% (p < 0.001) in the ethyl linoleate autoxidation test.

ISSN:0030-2414    

DOI:10.1159/000227593

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1996

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

The expression of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and its receptor, c-Met, was investigated immunohistologically in tissue specimens of patients with a pulmonary adenocarcinoma. The prognosis was significantly worse in the HGF-positive or c-Met-positive patients than in the negative patients. Multivariate analysis showed that c-Met had a significant effect on the prognosis, whereas HGF did not. Our findings suggest that HGF and c-Met play an important role in tumor progression and that c-Met can be a useful prognostic marker for pulmonary adenocarcinomas.

ISSN:0030-2414    

DOI:10.1159/000227594

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1996

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

This study investigated the effects of low-dose eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on the incidence, tumor growth and cell kinetics of a 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene-induced mammary carcinoma in rats fed either a high-fat (20% corn oil) or low-fat (0.5% corn oil) diet. Low-dose EPA and DHA completely blocked the stimulatory effect of fat on tumorigenesis, as demonstrated by a decreased number of tumors per group and per tumor-bearing rat. While EPA and DHA inhibited cell kinetics as evidenced by a decreased bromodeoxyuridine-labeling index, their inhibitory effects on tumor size and tumor doubling time were not significant. These data suggest that low-dose EPA and DHA inhibit tumorigenesis rather than tumor growth in the high-fat group.

ISSN:0030-2414    

DOI:10.1159/000227595

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1996

数据来源: Karger