Carcinosarcomas and mixed mesodermal tumors of the ovary: a clinicopathologic study of six cases.

A clinicopathologic study of three ovarian carcinosarcomas and three mixed mesodermal tumors of the ovary is presented. None of the patients survived for more than 1 year, irrespective of chemotherapeutic treatment or the extent of surgery. No prognostic differences were noted between the histologic patterns of varying tumor sizes of carcinosarcomas and mixed mesodermal tumors. The association of these two entities with other neoplasms of Müllerian nature suggests a multicentric tumor response of Müllerian tract derivatives. The necessity of adequate sampling, both for correct diagnosis and to exclude the possibility of teratoma (which behaves in a more benign fashion), is emphasized.     

Consensus document on dog and cat allergy

The prevalence of sensitization to dogs and cats varies by country, exposure time and predisposition to atopy. It is estimated that 26% of European adults coming to the clinic for suspected allergy to inhalant allergens are sensitized to cats and 27% to dogs. This document is intended to be a useful tool for clinicians involved in the management of people with dog or cat allergy. It was prepared from a consensus process based on the RAND/UCLA method. Following a literature review, it proposes various recommendations concerning the diagnosis and treatment of these patients, grounded in evidence and clinical experience. The diagnosis of dog and cat allergy is based on a medical history and physical examination that are consistent with each other and is confirmed with positive results on specific IgE skin tests. Sometimes, especially in polysensitized patients, molecular diagnosis is strongly recommended. Although the most advisable measure would be to avoid the animal, this is often impossible and associated with a major emotional impact. Furthermore, indirect exposure to allergens occurs in environments in which animals are not present. Immunotherapy is emerging as a potential solution to this problem, although further supporting studies are needed.     

Histological appearances of oesophagus, antrum and duodenum and their correlation with symptoms in patients with a duodenal ulcer.

Clinical data and histology from the oesophagus, gastric antrum, and duodenum were collected from 36 patients undergoing surgery for duodenal ulcer. Gastritis was present in 94% of the patients (25% of atrophic type), oesophagitis in 72% and duodenitis in 39%. Abnormal biopsies were present from all three sites in 33% of the patients. Only one patient showed three normal biopsies. The low incidence of duodenitis does not support the theory that duodenitis is part of the same spectrum as duodenal ulcer. Heartburn was related to the presence of gastritis (100%) and oesophagitis (76%) but not to duodenitis (52%). No relationship was found between the length of history, severity of pain, and histological abnormalities.     

Selective inhibition of tumoral cells growth by low power millimeter waves

The effects of low power millimetric wave (MMW) radiation on the growth of tumor and healthy cells were studied. A wide-band frequency range between 53.57-78.33 GHz with a radiation density power of 27 x 10(-17) watt/Hz were used. The radiating energy was low enough not to increase the temperature of the cellular samples (cold irradiation). One hour of radiation treatment given every other day to three tumoral human stable cell lines, produced a noticeable inhibition of the cellular growth. The analogous treatment given to two healthy cell lines gave a weak growth stimulation. A scanning electron microscopy study of MCF-7-and K562-irradiated cells revealed that MMW irradiation induced profound morphological changes of the membrane. Finally, we also provided a mechanistic indication, based on millimeter wave spectroscopy of the cells: water is the primary absorber of these electromagnetic waves. Our work provides interesting evidence that wide band low power MMW irradiation, in the appropriate frequency range, could be used in the future as a cold means to cause selective inhibition of tumor cell growth.     

Salvage chemotherapy with procarbazine and fotemustine combination in the treatment of temozolomide treated recurrent glioblastoma patients

The purpose of this study was to evaluate safety and efficacy of Procarbazine (PCB) and fotemustine (FTM) combination in the treatment of pre-temozolomide treated, recurrent GBM patients. The primary end-point was progression free survival at 6 months (PFS-6). Secondary end-points were overall survival, response rates (CR + PR) and toxicity. About 54 patients (41 men and 13 women) aged 26–68 years (median age, 53.5 years) with recurrent GBM were treated. PCB was administered as an oral dosage of 450 mg on days 1–2 and a total dose of 300 mg on day 3. FTM was administered on day 3, 3 h after the last PCB intake at a dose of 110 mg/mq/BSA. The treatment was repeated every 5 weeks. Treatment was continued for a maximum of six cycles or until disease progression. After two cycles of chemotherapy: 6 patients (11.2%) experienced a neuroradiographic partial response (PR), 29 patients (53.7%) had stable disease (SD), and 19 patients (35.1%) had progressive disease (PD). For the whole group of patients, the median PFS was 19.3 weeks (95% CI, 14.1–24.4 weeks), and PFS-6 was 26.7% (95% CI, 10.6–42.8%). Overall MST from the beginning of PCB + FTM chemotherapy was 28.7 weeks (95% CI, 24.8–32.7 weeks). At 6 and 12 months, 64.4% (95% CI, 51.5–77.3%) and 23.6% (95% CI, 10.1–37.1%) of patients were alive. The median survival time calculated from the first diagnosis was 20.8 months (95% CI, 16.7–24.8). We concluded that the PCB + FTM combination as done in the current trial for patients with recurrent GBM after treatment with TMZ showed some benefit with regards to increased survival and that a Phase III trial is warranted. Two errata are available for this article; the first one at , the second one at . An erratum to this article can be found at