A preliminary trial of doxorubicin in advanced breast cancer and other malignant disease

Doxorubicin in a dose of 60 mg/m² has been used in the treatment of 23 patients with advanced malignant disease, 18 of whom had carcinoma of the breast. The drug has significant clinical activity on its own, prolonged dosage may be required to obtain a response, and there is a risk of cerebral metastases becoming manifest during treatment which is otherwise successful. Cardiac toxicity appears to be acceptably low with this dose regimen.     

A prospective randomised controlled trial of tamoxifen and cyproterone acetate in pancreatic carcinoma

In a prospective controlled clinical trial, 108 patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma were randomly allocated to receive tamoxifen 20 mg b.d., cyproteron acetate 100 mg t.d.s. or no active treatment. The median survival of those receiving tamoxifen was longer than either of the other two groups (5.25 compared to 4.25 and 3 months, respectively) but this difference did not achieve statistical significance. Cox regression analysis of 12 clinical and biochemical features showed that, for the entire group of patients, survival was significantly longer in younger patients, those undergoing surgical bypass and those with better initial performance status. However, even when adjustment was made to allow for the distribution of these prognostic variables within the three groups, the difference in survival still did not achieve statistical significance. No side-effects attributable to treatment was observed.     

Isolation and Properties of Metronidazole-Resistant Mutants of Bacteroides fragilis

Metronidazole-resistant mutants of Bacteroides fragilis, isolated after mutagenesis, had diminished ability to take up and metabolize the drug. All the metronidazole-resistant strains had depressed levels of pyruvate dehydrogenase compared with parent cultures. Their end products of glucose metabolism also differed from normal B. fragilis products and were consistent with deficiencies in pyruvate dehydrogenase activity.