Combination chemotherapy for metastatic carcinoma of the ampulla of Vater—report of three cases

Three patients with metastatic carcinoma of the ampulla of Vater received celiac artery infusion of 5-fluorouracil, adriamycin, mitomycin-C, and streptozotocin followed by intravenous administration of the same combination. In two patients with measurable disease, one partial (6.0 months) and one complete response (16.0 + months) occurred. Two out of three patients remain alive at 30.0+ and 21.0+ months. Carcinoma of the ampulla of Vater may be a neoplasm responsive to combination chemotherapy.     

Prevention of aspiration pneumonia in obstetrical anesthesia with the effervescent combination of cimetidine and sodium citrate

The effect of an oral effervescent formulation combining 200 mg cimetidine and 1.8 g sodium citrate on gastric pH and volume were studied in patients undergoing caesarean section. Seventy-four patients undergoing elective (group 1) or emergency caesarean section (group 2) were included. Before entering the operating theater (5 to 60 min before intubation), they were given the tablet dissolved in 15 ml of water. Induction and maintenance of anaesthesia were carried out with conventional techniques. The patient's gastric content was aspirated just after endotracheal intubation, and before extubation. its pH and volume were measured at both times. Mean pH was similar in the two groups after intubation (6.07 +/- 1.13 in group 1; 5.52 +/- 1.14 in group 2) and before extubation (6.32 +/- 1.08 vs. 5.85 +/- 1.02 respectively). Gastric pH was therefore greater than 2.5 in all 74 patients at both times. Mean volumes of gastric content after intubation were greater in group 2 (32.7 +/- 23.9 ml vs. 21.6 +/- 15.8 ml; p less than 0.02). However, just before extubation, these were similar (15.0 +/- 15.4 ml in group 1, 20.1 +/- 14.9 ml in group 2). The percentage of patients in the 2 groups with gastric volumes greater than 25 ml at the time of intubation were not significantly different (29.7% vs. 45.9% respectively). No patient was at risk of developing pneumonitis in case of aspiration (gastric content pH less than 2.5 and volume greater than 25 ml), either during endotracheal intubation or extubation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Targeted therapy for renal cell carcinoma: a new therapeutic paradigm

Renal cell carcinoma is the most common tumor of the kidney. It has an unpredictable behavior and poor response to systemic therapy. Developing newer therapy for this disease is a priority considering the high recurrence rate and the small subset of patients who benefit from the use of cytokines such as interferon-alpha or interleukin-2. Identifying molecular targets and targeting various biomarkers has revolutionized the therapeutic approach to advanced and metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Although some of the antiangiogenic agents and receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors appear promising, further understanding of their mechanism of action and the patient population who would benefit most from such agents is still being explored. As numerous targeted agents are entering the clinical investigation arena in a relatively short period of time, newer challenges in renal cell carcinoma therapeutics are emerging. Some of the future challenges in using targeted antineoplastic agents in renal cell carcinoma will include evaluating their long-term safety and benefit, using the particular drug in the appropriate patient population after appropriate stratification and studying the combination of some of these drugs for synergy or additive effects.     

Thrombocytosis as a prognostic factor for survival in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that thrombocytosis, as defined by a platelet count >400,000/microL, is a negative predictor for survival among patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma. However, this has not been a uniform finding. METHODS: To address this issue, retrospective analysis of 700 previously untreated patients entering on institution review board-approved phase 1, 2, or 3 clinical trials in the United States and Europe was conducted between 1982 and 2002. RESULTS: Thrombocytosis was present at study entry in 25% of patients. Median baseline platelet count was 304,000/microL (range, 86-1,420,000/microL). Eighty-seven percent of patients died with a median survival of 13.0 months. Median follow-up for patients not known to have died was 2.4 years. On univariate analysis, patients with elevated platelet counts had significantly shorter survival than patients with normal platelet counts; median survivals of 8.4 and 14.6 months, respectively, P < .001. However, platelet count was associated with several clinical and biochemical factors, including gender, age, performance status, time from diagnosis to study entry, prior radiotherapy or nephrectomy, presence of liver metastasis, number of metastatic sites, amount of hemoglobin, white blood cell count, amount of lactate dehydrogenase, and amount of serum alkaline phosphatase. Several of these factors have previously been reported as prognostic indicators for survival, and, therefore, multivariable analyses were conducted to determine whether thrombocytosis is an independent predictor of survival. After adjusting for multiple factors, thrombocytosis continued to impact negatively on survival, P < .001. CONCLUSIONS: Thrombocytosis was found to be an independent prognostic factor for survival in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma.     

Clinical activity of sorafenib and sunitinib in renal cell carcinoma refractory to previous vascular endothelial growth factor-targeted therapy: two case reports

Sunitinib and sorafenib are multitargeted receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors of the vascular endothelial growth factor and platelet-derived growth factor receptor families with antiangiogenic and antitumor activity in metastatic renal cell carcinoma. The utility of these agents in patients refractory to previous treatment with the other agent is unknown. We report 2 cases highlighting that efficacy of these agents is possible after failure of the other agent. Further prospective study is needed.     

Prognostic factors affecting remission, remission duration, and survival in adult acute nonlymphocytic leukemia.

The medical records of 94 consecutive patients with acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL) were reviewed to identify significant prognostic factors. The data were analyzed using 1) Cox's linear hazard and linear logistic models, 2) chi-square comparison of the groups living longer than 2 years and those living less than 2 years, and 3) the Gehan-Breslow test of equal survival curves. The only statistically significant finding was that the presence of promyelocytic cell type and complete remission correlated with increased survival (p less than .05), but this was negated by the small number of patients with this cell type. There was a suggestive association between higher initial hemoglobin and survival (p = .09). The Gehan-Breslow test revealed a possible difference in survival between those patients more than 51 years of age and those less than 51 (p = .10). Thus none of the commonly accepted prognostic factors in acute nonlymphocytic leukemia was definitely shown to be useful. The findings of this study support an aggressive approach toward all patients with this disease.