Ewing's sarcoma of bone: Oncologic and functional results

This paper describes 29 patients with Ewing's sarcoma of bone treated between 1975 and 1990 at the University of Nijmegen Hospital, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Osteomyelitis was the primary diagnosis in 24%. Treatment consisted of chemotherapy in combination with surgery and/or radiotherapy. Nine patients received radiotherapy only; five of them died of disease. Five patients underwent an intralesional excision; four of them died of disease. Twelve patients underwent a wide excision; there is no evidence of disease in any of them. Three patients underwent a radical disarticulation; all died of disease. The disease-free survival at 1.5 years was 66%. This figure at 5 years was 55%. After wide excision and reconstruction in tumors of expendable, femoral or radial bones good functional results were obtained in all cases. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Systemic chemotherapy using cisplatin plus 5-fluorouracil for inoperable gallbladder cancer

We report a case of advanced gallbladder cancer in a 37-year-old man who presented in June 1993 with malignant obstructive jaundice. After percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage and several diagnostic imaging examinations, the patient underwent laparotomy under a diagnosis of extremely advanced gallbladder cancer involving the confluence of the hepatic ducts. The tumor, however, was judged to be unresectable because of its massive spread into the liver along Glisson's sheath, and because of histologically proven peritoneal dissemination. After exploratory laparotomy, one course of anticancer chemotherapy (cisplatin, 100 mg/body IV, on day 1, and 5-fluorouracil, 1000 mg/body, on days 1–5, by continuous infusion) was administered and the completely obstructed hepatic duct was dramatically re-canalized. Four courses of chemotherapy were administered over a 16-month period until jaundice recurred. For these 16 months, the patient's quality of life was well maintained without biliary drainage. He died of increased peritoneal dissemination approximately 2 years after the first course of anticancer chemotherapy.     

Defective Acidification in Human Breast Tumor Cells and Implications for Chemotherapy

Multidrug resistance (MDR) is a significant problem in the treatment of cancer. Chemotherapeutic drugs distribute through the cyto- and nucleoplasm of drug-sensitive cells but are excluded from the nucleus in drug-resistant cells, concentrating in cytoplasmic organelles. Weak base chemotherapeutic drugs (e.g., anthracyclines and vinca alkaloids) should concentrate in acidic organelles. This report presents a quantification of the pH for identified compartments of the MCF-7 human breast tumor cell line and demonstrates that (a) the chemotherapeutic Adriamycin concentrates in acidified organelles of drug-resistant but not drug-sensitive cells; (b) the lysosomes and recycling endosomes are not acidified in drug-sensitive cells; (c) the cytosol of drug-sensitive cells is 0.4 pH units more acidic than the cytosol of resistant cells; and (d) disrupting the acidification of the organelles of resistant cells with monensin, bafilomycin A1, or concanamycin A is sufficient to change the Adriamycin distribution to that found in drug-sensitive cells, rendering the cell vulnerable once again to chemotherapy. These results suggest that acidification of organelles is causally related to drug resistance and is consistent with the hypothesis that sequestration of drugs in acidic organelles and subsequent extrusion from the cell through the secretory pathways contribute to chemotherapeutic resistance.     

The chemotherapy of posterior Fossa tumors in childhood

Conventional therapy for brain tumors, consisting of neurosurgical intervention and radiotherapy, has not resulted in the successes achievable in other childhood malignancies. The role of adjuvant chemotherapy, well defined in many childhood cancers, has not yet contributed significantly to the treatment of children with brain tumors. Chemotherapy of recurrent tumors has produced regressions but no cures. The most active agents identified to date in the treatment of recurrent posterior fossa tumors include cisplatinum, cyclophosphamide and methotrexate. Future efforts will need to focus on the rational selection of drugs for study in limited agent histology-stratified phase II trials, with advancement of active agents into large randomized phase III adjuvant therapy trials.     

MANAGEMENT OF SEMINOMA OF THE TESTIS: RECOMMENDATIONS BASED ON TREATMENT RESULTS

Background : The results of management of seminoma of the testis at the Department of Radiation Oncology St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney were evaluated retrospectively to: (i) establish that outcomes were in keeping with published results from centres in Australia and overseas; (ii) assess the impact of chemotherapy on management; and (iii) to determine ‘best practice’ management protocols based on our results and a review of the relevant literature. Methods : (i) Assessment of treatment results for stage I and II seminoma of the testis treated by post-orchidectomy radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy at St Vincent's Hospital between 1979 and 1993; (ii) literature review of published data from Australian and overseas centres on the management of seminoma of the testis, and in particular the use of surveillance or chemotherapy either alone, at time of relapse or combined with radiotherapy; and (iii) development of recommendations for use as management protocols in our department. Results : Our data and a review of the literature suggest that post-orchidectomy radiotherapy with chemotherapy for relapse in stage I and IIA disease results in long-term cure rates approaching 100%. Treatment with chemotherapy either routinely or selectively or using a surveillance policy is unlikely to show any improvement in outcome and may be less cost-effective and/or produce increased morbidity and the risk of secondary leukaemia. For stage IIB disease (5–10 cm) the use of initial combination chemotherapy with or without subsequent radiotherapy did not appear to give better outcomes than initial radical radiotherapy alone, reserving chemotherapy or further radiotherapy for relapse. For bulkier stage IIB disease (> 10cm). the use of initial chemotherapy plus consolidation radiotherapy appeared to be an appropriate treatment. Conclusions : Management protocols for seminoma of the testis at St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney Department of Radiation Oncology currently are (i) stage I, IA and IIB (5–10 cm): post-orchidectomy radiotherapy alone with chemotherapy or further radiotherapy for relapse; and (ii) stage IIB (> 10 cm) disease: initial chemotherapy post-orchidectomy followed by radiotherapy to sites of initial disease involvement.     

Cerebral primitive neuro-ectodermal tumour following treatment of a unilateral retinoblastoma

Summary Cerebral primitive neuro-ectodermal tumour (PNET) occurring as a second primary malignancy in childhood is exceedingly rare. We present a 7-year-old boy who developed a proven supratentorial PNET five years after enucleation and radio-/chemotherapy for a sporadic, unilateral retinoblastoma with optic nerve invasion. The association with this malignant eye disease as well as the effect of irradiation and multi-agent chemotherapy on second tumour induction are evaluated.     

未能切除的胰腺癌行区域性导向化疗临床应用报告

自１９８９－１９９２年间，作者共收治胰腺癌１９０例，其中有１５９例未能切除，对其中３０例采用了区域性导向化疗，即在手术中经胃网膜石动脉逆行置管至胃十二指肠动脉，术后经该导管注入５－ＦＵ等化疗药物，一般每日２５０ｍｇ，共达１－２个月。根据随诊的１０８例按手术方式分为Ａ组单纯探查２４例，Ｂ组单纯胆肠转流５４例，Ｃ组单纯探查加区域性化疗１８例，Ｄ组胆肠转流加区域性化疗１２例。中位期分别为Ａ组３．５个月，     

短期化疗对兔腹主动脉顺应性的影响

目的 比较短期化疗前后兔腹主动脉顺应性的变化，了解化疗药物对血管力学特性的影响。方法将15只新西兰兔随机等分为5组，其中4组接受1周期化疗（卡铂100mg／m^2，第1、3、5天；异环磷酰胺1500mg／m^2，第1、3、5天；足叶乙贰100mg／m^2，第l～3天），另1组为对照组。分别测量各组兔腹主动脉比顺应性（化疗组分为化疗后第2、7、14、21天进行观察）。结果短期化疗前后兔腹主动脉顺应性显著变化，化疗后第14天下降最明显，而第21天则基本恢复。结论短期化疗能够降低兔腹主动脉比顺应性，降低的程度与化疗后时间相关，并具有可逆行性。     

Treatment options for primary splenic low‐grade non‐Hodgkin's lymphomas

The purpose of this comparative study was to evaluate the response of primary splenic low‐grade non‐Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL) to chemotherapy, splenectomy, and chemotherapy combined with splenectomy in order to elaborate the optimum treatment modality. A total of 104 patients (age range: 15–82 years) with primary low‐grade B‐cell NHL of the spleen were comprised by our study. Stage IV disease was determined in 102 (98.1%) cases. Regarding the treatment modality, splenectomy was performed in 14 patients, early splenectomy and single‐agent chemotherapy in 15, early splenectomy and combined chemotherapy in 19, single‐agent chemotherapy in 23, and combined chemotherapy in 33. In the above‐mentioned order, complete remission rate was following: none, 40.0, 31.6, 21.8, and 18.2%. Partial remissions were achieved in 85.7, 46.7, 57.9, 30.4, and 69.7% of cases, respectively. The median remission duration turned out to be longer (74.5 months) in the group of patients with complete remissions attained by means of splenectomy and combined chemotherapy. Local relapses in the spleen developed in 19 (72.7%) patients treated with combined chemotherapy and in 9 (90.0%), who had undergone single‐agent chemotherapy. The 5‐year overall survival was 54.4% after splenectomy, 39.4% after single‐agent chemotherapy, and 37.1% after combined chemotherapy, being significantly higher (P < 0.05) after splenectomy and single‐agent chemotherapy (67.2%), and splenectomy followed by combined chemotherapy (64.7%). Early splenectomy combined with chemotherapy is the optimum treatment option for primary low‐grade NHL of the spleen because of the superiority in complete remission rate, remission duration, and in overall survival rate. Splenectomy leads to somatic compensation of patients, makes impossible local relapsing in the spleen, prevents continuous dissemination from the primary tumor site, and mostly corrects cytopenias, creating better conditions for chemotherapy.