Melatonin and Metformin Failed to Modify the Effect of Dacarbazine in Melanoma

Lessons Learned

• Melatonin did not increase the efficacy of systemic chemotherapy in melanoma.
• Metformin did not increase the efficacy of systemic chemotherapy in melanoma.

     

Xeloda (capecetabine) in the treatment of disseminated breast cancer after failure with anthracyclines and taxanes]

Xeloda (capecetabine) has been tested for efficacy and toxicity in treating disseminated breast cancer after the potential of anthracycline (group 1) chemotherapy, anthracyclines plus taxanes (group 2) was exhausted. The patients included into the study (54) were divided into groups 1 (33) and 2 (21). Apparent response was in 24 and 21%, respectively. The drug may be used both in out-patients and those refractory to anthracycline chemotherapy and anthracyclines plus taxanes due to moderate toxicity, slight myelodepression and absence of alopecia which seldom makes treatment useless.     

Combined effect of gemcitabine and lomustine in mice with intracranial transplanted lymphosarcoma LIO-1

SHR mice with intracranial transplanted lymphosarcoma LIO-1 received a single intraperitoneal gemcitabine injection in maximal tolerated dose of 25 mg/kg or single maximal tolerated oral dose of lomustine, 50 mg/kg. Compared to control group gemcitabine injection increased the mice lifespan 1.4-fold (p < 0,01) and oral lomustine 1.6-fold (p < 0,01). The median lifespan of the mice receiving both gemcitabine and lomustine in maximal dose underwent a significant 3.3-fold increase (p < 0,01) compared to controls (2.4-fold compared to gemcitabine and 2.1-fold compared to lomustine group). Combined therapy didn't cause an increase of toxicity.     

Pecularities of Prolonged Use of Moxonidine in Patients with Hypertension Associated with Metabolic Syndrome

A 6-month clinical study with active therapeutic intervention was carried out to evaluate the efficacy of moxonidine for the correction of arterial hypertension in 30 patients with metabolic syndrome. Along with the metabolic neutrality for the lipid and purine metabolism, the drug demonstrated a distinct antihypertensive effect, which against the background of pronounced sympatholytic action after 3 months of therapy tends to disappear, which can be prevented by dosage correction. It was shown that the efficacy of moxonidine in reducing insulin resistance in patients with metabolic syndrome directly depends on the severity of hypersympathicotonia manifesting in heart rate over 80 bpm at rest.     

Investigation of gemcitabine plus lomustine treatment in mice with transplantable lymphosarcoma LIO-1

Efficiency of gemcitabine plus lomustine treatment of transplantable lymphosarcoma LIO-1 in mice was significantly higher than that of monotherapy. According to the area under the kinetic curve for tumor growth, antitumor action, for single maximum tolerable dose of gemcitabine 25 mg/kg body, rose 4.6 times (p < or = 0.001), for lomustine 50 mg/kg body,--2.9 times (p < or = 0.01). The combination involved moderately increased toxicity. Lethality rate for gemcitabine+lomustine, 50 mg/kg body each, was as low as one and a half times as compared with gemcitabine therapy alone, 50 mg/kg body, (30 and 20%, respectively). The antitumor action of the combination (50 mg/kg body), was 32 times that of gemcitabine 50 mg/kg body (p < or = 0.001) and lomustine 50 mg/kg body--30 times (p < or = 0.001).     

Primary refractory and relapsed Hodgkin lymphoma with unfavorable prognosis

In this retrospective clinical study 100 patients with primary unfavorable prognosis stage II Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) (n = 50) or stage IV HL (n = 50). The ABVD chemotherapy allowed to achieve remission in 90% of cases with 5-year relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) of 64% and 92%, the basic BEACOPP regimen lead to the same 90% remission rate with 74% DFS and 94% OS. These results for ABVD and basic BEACOPP regimens are characterized by similar statistic values (p = 1.0; p = 0.6; p = 0.9), although the use basic BEACOPP lead to statically valid decrease of grade III-IV toxicity (p = 0.005). The occurrence of primary refractory HL was slightly higher in basic BEACOPP group (18% versus 10% in ABVD group), although this difference had no statistical value (p = 0.3) and was probably due to higher number of patients with > 1 extranodal localizations. The occurrence of primary refractory HL correlated to disease stage: 6% in stage II and 22% in stage IV (p = 0.04). HL relapse frequency in ABVD and BEACOPP groups was similar (12% and 8%), there was no statistically valid difference (p = 0.5). In ABVD and basic BEACOPP recipients with stage II/IV HL the primary refractory disease rate was 15%, relapse rate was 10%. Five-year OS in primary refractory and relapsed patients was lower, than in general patient population (64% and 70% compared to 80%), although the difference had no statistical significance (p = 0.6, p = 0.7).