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Biomedical subjects

A Athanassiou

Publications and source records attributed to A Athanassiou.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Chemotherapy for Merkel cell carcinoma with carboplatin and etoposide.

Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare malignant tumor of the skin. We treated three patients with Merkel call carcinoma with the combination of carboplatin and etoposide, which have been mostly used in the treatment of small cell lung carcinoma. Two patients experienced partial remission of short duration. The third patient received the combination on an adjuvant basis but relapse occurred briefly. Two of these patients failed to respond to second-line chemotherapy with cisplatin, ifosfamide, and epirubicin. The patient who had the first-line treatment on an adjuvant basis, responded completely with the second-line chemotherapy plus radiotherapy and remains disease-free for 5+months. Merkel cell carcinoma appears to be a sensitive tumor to chemotherapeutic regimens used for small cell lung carcinoma, but the responses are often brief.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

Adjuvant chemotherapy with dacarbazine, vindesine, and cisplatin in pathological stage II malignant melanoma.

Following curative lymph node dissection, 28 patients with pathological Stage II malignant melanoma (metastatic to regional lymph nodes) received adjuvant chemotherapy with dacarbazine, vindesine, and cisplatin (DVP); 32 more patients with similar characteristics refused adjuvant treatment. In the treated group, 15 patients (53%) developed dissemination of disease after 4 to 29 months; 20 (62%) of the patients who refused adjuvant treatment recurred after 4 to 25 months and received palliative treatment with DVP. No significant differences in survival or disease-free survival according to different patient characteristics could be detected between these two groups with the available patient population. Large and well-designed prospective randomized trials are required to determine if the adjuvant use of this treatment schedule, which includes the three most active drugs improves survival in patients with nondisseminated melanoma.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Treatment of primary fallopian tube carcinoma with cisplatin-containing chemotherapy.

Because of the rarity of the primary fallopian tube carcinoma, optimal primary therapy is still not well defined, and there is little information available regarding the efficacy of combination chemotherapy in advanced disease. The experience obtained by treating 14 patients with fallopian tube carcinoma--most of them with advanced disease--using a combination of cisplatin, adriamycin, and cyclophosphamide (CAP) (10 patients) or carboplatin plus cyclophosphamide (4 patients) is reported. One patient had Stage Ic disease, 2 had Stage II, 9 had Stage III, and 2 had Stage IV. Eleven patients had clinically measurable disease (> 2 cm) at the start of chemotherapy. Eight of these patients had a complete clinical response (CR), 2 had partial response (PR), and 1 had progressive disease (PD). Of the 8 CR patients, 5 underwent second-look operation (SLO). Pathological complete response (pCR) confirmed in 4 out of 5 patients at SLO. The 3 patients without measurable disease (< 2 cm) after primary surgery had an indeterminate response to chemotherapy. Two of them (Stages Ic and II, respectively) had a negative SLO, while the third patient with Stage IV disease, who refused the SLO, remains disease-free 41+ months. This high response rate shows that this carcinoma is very responsive to cisplatin- or cisplatin analogue-containing regimens. One pCR and two clinical CR patients relapsed after 20, 14, and 16 months, respectively, from the completion of chemotherapy and died despite the second-line treatment. The toxicity of the regimens was moderate. The median survival was 40 months, and the actuarial 5-year survival rate was 48%. Carcinoma of the fallopian tube appears to respond favorably to cisplatin- or carboplatin-containing chemotherapy.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1994

Squamous cell carcinoma antigen, tumor-associated trypsin inhibitor, and carcinoembryonic antigen for monitoring cervical cancer.

A total of 120 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix were prospectively monitored with simultaneous serum level estimations of SCC, CEA, and TATI in different stages and phases of their disease. Positive values were observed for SCC in 72 patients (60%), for CEA in 47 (39%), and for TATI in 12 (10%). There was no increase in the SCC serum levels in the early stages of disease (IA, IB, IIA), whereas they increased significantly with advancing stage. Serum marker levels quickly dropped to normal in patients with advanced stages (IIB or higher) or recurrent disease who responded to treatment, as well as in patients with early-stage disease following local therapy. In addition, 28 patients, who had a renewed progression after a complete remission with normal marker levels, showed an increase in SCC in 26 cases (92%) and CEA in 7 (25%). TATI did not vary in these patients. In patients whose disease did not respond to treatment, a change in serum marker levels cannot be evidenced with the available numbers. This study indicates that the routine measurement of all three markers is not justified in squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix, and that SCC estimation is a potential tool for monitoring the efficacy of treatment in advanced stages or relapse.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Cerebrovascular accidents following hormonochemotherapy in cancer patients.

It has become increasingly apparent that the administration of cytotoxic drugs or hormones may be associated with life-threatening vascular episodes. We report on seven women and one man who developed cerebrovascular accident (CVA) during or immediately after the administration of several hormonochemotherapeutic regimens. No patient died from the stroke. Five patients made a complete recovery; one showed remarkable improvement, and two, slight improvement. Several explanations for CVA were proposed, but the pathophysiological basis of the relationship between the arterial occlusive complication and hormonochemotherapy is unclear.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Correlation of abdominal computed tomography scanning and second-look operation findings in ovarian cancer patients.

Abdominal computed tomography scanning (CT scan) was performed in 35 patients with ovarian carcinoma prior to undergoing a second-look operation. All patients were in complete clinical remission following 6 courses of chemotherapy. Results of the CT scans were compared and correlated with surgicopathological findings at second look. There were 9 true-positive, 12 true-negative, 2 false-positive, and 12 false-negative CT scan results. The sensitivity was 0.42, the specificity 0.85, diagnostic accuracy 0.6, positive predictive value 0.81, and the negative predictive value 0.50. Sensitivity was poor for omental, mesenteric, and peritoneal disease, better for metastases in lymph nodes, good for abdominal masses, and very good for ascites and disease in the liver. False-positive CT scan findings were due to either anatomic variations or adhesions and scarring resulting from postoperative changes. Four false-negative studies resulted from microscopic disease found at second look. In the remaining 8 false-negative studies, nodules or plaques more than 2 cm in diameter were not detected in the omentum (4 patients), in the mesentery and peritoneum (2 patients), and in the lymph nodes (2 patients). Due to a high false-negative rate, a normal CT scan cannot replace a second-look operation for accurate assessment of disease status.

Abdominal Neoplasms↗
PubMed1989

Treatment of metastatic malignant melanoma with dacarbazine, vindesine and cisplatin.

Twenty-seven patients with disseminated malignant melanoma were treated monthly with cisplatin (CDDP) 120 mg m-2 on day 1, vindesine (VDS) 3 mg m-2 on day 2 and dacarbazine (DTIC) 250 mg m-2 on days 2-6. None of them had received prior chemotherapy. All patients are evaluable for response and toxicity. There were five (19%) complete (CR) and seven (26%) partial (PR) responses for a total response rate of 45%. We conclude that the combination of DTIC, VDS and CDDP is capable of producing a relatively high rate of response in patients with advanced metastatic malignant melanoma, but responses are short.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Treatment of disseminated germ cell tumours of the testis.

Between 1979 and 1987 64 men with non-seminomatous germ cell tumours of the testis were treated with chemotherapy. Nearly half of these patients had large volume disease. The most frequently used combinations were VAB-6 and POMB/ACE. Chemotherapy lasted 3.9 months for small volume disease and 5.5 months for large volume disease. Seven patients (11%) underwent resection of residual masses; viable malignancy was found in only 1 of these. Relapse occurred in 6 complete responders, 3 of whom were salvaged with further chemotherapy. Fifty-three patients are presently alive and have received no treatment for periods of 5 to 86 months. Life table analysis forecasts a survival of 81%. Adverse prognostic factors have been recognised and include high initial serum concentrations of beta-human chorionic gonadotrophin (beta-HCG) and alpha fetoprotein (AFP), large volume disease and prior irradiation. Although the survival time of patients with advanced disease has improved in recent years, it remains considerably below that of patients who present with less advanced disease. Such patients should be treated aggressively from the outset in order to obtain maximum benefit from chemotherapy. Selected cases also require adjunctive surgery.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Immunoscintigraphy with 131I-labelled monoclonal antibodies HMFG2 and HMFG1 F(ab')2 versus abdominal CT scan in the detection of residual disease in ovarian cancer patients.

131I-labelled HMFG2 or HMFG1 F(ab')2 monoclonal antibody (MAb) was administered intraperitoneally to 15 patients with epithelial ovarian cancer who had completed chemotherapy and were in complete or good partial remission. Each patient received 2-3 mCi. Patients were scanned immediately after and until 7 days post-injection. In 3/15 patients the immunoscan failed because extensive adhesions from the previous surgery prevented MAb diffusion. Of the remaining 12 patients, 9 underwent second-look laparotomy (SL). Immunoscan was true positive in 8/9 (89%) patients and equivocal in 1/9 (11%), whereas the abdominal CT scan gave true positive results in 6/9 (67%) patients. In 8 out of 9 patients there was a good correlation between distribution of all sites of abnormal uptake and the surgical findings at SL. Of the 3 patients not undergoing SL, the immunoscan was positive in all, whereas clinical examination and abdominal CT scan were negative. All 3 patients relapsed after 3, 4 and 5 months. Thus the total true positivity of immunoscan reached 92%, CT scan remaining at 50%. Immunoscan with intraperitoneal administration of 131I-labelled MAbs can thus accurately detect the presence of residual disease in ovarian cancer patients and appears more sensitive than abdominal CT scan.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Immunoscintigraphy with 131I-labelled HMFG2 and HMFG1 F(ab')2 in the pre-operative detection of clinical and subclinical lymph node metastases in breast cancer patients.

Radiolabelled specific monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) HMFG2 and HMFG1 F(ab')2 and non-specific 11.4.1 and 4C4 F(ab')2 were injected into the webs between the 2nd and 3rd fingers of both hands in 31 patients with clinical diagnosis of breast cancer. We studied 10 patients with clinically obvious axillary lymph-node disease (group A) and 10 patients with clinically negative axilla (group B) using HMFG2, 5 patients with clinically negative axilla (group C) using HMFG1 F(ab')2 and 6 patients with clinically positive axilla (group D) using non-specific 11.4.1 and 4C4 F(ab')2 MAbs. In group A, 7 patients had true positive scans. There were also 3 false negative scans, due to problems related to proper iodination at the beginning of this study. In group B there were 4 true positive scans, 4 true negative, I false positive and I false negative. In group C there were 4 true negative scans. In one patient the radiolabelled antibody was arrested in the middle of the arm, because of lymphatic obstruction. In group D, there were 3 false negative scans with 11.4.1 antibody and 3 false negative scans with 4C4 F(ab')2 MAb. The results of immunoscintigraphy were in accordance with the histopathology and immunoperoxidase staining findings. These results indicate that this non-invasive approach can accurately detect metastatic involvement in the axillary lymph nodes and can be used for the diagnosis and staging of breast cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Combination chemotherapy with prednimustine, adriamycin, vincristine (VAP) in advanced breast cancer. A phase II study.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate VAP combination chemotherapy in advanced breast cancer: prednimustine 80 mg/m2 p.o. days 1-5, adriamycin 40 mg/m2 and vincristine 1.4 mg/m2 1st day in cycles of 3 weeks. Twenty-one women entered the study and 19 were evaluable. The mean age was 54.5 years (25-69) with an average performance status of 60 according to Karnofsky. Hormonal receptors were unknown in 10, positive in 6 and negative in 3. The dominant site of disease was soft tissues in 11, bones in 1, liver in 3 and lung in 4. Fourteen patients had as prior treatment cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil (CMF), two had tamoxifen and three none. Ten patients (52.6%) had a partial response with a mean survival of 7.8+ months, 5 patients (26.3%) had stable disease with a mean survival 6.6+ months and 4 patients (21.1%) had progressive disease with a mean survival of 3 months. Regarding toxicity all patients had alopecia, most of the patients had nausea grade I, whereas 5 patients developed mild leukopenia. We conclude that VAP is an effective, well tolerated chemotherapy combination in patients with advanced breast cancer which deserves further clinical trials.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Central nervous system metastases of choriocarcinoma. 23 years' experience at Charing Cross Hospital.

Between 1957 and February 1981, 782 patients received cytotoxic chemotherapy for gestational trophoblastic tumors (GTT) in the Department of Medical Oncology, Charing Cross Hospital (London, England). Sixty-nine (8.8%) patients had central nervous system (CNS) metastases. Thirty-three of them (48%) presented with CNS disease prior to treatment (CNS presentation group), and 36 (52%) developed CNS disease while on treatment, or relapsed in the CNS after an initial complete or partial remission (late CNS group). Treatment included systemic and intrathecal chemotherapy, and, in several cases neurosurgery, whole brain irradiation, and immunotherapy. Life-table analysis projects an overall survival of 49% for the CNS presentation group and 6% for the late CNS group. Prognosis has improved with time; prior to 1974, 38% of the CNS presentation group and none of the late CNS group survived. After 1974 overall survival has been 80% in the CNS presentation group and 25% in the late CNS group. The principal elements in the successful management of such cases are: (1) CNS prophylaxis with intrathecal methotrexate for patients at risk of developing brain metastases; (2) early detection of CNS lesions by prompt recognition of their clinical features, measurement of the ratio of CSF to serum human chorionic gonadotropin concentration, and appropriate use of computerized tomography of the brain; and (3) a combination of systemic and intrathecal therapy for patients developing brain secondaries.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Impact of gestational age at delivery of the economics of triplet pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE: To establish the charges associated with triplet pregnancies managed at a single tertiary center, over a 5-year time period, and to evaluate the impact of prematurity on these charges. METHODS: All triplet pregnancies that reached at least 20 weeks gestation and received prenatal and neonatal care at our center from 1992 to 1996 were included. Charges for these mothers and neonates were extracted from two separate hospital billing computer systems, encompassing all inpatient, outpatient, technical, and professional charges. Linear regression was used to evaluate the relationship between gestational age at delivery and total charges. RESULTS: Fifty-five triplet pregnancies were included, resulting in the admission of 149 liveborn neonates. The median gestational age at delivery was 32.1 weeks. The mean charges per triplet mother were: $6,899 (professional), $3,959 (hospital outpatient), and $32,686 (hospital inpatient). The mean charges per neonatal sibling set were: $20,107 (professional) and $124,163 (hospital inpatient). The mean charges per complete triplet pregnancy was $187,814 (maternal plus neonatal). There was a significant inverse relationship between gestational age at delivery and total charges per triplet family, with a decrease of $16,584 for each additional gestational week reached (P = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS: Triplet pregnancy charges averaged almost $190,000 each, which does not include charges associated with assisted reproductive technologies. These charges are almost all related to the expense of prolonged neonatal intensive care, and are significantly related to the gestational age at delivery. Efforts at containing these costs should focus on reducing the incidence of multiple gestation and preventing prematurity.

Boston↗
PubMedDate not supplied

An outpatient phase II study of subcutaneous interleukin-2 and interferon-alpha-2b in combination with intravenous vinblastine in metastatic renal cell cancer.

A prospective phase II trial was carried out to define the activity of a low-dose subcutaneous regimen of interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interferon alpha-2b (IFN-alpha) in combination with intravenous administration of vinblastine (VLB) in patients with metastatic renal cell cancer (RCC). Thirty-one patients with advanced RCC who had received no prior biochemotherapy were treated with IL-2 4.5 MU x 2/24 h thrice weekly for 2 weeks, IFN-alpha 3 MU/24 h thrice weekly (alternating days) for 2 consecutive weeks and VLB 4 mg/m2 every 3 weeks. Patients were to have a 1-week rest period after each 2 weeks of therapy with cytokines. Treatment was repeated every 3 weeks. Maximum duration of treatment was 1 year. Treatment was administered on an outpatient basis. There were 4 complete (12.9%) and 8 partial responses (25.8%), with an overall response rate of 38.7%. The median duration of response was 6.5 months. Responses were seen in lung, lymph nodes, bones, liver and other tumor metastases. Toxicity was mild to moderate, consisting of fever, anorexia, malaise and nausea-vomiting in > 80% of patients. Hypotension and transient alopecia occurred in > 20% of patients. Liver enzyme elevation was frequently observed. Treatment-induced eosinophilia occurred in the majority of patients, while in 52% of patients granulocytopenia grade II and grade III did not require dose modification of drugs. Transient inflammation and local induration at the injection sites was observed in the majority of patients. None of the patients experienced major VLB-related toxicity and no toxic deaths occurred. This three-drug combination immunochemotherapy may be a promising regimen with modest toxicity in advanced RCC.

Adult↗