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Biomedical subjects

A Cassano

Publications and source records attributed to A Cassano.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

Legionellosis associated with artesian well excavation.

In October 1990 pneumonia due to Legionella pneumophila was diagnosed in two employees working in the area of Apulia, southern Italy, where artesian wells were in construction. Although the exposure to excavation has been associated with Legionnaires' disease, in our investigation the illness occurred only in those employees who were present when the water emerged from the ground under high pressure. On the basis of this report, water appears as the most likely reservoir of the organism and the main route of infection.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with folinic acid (F), fluorouracil (FU), vincristine (O), and mitomycin-C (Mi), (F-FOMi).

Thirty-one patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were treated with a combination of folinic acid, fluorouracil, vincristine, and mitomycin (F-FOMi). Eight partial responses (26%), eight stable disease (26%), and 15 progressive disease (48%) were obtained. Patients with performance status (PS) 0-1 had a significantly better response rate than those with PS 2-3. Overall actuarial survival was 10 months. Toxicity was mild and mainly gastrointestinal with mucositis and diarrhea. F-FOMi seems to be comparable to regimens more widely used in the treatment of NSCLC.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Salvage chemotherapy with mitoxantrone and mitomycin with or without methotrexate in advanced breast cancer.

Thirty-three patients with advanced and refractory breast cancer were treated with two mitoxantrone-containing regimens (mitoxantrone plus mitomycin and mitoxantrone plus mitomycin plus methotrexate). All patients had received previous chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and fluorouracil (CMF); cyclophosphamide, adriamycin and fluorouracil (CAF); or CMF and CAF. Partial response occurred in five patients (15 +/- 12%), stable disease occurred in 15 patients (45 +/- 17%) and progressive disease occurred in 13 patients (40 +/- 17%). The median duration of response was 5 months. The median actuarial survival was 11 months. Toxicity was mild, even in patients who had previously received anthracyclines; generally it was mainly hematological. We thus recommend mitoxantrone-containing regimens as salvage chemotherapy in advanced breast cancer.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗
PubMed1991

Hepatocarcinoma in cirrhosis. Is antithrombin III a neoplastic marker?

It has been reported that hepatoma (HCC) cells produce abnormal proteins such as erytropietin, fibrinogen, prothrombin, and, recently, antithrombin III (AT III). In a preliminary report, we reported increased AT III levels in patients bearing HCC independent of their clinical liver status. The present study was performed to assess antithrombin III levels and other serological data present in patients with cirrhosis and in patients with cirrhosis and clinical findings of neoplastic disease. In 70 well-matched patients (47 with cirrhosis and 23 with cirrhosis and proven HCC) serum total cholesterol, albumin, prothrombin, alkaline phosphatase, AFP, aminotransferases, and AT III were determined. Together with AFP and alkaline phosphatase, patients with HCC had higher values of AT III (88 +/- 7%) and total cholesterol (184 +/- 17 mg/100 ml), as compared with cirrhotic patients (AT III 56 +/- 3.6%; total cholesterol 113 +/- 5 mg/100 ml) (P less than 0.001). No difference was observed between these two groups for albumin, prothrombin, and aminotransferases. In HCC patients, AT III levels were related to the total cholesterol level (R2 = 0.317), whereas in the cirrhotic patients it correlated with the prothrombin level (R2 = 0.274). These data suggest that in HCC patients a greater rate of synthesis of AT III occurs, whereas in cirrhotic patients lower levels of AT III occur due to impaired synthesis or increased catabolism of the protein. The serial determination of AT III in cirrhotic patients as a means of detecting neoplastic transformation is suggested.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

5-Fluorouracil (FU) with folinic acid (FA) and mitomycin C (MMC) in the adjuvant treatment of colorectal carcinoma. Part I. Evaluation of toxicity.

Ninety-six patients with colorectal cancer (stage B2-C) were randomized to the control arm or to receive adjuvant chemotherapy with folinic acid, FU and MMC. Ninety-three patients are evaluable. The median follow up is 12 months. The average time between surgery and the start of therapy is 28 days. Toxicity is evaluable in 36 of 41 treated patients. Four patients (10%) failed to complete the projected treatment due to toxicity. Toxicity observed in 208 courses of therapy was mostly gastrointestinal and hematological. No cases of treatment related death or cancer-associated hemolytic uremic syndrome (C-HUS) were reported. The average relative dose intensity (rDI) of the projected treatment was 82.6%. Our study is ongoing and further patients are required to achieve statistically significant results.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗
PubMed1991

Association of epirubicin, etoposide and cisplatin in gastric cancer. A phase II study.

Cisplatin-based drug combinations are now currently investigated in an attempt to surpass the results obtainable by 5-FU alone or by 5-FU-containing regimens. We evaluated 29 patients with advanced and measurable gastric adenocarcinoma treated with etoposide, epirubicin and cisplatin. One patient had complete response (3 +/- 7%); 9 patients had partial response (31 +/- 17%); 5 patients (17 +/- 14%) were considered stable (S) and 14 (48 +/- 18%) were classified as progressive. The average survival time for the entire group was 11 months with 25% of the patients alive at 24 months. We feel that cisplatin-containing regimens are promising and deserve further investigations. To clearly explore the potential innovative role of these regimens randomized trials versus FAM or 5-FU alone are mandatory.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1990

Role of immunoscintigraphy in clinical assessment of gastrointestinal tumors.

From June 1986 until April 1989 31 patients with gastrointestinal tumors were studied at follow-up for recurrences by immunoscintigraphy (IS) using F(ab)2 fragments of monoclonal antibodies anti CEA and anti CA 19-9. IS was employed to confirm the presence of metastases already found (group A) and to verify metastases suspected following physical and instrumental examinations and/or increases in CEA and/or CA 19-9 (group B). Thirty-four IS findings have been evaluated to date: 19 in group A, with 18 true positive and 1 false negative results; 15 in group B. In these patients there were 12 cases of pathologic high fixation: 6 were confirmed using standard examinations after a median follow-up of 1 month (range 1-12); 6 cases had no metastatic evolution at the suspected site after a follow-up of 5-28 months. In 3 cases IS was negative, these patients are disease free at 13, 14 and 24 months. In group B, 5 of 8 abdominal intense fixations were early diagnoses of local or peritoneal recurrences. The overall accuracy was 79.4% and it was not affected by circulating CEA levels; sensitivity was 96%. IS can be considered useful as a primary diagnostic examination in the follow-up of patients with suspected abdominal metastases.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Advanced colon cancer: staging and prognosis by CEA test.

The carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) test was studied in 54 patients with advanced stages of colon cancer which was treated with high doses of folinic acid + fluorouracil. The CEA test correlates evaluated included: prognostic value, performance status, metastatic pattern, histologic grading, predictive value for response to chemotherapy, and value differences in cases with partial response to therapy. CEA levels less than 5 ng/ml corresponded to a greater survival time than did levels greater than 5 ng/ml. A correlation of CEA with performance status and with metastatic pattern was demonstrated. A progressive increase in average CEA values corresponded to increases in neoplastic mass. Although CEA levels were not found to be an index for predicting the response to chemotherapy, there was a significant different between pre- and posttreatment levels for partial response. The results suggest that CEA offers an additional criterion for evaluating the response of colon cancer to chemotherapy and it also has a role in the staging of advanced disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

A response in advanced post-menopausal breast cancer during treatment with the luteinising hormone releasing hormone agonist--Zoladex.

Luteinising hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) agonists are currently undergoing clinical trials in the treatment of advanced breast cancer in pre-menopausal women. Clinical responses are attributed to the suppression of the pituitary-ovarian axis, with a reduction in circulating levels of gonadal steroids similar to that produced by castration. In the present case report, we report a partial response to a LHRH analogue in a post-menopausal woman refractory to other endocrine treatments. This response cannot be explained with a chemical castration and confirms the possible direct anti-tumor effect of Zoladex.

Aged↗
PubMed1987

High-dose folinic acid (HDFA) combined with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in first line chemotherapy of advanced large bowel cancer.

The therapeutic activity of 5-FU in large bowel cancer is enhanced by increasing the intracellular pool of reduced folates. We treated 45 patients with advanced colon cancer with HDFA and 5-FU for 5 consecutive days. None had been given previous radio- or chemotherapy. All had measurable disease. Not one complete response was observed. Thirteen of the 39 evaluable patients showed partial response. Median duration of response was 9+ months. The probability of 50% survival was 15 months for all evaluable patients. There was no case of severe toxicity and the principal toxic effects were oral mucositis and diarrhea. To date, HDFA + 5-FU is one of the most effective treatments for large bowel cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

A degradation product of circulating luteinizing hormone (beta-hCG subunit) in human semen.

Levels of beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (beta-hCG) were detected in semen under basal conditions. No significant correlation to levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) in blood was found. The beta-hCG level did not increase within 3-7 days after a 5000 IU dose of hCG was injected intramuscularly. Human chorionic gonadotropin was detected in semen only after injection. beta-Human chorionic gonadotropin in the semen represents a degradation product of circulating LH.

Chorionic Gonadotropin↗
PubMed1981

Hormones in the seminal fluid. The transport proteins of the thyroid hormones.

The study of the retention of titrated T3 on columns of Sephadex G-25, (Resin T3 Uptake), in the presence of untreated plasma, or plasma treated with charcoal, indicates that there are very small quantities of protein-hormone compounds present in the seminal fluid. In cases of phlogosis of the genital tract, the increase of albumin in the seminal fluid might determine an increase in the binding capacity with titrated T3. This would therefore give the possibility of a further test in the diagnostics of male infertility.

Albumins↗
PubMed1981

Male fertility and thyroid hormones.

On the basis of the results in vitro, it seems that the testicle does not respond to the action of the thyroid hormones. The study of the relationship between the blood concentrations of these hormones and the reproductive function of the organ is being made by the Authors as a means of verifying this in vivo. The total blood concentrations of T4, (triioothyronine), and the index of free Thyroxine (IT4L) were therefore evaluated both in normal and infertile subjects. The concentrations of T4 showed a correlation both with the sperm count (r = 0.43, p = less than 0.02), and with the percentage of motile spermatozoa, (r = 0.48, p = less than 0.01). This type of correlation is not found, however, either for the T3 or for the IT4L. These data indicate that the function of the thyroid gland is linked to that of the hypothalamo-hypophyseotesticular axis. It would appear that the peripheric metabolism of the circulating hormones is not involved.

Humans↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Bolus and infusional 5-fluorouracil combined with cisplatin in advanced gastric cancer.

5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is the main drug used in the treatment of advanced gastric cancer. Combination chemotherapy is not always superior to 5-FU alone, especially when biomodulators are also administered. In an attempt to exploit all the cytotoxic mechanisms of 5-FU, we carried out a pilot study with a double route of administration of 5-FU (intravenous bolus and continuous infusion) and a multiple modulation of 5-FU by methotrexate (MTX), 6S-leucovorin (6S-LV) and cisplatin (CDDP). A group of 30 patients affected by advanced gastric cancer was treated with MTX 50 mg/m2 and 5-FU 400 mg/m2 as an i.v. bolus on day 1, followed by a 5 day i. v. continuous infusion of 5-FU 600 mg/m2/day and 6S-LV 100 mg/m2/day; on day 3 CDDP 100 mg/m2 was also administered. The regimen was repeated every 4 weeks. Six partial responses (20+/-14. 3%), 12 stable diseases (40+/-17.5%) and 12 progression (40+/-17.5%) were observed in an intent-to-treat analysis. Median survival was 7 months. All responding patients had performance status 0-1. Grade 3-4 toxicity was mainly gastrointestinal, but grade 3-4 anemia and leucopenia were also recorded. The schedule has low activity. The use of different modulators and way of administration of 5-FU does not provide advantages in advanced gastric cancer.

Adult↗