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Biomedical subjects

A Romanini

Publications and source records attributed to A Romanini.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

Might adriamycinol contribute to adriamycin-induced cardiotoxicity?

The pharmacokinetics of adriamycin (ADR) and its 13-hydroxylated-metabolite adriamycinol (ADR-ol) was investigated during treatment with ADR in rats at a dose of 2 mg/kg i.v., once a week for 3 weeks. At various times, samples of blood and cardiac and pulmonary tissues were collected to measure the amount of ADR and ADR-ol by an HPLC procedure. Periodical ECG monitoring was performed during the study; the severity of cardiac lesions was histologically evaluated at the end of treatment. During the first 180 min after ADR administration, plasma levels of ADR and ADR-ol rapidly decreased; ADR levels in cardiac and in pulmonary tissues increased between the 15th and 30th min and than decreased between the 60th and 180th min; on the contrary, ADR-ol was undetectable in either cardiac or pulmonary tissues during the first 3 hours following ADR administration. Between the 1st and 3rd weeks of treatment, plasmatic levels of ADR and ADR-ol were unchanged; in a similar way, both cardiac and pulmonary tissue levels of ADR were constant during the period of treatment. By contrast, the cardiac tissue level of ADR-ol significantly increased between the 2nd and 3rd weeks. ECG tracings showed maximal enlargement of both QRS and S alpha T at the end of the 3rd week. The histological examination of cardiac tissue indicated the occurrence of degenerative changes in 20% of rats at the end of the experiment. Overall results seem to indicate that ADR-ol is produced and stored in cardiac tissue during repeated ADR administration; as a consequence the cytotoxic metabolite might contribute to the cardiotoxic effect of ADR.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

[Radioisotopic study of some organs after radiotherapy of the upper abdomen (author's transl)].

The authors present the results of a study carried on 25 cases (Hodgkin patients) performing before and after standardized radiotherapy on retroperitoneal lymph nodes (45 Gy): - radionephrography and determination of renal plasmatic flux and glomerular filtration; - liver scintigraphy by colloids and 99Tcm-HIDA and liver functional tests by 131I-Bengal rose; - pancreas scintigraphy. Focal damage of the hepatic left lobe in younger patients and transitory impairment of some renal functional tests have been observed.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Detection of melanoma cells in peripheral blood and sentinel lymph nodes by RT-PCR analysis: a comparative study with immunohistochemistry.

The presence of lymph node metastases is the best prognostic factor for predicting relapse or survival in melanoma patients. It has been demonstrated that melanoma metastases spread through the first lymph node(s) draining the tumor (sentinel lymph node, SN) to the lymphatic system and that detection of melanoma cells in peripheral blood directly correlates with prognosis in melanoma. To identify lymph node metastases and circulating melanocytes, we developed a single-step reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction assay (RT-PCR) for detection of two melanoma-specific markers: the tyrosinase gene, which encodes an enzyme associated with melanin synthesis, and melanoma antigen-related T-cells, which are present in tumor infiltrating T-lymphocytes. This method detects two tumor cells in a background of 10(7) lymphocytes. Thirty patients with stage I-IV cutaneous melanoma entered the study. Blood samples were taken preoperatively, one month after excision of the primary melanoma lesion and the SN or total lymphadenectomy, and before the start of chemotherapy and every three months thereafter in metastatic patients. SNs were collected from 22 patients, bisected and analyzed by RT-PCR and routine pathological and immunohistochemical tests. The preliminary results indicate that RT-PCR for melanoma markers is a sensitive and valuable method for the detection of micrometastases and for early diagnosis and staging of melanoma.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Increasing dose of continuous infusion ifosfamide and fixed dose of bolus epirubicin in soft tissue sarcomas. A study of the Italian group on rare tumors.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the maximum tolerated doses (MTD) of ifosfamide when given as a continuous infusion and in combination with fixed doses of bolus 4'-epidoxorubicin in advanced previously untreated adult soft tissue sarcoma patients. METHODS: Treatment consisted of epidoxorubicin, 60 mg/m2 days one and two, and ifosfamide, 1.5 g/m2 every 12 hrs as a 72-hr infusion, at the first level. Further levels of ifosfamide were defined as increments of 12 hrs of the same infusion program. G-CSF 300 microg/die was administered from days +7 to +14. Dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) was defined as: G4 leukopenia or thrombocytopenia of > or =5 days; any G3 neuro or nephrotoxicity; G4 toxicity of any kind. Patients had to complete at least 2 consecutive cycles, and MTD was defined as the level in which 20% of patients developed a DLT; 10-15 patients were entered in each level. RESULTS: First level: overall, 13 patients entered, 3 were not assessable for MTD, and only one developed a DLT. Second level: 18 patients entered, 3 were not assessable for MTD. Hematologic DLT was observed in 3/15 assessable patients. Therefore, the MTD was found at the ifosfamide level of 10.5 g/m2 given in 84 hrs. Eight patients of 29 assessable for response achieved an objective response: 1 complete and 7 partial. The overall response rate was 28% (95% CI: 13-47%). CONCLUSIONS: If we accept 4-day G4 leukopenia as a reliable cutoff for safety, ifosfamide intensification cannot be substantially exploited over already available schedules with the combination of ifosfamide and anthracyclines.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Combination of cisplatin, epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide (PEC regimen) in advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer: a retrospective clinical study.

The combination of cisplatin (50 mg/m2), epirubicin (60 mg/m2), and cyclophosphamide (600 mg/m2) (PEC regimen) was given every 4 weeks to 19 patients with advanced (n.2) or recurrent (n.17) endometrial cancer. The median number of cycles delivered to each patient was 5 (range, 2-8). All patients were evaluable for toxicity and 16 for response. Two (12.5%) patients experienced a complete response and 5 (31.2%) had a partial response, for an overall objective response rate of 43.7%. The median duration of objective response was 10 months (range, 3-28 months). Median survival was 10 months (range, 3-68+ months) in the whole series. According to response to chemotherapy, median survival was 12 months (range, 3-68+ months) for responders and 9 months (range, 6-17 months) for nonresponders. Hematologic toxicity was relatively frequent but it could be easily managed, and significant nonhematologic toxicities were not found except for nausea and vomiting. In conclusion, PEC regimen has a good activity in advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer, but the short duration of responses limits the impact of the treatment on survival time.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Predictive value of some clinical and pathological parameters on upper level axillary lymph node involvement in breast cancer.

The role of radical axillary dissection in breast cancer management is presently under discussion. In this study we have evaluated the relationship between the pattern of metastatic axillary lymph node involvement by level and some of the main prognostic factors (age of the patient, size, grading, estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor status of the primary tumor) in 185 patients with operable breast cancer. The III level appeared to be involved in 31 (16.8%) out the 108 patients with axillary lymph nodes positive for metastases. A discontinuous pattern of axillary involvement (skip metastases) was observed in about 10% of cases. Logistic regression analysis of the data shows that only G3 is significantly correlated with the risk of III level invasion (p less than 0.05). We conclude that, at present, a selection of possible candidates for a less than radical axillary dissection is not as yet feasible. Since the risk for III level invasion cannot be sufficiently defined.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Comparison of in vitro drug sensitivity by inhibition of tritium release from [5-3H]-2'-deoxyuridine and a clonogenic assay.

In a search for a rapid and simple method to determine drug-induced cell lethality, the inhibition of tritium release from [5-3H]-2'-deoxyuridine (ITR) was compared with a standard clonogenic assay. Seven drugs were studied. After a 4 hr incubation period, [5-3H]-2'-deoxyuridine was added to cultures of human colon carcinoma cells (HCT-8) in vitro and four dose-response curves were generated for each drug by sampling the culture medium for tritiated H2O formation 4, 24, 48 and 72 hr later. These curves were compared to those obtained by a standard clonogenic assay. The ED50 values for 5 of the 7 drugs tested, methotrexate, 5-fluorouracil, doxorubicin, vincristine and cisplatin, as measured by inhibition of HCT-8 colony growth, were within 3 times the values observed with the metabolic assay. The ITR highly overestimated the cytotoxicity of 5-fluoro-2'-deoxyuridine: the irreversible inhibition of thymidylate synthase by this nucleoside resulted in an ED50 value 100-fold lower than that observed with the clonogenic assay. Opposite results were obtained with 5-fluorouridine. These data indicate that the ITR can be used to determine drug sensitivity of these cells to a host of compounds although it cannot be used indiscriminately for every antineoplastic agent as a cytotoxicity assay.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Role of computerized tomography in the definition of the area to be irradiated in bone metastases].

In the Department of Radiology of the Catholic University S. Cuore in Rome, a review was made of 342 CT examinations with a view towards optimizing the therapeutic planning in patients affected by bone metastases. All patients were submitted to radiological positioning and then to CT evaluation in order to assess the volume to be treated. In 224 cases it was not necessary to perform wide CT examination (3-5 standard tomograms being enough, 2 of which at the superior and inferior margins of the planned field). In the second group of 118 patients it was necessary to perform CT (serial axial scans)--increasing by 1-1.5 cm--up to the superior and inferior margins of the lesion. The existence of 2 types of lesions was confirmed: those involving mainly bony structures and those infiltrating the soft tissues. CT evaluation allowed the definition of the target volume to the real extension of the lesion in 14% of the whole of cases, while in the group of 118 cases studied more thoroughly, the percentage went up to 41%. CT allowed a better assessment of secondary bone lesions, especially in kidney and lung neoplasms. The metastatic site that required a more frequent modification of the irradiation field was the chest. To conclude, the authors emphasize the importance of CT in assessing the target volume, especially in those cases in which conventional radiology does not allow a reliable evaluation of the lesion, possibly compromising the local monitoring of the disease.

Bone Neoplasms↗