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B Hero

Publications and source records attributed to B Hero.

41 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Infants with stage 4 neuroblastoma: the impact of the chimeric anti-GD2-antibody ch14.18 consolidation therapy.

BACKGROUND: Antibody treatment is considered tolerable and potentially effective in the therapy of neuroblastoma. We have analyzed the clinical data of infants < 1 year with stage 4 neuroblastoma with regard to the consolidation treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Infants < 1 year with stage 4 neuroblastoma who completed initial treatment (6-8 chemotherapy cycles followed either by 4 cycles low dose oral chemotherapy or high dose chemotherapy with stem cell transplantation) without event were eligible for this trial. Consolidation therapy consisted of 6 cycles of antibody ch14.18 (20 mg/m(2) x d ch14.18 for 5 days every 2 months) or 12 months oral maintenance chemotherapy (MT). RESULTS: Of 59 evaluable patients, 31 received a total of 159 ch14.18 cycles, 16 received MT instead, and 12 had no further treatment. Fever (47 % of cycles), abnormal CRP without infection (25 %), rash (23 %), cough (16 %), and pain (8 %) were the main side effects. Univariate analysis found no difference in event free survival (3-year-EFS 80.5 +/- 7.1 %, 87.5 +/- 8.3 %, and 75.0 +/- 12.5 % for patients treated with antibody ch14.18, MT, and no further therapy, p = 0.433) and overall survival (3-year-OS 90.1 +/- 5.4 %, 93.8 +/- 6.0 %, and 91.7 +/- 8.0 % for patients treated with antibody ch14.18, MT, and no further therapy, p = 0.931). Multivariate analysis failed to demonstrate an advantage of antibody treatment. CONCLUSION: The outcome of infants with stage 4 neuroblastoma is good. Consolidation treatment with ch14.18 was tolerable but associated with fever, elevated CRP, rash, cough, and pain as side effects. Compared to oral maintenance chemotherapy and no consolidation treatment, ch14.18 treatment had no impact on the patients' outcome which confirms the results found in children > 1 year.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Structure, use, and risks of biomaterial repositories of embryonal tumors].

Availability of statistically sufficient numbers of tumor samples and other biomaterials in high quality together with corresponding clinical data is crucial for biomedical research. Tumor repositories from individual scientists are mostly not sufficient to satisfy these criteria, especially since pediatric tumors are rare. In 2000 three centralized tumor repositories (neuroblastoma in Cologne, nephroblastoma in Würzburg, hepatoblastoma, brain tumors in Bonn) have been established by the "German Competence Net Pediatric Oncology und Hematology". The aim was to collect biomaterial including tumor samples, normal tissue, and blood in high quality for research and diagnostic purposes at a central institution. Informed consent of the parents or patients is a prerequisite for scientific use of the samples and is requested by the therapy trial. The samples are collected according to accepted standards and shipped in the specially designed Tumorbox. The tumor repository organizes the distribution of the samples to the cooperating diagnostic laboratories. The number of collected tumor samples has increased over the years. In 2000, samples from 200 patients were collected while the patient number increased to 321 in 2005. Over the years the tumor repositories collected more than 7,150 samples (fresh frozen tumor, fresh frozen normal tissue, and blood). Through links with clinical trial databases the samples can be connected with clinical data. 12 of 14 applications for tumor material to be used in specific scientific projects have been approved by an independent supervisory board. The establishment of central tumor repositories represents a major step for biomedical research activities and quality control in pediatric oncology.

Biocompatible Materials↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Does megatherapy contribute to survival in metastatic neuroblastoma? A retrospective analysis. German Cooperative Neuroblastoma Study Group.

To evaluate the impact of megatherapy on the outcome of high risk neuroblastoma, 39 patients with stage IV neuroblastoma, who underwent megatherapy, were analyzed retrospectively and compared to 49 patients, who continued chemotherapy according to the German cooperative trial NB85. The groups were comparable concerning age, primary localisation, pattern of metastases, clinical risk groups and response to induction therapy. Overall survival of the megatherapy group was 0.23 +/- 0.07 compared to 0.14 +/- 0.05 of the chemotherapy group (p = 0.0149). In particular patients with partial response to induction chemotherapy appeared to gain from megatherapy, while patients in complete remission did not benefit. Subset analysis confirmed the superiority of megatherapy in patients with bone marrow infiltration at diagnosis, in patients with or without bone metastases at diagnosis and in patients older than 2 years. On the background of the poor prognosis of stage 4 neuroblastoma and lack of other effective treatment modalities these data support the utilization of megatherapy in treatment strategies for stage IV neuroblastoma.

Bone Marrow Transplantation↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Hepatopathy in patients with stage 4S neuroblastoma].

The survival probability is 79% for patients with neuroblastoma stage 4S treated according to the German Society for Pediatric Oncology and Hematology (GPOH) treatment studies. Most of these patients (80%) have liver metastases. Patients are grouped according to their condition at diagnosis and tumour resectability to different risk groups (A, B, C). Chemotherapy is provided for patients who are initially diagnosed as critically ill, caused for example by excessive hepatomegaly due to liver metastases. The aim of this study is to clarify whether liver infiltration is associated with liver dysfunction and whether chemotherapy plays a role in this process. Hepatopathy was diagnosed when clinical signs were present and/or liver function tests revealed pathologic results. The charts of 48 patients (22 boys, 26 girls) diagnosed between 1990 and 1994 from the ongoing NB-90 treatment study were evaluated retrospectively. Median age at diagnosis was 52 days (range: 1-328). 41 patients (85%) had liver infiltration, 26 patients (54%) had bone marrow involvement and in nine patients (19%) skin metastases were found. 12 patients were in poor general condition at diagnosis (risk group C). 36 of 48 patients (75%) received chemotherapy, three children were treated with radiotherapy additionally, due to massive liver enlargement. 15 patients (31%) had signs of hepatic dysfunction at diagnosis or during their illness, 14 of these had liver metastases. All these 15 patients were treated with chemotherapy. 12 of 15 patients with hepatopathy were younger than two months at diagnosis. Five patients with liver dysfunction were not critically ill at diagnosis. Hepatomegaly > or = 6 cm was present in 10 of 15 patients with liver dysfunction. Hepatopathy was transient in eight patients, four patients died soon of multiorgan failure during progression of disease. Three children developed liver fibrosis with conversion to cirrhosis. Hepatopathy was correlated with distribution to risk groups (A and B (5/36) vs. C (10/12), p < 0.001). The appearance of hepatic dysfunction in patients with neuroblastoma stage 4S remains a serious problem especially for young children with excessive hepatic infiltration. Liver dysfunction was of short duration and reversible in most patients, however, even with age-adapted dosages of chemotherapy long-standing cases of hepatopathy were observed. A general recommendation for treatment strategy in this heterogeneous patient group is difficult. Attention should be given to for this complication.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗