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Biomedical subjects

B Massidda

Publications and source records attributed to B Massidda.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Prevention of delayed emesis by a single intravenous bolus dose of 5-HT3-receptor-antagonist in moderately emetogenic chemotherapy.

While the use of 5-HT3 receptor antagonists is clearly justified in patients receiving cisplatin, their role with less emetic drugs is still not defined. The aim of our randomized study was to verify the efficacy of the single standard dose of three 5-HT3-receptor-antagonists in moderately emetic chemotherapies. Sixty chemotherapy-naive breast cancer patients of 30 to 71 years in age, P.S. = 0-1, receiving 5-fluorouracil-epirubicin-cyclophosphamide (FEC 75) q 21 days or cyclophosphamide-methotrexate-5-fluorouracil (CMF) or 120 mg/m2 epirubicin or high dose mitomycin-methotrexate-mitoxantrone (MMM) q 14 days (+ G-CSF) or 100 mg/m2 epirubicin (+ G-CSF) were randomized to receive, 15 min before chemotherapy, 8 mg i.v. bolus of ondansetron or 3 mg i.v. granisetron or 5 mg i.v. tropisetron and no further antiemetic therapy in the following days. 180 cycles were evaluable. Complete protection, (the absence of vomiting episodes,) was respectively 75%, 70% and 70% in the acute and 70%, 82%, 72% in the delayed phases, and an absence of nausea was 56%, 37% and 20% in the acute phase and 50%, 35% and 27% in the delayed, respectively. Complete response, (absence of vomiting and absence or mild nausea,) was 74%, 58.6% and 50.8% in the acute and 64%, 63.7%, 47.3% in the delayed phases, respectively. At the statistical analysis no significant differences between the three drugs were found regarding acute vomiting while ondansetron was superior to granisetron and tropisetron in acute (p = 0.018; p < 0.05) and delayed nausea (P = 0.104; p < 0.01). This activity is practically the same as that we reported (Ann Oncol 1994; 6, suppl 8: 204) with a loading dose on day 1 and maintenance for the following 2-5 days, but with a significantly favorable cost-benefit ratio.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Is there a role for adjuvant immunochemotherapy after radical nephrectomy in pT2-3N0M0 renal cell carcinoma?

Five-year overall survival after radical surgery in N0M0 renal cell carcinoma varies from 45-80% in pT2 to 35-50% in pT3 categories. In view of the alpha interferon and vinblastine combination which has shown some activity in advanced disease with increasing efficacy in limited metastatic invasion, we decided to explore the theoretical advantage of adjuvant chemo-immunotherapy in radically resected stage II, III renal cell carcinoma. A single-institution phase II study was undertaken to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of alpha 2a-interferon (alpha 2a-INF) in combination with vinblastine in 30 patients with pT2-T3 N0M0 renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Thirty-two patients who received only radical nephrectomy and extended lymphadenectomy were analyzed and results were compared with the first group. Twenty-three of 30 (76.6%) patients in the first group are alive with no evidence of disease. The median follow-up for the 23 patients still alive was 67 months (range 60 to 72). Metastases were documented in 5 patients (16.6%) with a median interval to progression of 24 months. Four of them (13.6%) died of tumor. In the control group, 16 out of 32 patients (50%) are still alive, with a median follow-up for the patients still alive of 62 months (range 60 to 68). Fifteen patients developed distant metastases and 2 of them had a local recurrence. All of them (46.8%) died of tumor. Median progression interval was 24 months. After stratification by pathological grade, site, laterality and number of nodes found at lymphadenectomy there were no statistical differences in risk of progression or death in the two groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
PubMed1995

[Olfactory neuroblastoma. Presentation of a case].

Olfactory neuroblastoma is an uncommon and hardly diagnosable neoplasm. The conventional histologic analysis allows generally a diagnosis of undifferentiated carcinoma. The immunohistochemical procedures, particularly the S-100 Protein and the Enolase Neuron-Specific, may contribute to define the diagnosis as well as in a patient recently observed by the authors.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗
PubMed1992

[Hürthle-cell tumors of the thyroid].

In the last 10 years 20 patients with Hürthle tumors were observed at Institute of Surgery and Oncology of Cagliari University. 17 were females and 3 males with a median age of 42 years. Tumors were malignant in 7 cases and benign in 13. A total thyroidectomy was performed in all patients with carcinoma and in 2 with adenoma because of concurrent goiter. The remaining patients were treated with a less extensive surgery. Two patients with carcinoma had a cervical node metastases at 12 and 67 months, treated by surgery (followed by radioiodine therapy in one). All patients are alive and disease free at 72 months of median follow-up. None of patients with benign adenomas recurred at 47 months of median follow-up. A longer-term follow-up is necessary in order to evaluate the benignity of adenomas.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1992

[Anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid. Our experience].

Nineteen patients, 12 females and 7 males, with mean age of 66 years, with anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid, were treated between 1976 and 1990. At diagnosis, in 4 patients disease presented as intraglandular mass, in 11 as infiltration of the adjacent structures and as distant metastases in 4 cases. A preceding history of goiter was found in 7 patients. Total thyroidectomy was performed in 9 patients, subtotal thyroidectomy in 1 and a diagnostic biopsy only in 4 cases. All patients received external radiotherapy (4000-6000 rads). Median global survival was 6 months with no difference between patients receiving thyroidectomy plus RT or biopsy plus RT. All patients died of tumor except 1 who is alive and free of disease at 120 months. Combination modality treatment of anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid represent, at times, a rational palliative therapeutic approach, even if, in selected patients with early intraglandular disease, total surgery may represent a curative therapy.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

[Secondary hyperparathyroidism in chronic renal failure. Role of subtotal parathyroidectomy].

Fourteen patients with chronic renal failure and secondary hyperparathyroidism were treated by subtotal parathyroidectomy. Bone pain and hypercalcemia were the main indications to surgery respectively in 13 and 1 patients. Bone pain disappeared or was significantly reduced in 12/14 patients. Two patients had a persistent hyperparathyroidism. Serum alkaline phosphatase returned to normal in 12 patients and PTH in 11 of 12 patients with pretreatment high levels.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Metastatic renal cell cancer treated with recombinant alpha 2a interferon and vinblastine.

42 patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma were treated with a combination therapy with interferon alpha 2a (mean dosage 16 x 10(6) U i.m. 3 times/week) and vinblastine (0.1 mg/Kg every 21 days). 12 patients (28.5%) had a positive response. Of them 1 presented a complete response (2.38%), 5 a partial response (11.9%) and 6 a stable disease (14.2%). No significant side effects were observed apart from the flu-like syndrome (all patients) and a moderate leukopenia (45.2%). The median duration of responses was 10+ months (range 3-37 months). At 4-year follow-up the median survival time was 16.0 months (range 4-37 months).

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy with cisplatinum and 5-fluorouracil in advanced head and neck cancer.

Forty-one patients affected by solid tumors of the head and neck were treated with neoadjuvant therapy before radiotherapy or surgery. All patients received therapy with cisplatinum 100 mg/m2 day 1 and 5-fluorouracil 1000 mg/day for days 1-5 by continuous infusion with a portable chronoinfusor. After three cycles, we observed an objective response in 34/41 patients (82.9%), with 9 (21.9%) complete remissions and 25 (61%) partial remissions. The main side effects were few and controllable. In our experience, neoadjuvant chemotherapy was able to induce a significant remission in 4/5 of patients, with better prospects for subsequent surgery and/or radiotherapy.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗
PubMed1990

[Progress in the diagnosis of unknown primary neoplasms].

About 5% of tumours clinically begin as unknown origin metastases involving some difficult diagnostic and therapeutic problems. In these cases the main goal is the formulation of the diagnosis as rapidly as possible because only about 10-15% of diagnosed patients are susceptible of treatment. Between 1973-1989 we observed 59 patients with unknown origin metastases. The diagnosis has been expressed in 5 patients by means of histochemical and immunohistochemical analysis, in 6 patients by means of radiologic and instrumental tests and in 3 patients spontaneously after 2-3 months.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1990

[Carcinoma of the male breast. Review of the literature and case series contribution].

Following and exhaustive review of the literature on this topic, the paper reports the results of the treatment of 16 patients with male breast cancer. From an analysis of findings, it was observed that diagnosis is frequently delayed (mean 1 year), disease is at a locally advanced stage in the majority of patients, and there is a considerable variety of treatments in relation to the long recruitment period for the study. The difficulties of performing radical surgery which does not necessitate complex reconstructive surgery has led to the use of Limberg's flap in the last 3 cases treated. Mean survival rate was 8 years for stage 1, 4 years for stage 2, 3 years for stage 3 and 2.5 years for stage 4.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1990

[Acute abdomen in patients with hematologic neoplasms].

Sixteen onco-haematological patients with acute abdomen are presented. The diagnosis of acute abdominal conditions was: neutropenic enterocolitis, gastrointestinal perforation, bowel neoplastic obstruction hepatic abscess and strangulated tumoral hernia. The operative death was 31.2%; 62.5% died 2-24 months after surgery and 6.3% is alive at 72 months. The Authors conclude that in these patients the extended surgery should be performed only in prognostic all favourable cases.

Abdomen, Acute↗
PubMed1989

[Therapeutic strategy in Basedow's disease. Role of surgery].

A personal experience about 80 patients with Graves' disease treated by subtotal or total thyroidectomy is reported. The surgical procedures are discussed. Subtotal thyroidectomy has proved to be the therapy of choice. All followed patients (60) are euthyroid excepting 3 cases of relapsing hyperthyroidism and 6 cases of post-surgical hypothyroidism.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Effects of antiestrogen and progestin on immune functions in breast cancer patients.

Several immunologic variables were evaluated in 14 patients with untreated primary breast cancer and 20 postmastectomized patients undergoing tamoxifen (TAM) or high-dose medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) treatment. Immunologic evaluation in the peripheral blood included lymphocyte count, definition of T-lymphocyte subsets by monoclonal antibodies (OKT3, OKT11, OKT4, and OKT8), and lymphocyte blastogenic response to phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and Concanavalin A (Con A). Moreover, the in vitro effect of TAM and MPA on the blastogenic response of peripheral lymphocytes from normal female subjects was tested. Primary breast cancer patients did not differ from controls in any of the variables tested. Similarly, the immunologic variables of the group treated with TAM were normal, with the exception of a slight reduction of the OKT4+/OKT8+ ratio. In MPA-treated patients, a reduction of the percentage of OKT4+ cells and a decrease of the OKT4+/OKT8+ ratio were observed. Moreover, response to PHA was reduced sharply. However, the addition of interleukin-2 (IL-2) to the culture medium restored PHA response. Likewise, the in vitro addition of MPA to peripheral blood lymphocytes from normal female subjects resulted in a sharp dose-dependent depression of PHA response while TAM was ineffective completely. The inhibitory effect of MPA was not evident when IL-2 was added simultaneously to the culture medium. These results show that the administration of high-dose MPA may alter immunocompetence as defined by T-lymphocyte subsets and response to mitogens. The latter effect may be related to a diminished production of IL-2. In contrast, TAM does not appear to have a significant immunodepressant action either in vitro or in vivo.

Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte↗
PubMed1986

Elevated plasma levels of beta-thromboglobulin in breast cancer.

Beta-thromboglobulin, a platelet-specific protein secreted into the plasma during the release reaction, was measured in 73 women with breast cancer, 10 women with dysplastic disease and 30 healthy female control subjects. 73% of patients with primary operable breast cancer and 65% with metastatic disease had levels above 40 ng/ml (control range 11-38 ng/ml). Among 2-6 months' postoperative patients without evidence of disease at the time of sampling, beta-thromboglobulin was raised in 75% of patients with nodal involvement and in 28% of patients without nodal involvement. Only 1 of 10 patients with benign disease showed abnormal beta-thromboglobulin concentration. Our results show that in a high percentage of breast cancer patients a state of ongoing in vivo platelet activation may be present. Furthermore, beta-thromboglobulin can be regarded as a potential tumor marker in breast cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Effect of i.v. indoprofen on cancer pain and serum prolactin and growth hormone levels--a controlled pharmacologic study vs i. m. morphine and placebo.

Single doses of indoprofen (400 mg, i.v.), morphine hydrochloride (10 mg, i.m.), and placebo were given to 12 women with moderate to severe tumor pain, mainly due to bone involvement, according to a Latin square design. Analgesic response, along with serum prolactin (PRL) and growth hormone (GH) levels, were measured after each treatment under double-blind conditions. Indoprofen and morphine were not significantly different as regards pain relief, but both were significantly more effective than placebo. Unlike morphine, however, indoprofen did not raise PRL. GH levels did not change following any treatment. In a second study indoprofen (400 mg, i.v., three times daily for 7 days) did not modify the PRL response to thyrotropin-releasing hormone nor serum GH levels. On the basis of the above findings it is suggested that indoprofen may be a safe alternative to opiates for relief of moderate to severe pain in women with breast tumors suspected of being prolactin-dependent.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

[Polychemotherapy of advanced cancer of the breast].

Results obtained with a cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, vincristine, 5-FU and prednisone protocol in the treatment of advanced breast cancer are reported. The number of weekly courses proposed by Ansfield was varied. 53% remissions were noted. The effect of the variation introduced was assessed with reference to a much lower incidence of side-effects and a percentage of satisfactory results comparable with that of Ansfield. Nevertheless, it is felt that the treatment in question should be employed as a second choice when more efficacious protocols, such as those including adriamycin, cannot be used or have proved ineffective.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

[Estrogen therapy of advanced breast cancer].

The results obtained with oestrogen treatment of diffuse malignant cancer of the breast are reported. Improvement was obtained in 50% of cases, 23.3% remained stationary and 26.6% worsened. Side effects were confined essentially to liver trouble of colostatic type, a disturbance that was temporary and closely linked with the drug dose employed. Some aspects of high dose antitumour hormone treatment are examined in detail: hormone dose in the induction phase and during maintenance, latency time before the appearance of the first signs of improvement, relationship between age, sexual endocrinal state and therapeutic result, correlation between time of onset of the disease, free interval and result obtained.

Aged↗