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Biomedical subjects

E M Rankin

Publications and source records attributed to E M Rankin.

51 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1987

A mathematical model of the development of drug resistance to cancer chemotherapy.

A mathematical model incorporating descriptions of tumour growth kinetics and the effects of cytotoxic chemotherapy on established tumours, is presented. It is shown how models of this kind may be used to investigate the potential of hypothetical chemotherapy strategies, and to identify general principles for successful treatment. The model is intended to be an aid to clinicians designing new chemotherapy programmes for diseases in which progress has been disappointing.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed1987

Persistent back pain due to malignant lymphadenopathy.

Back pain is a common problem in rheumatology clinics and has a wide differential diagnosis. Ten young patients are described with the syndrome of persistent back pain, severe enough to prevent sleep, and characteristically eased by sitting forwards, which accompanies malignant retroperitoneal lymphadenopathy. Spinal movements and x rays are typically normal. Repeated thorough examinations are required to detect superficial adenopathy or testicular swellings. Ultrasound scanning usually reveals the nodes, which can also be demonstrated by computed tomographic (CT) scanning. These young patients have a variety of cancers, many of which can be cured, so increased awareness of this syndrome could save lives.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

A phase II study of ifosfamide in advanced and relapsed carcinoma of the cervix.

Forty-one patients with advanced progressing carcinoma of the cervix were treated with ifosfamide 1.5 g/m2 daily in a 30-min infusion for 5 days every 3 weeks. The overall response rate (complete + partial) was 12/39 (31%), or 12/30 (40%) in those who had not received previous chemotherapy. Six patients achieved a complete remission of disease and four of these remain disease-free 24-39 months later. Durable response were seen in patients with disease progressing after radical radiotherapy. Bone marrow suppression was the dose-limiting toxicity and led to dosage modification in 24 patients. Nausea and vomiting was experienced by all patients at some time during therapy and all patients developed alopecia. Mild neurological toxicity occurred in seven patients but severe life-threatening neurotoxicity was not seen with this schedule of administration. Further studies are needed to identify the optimum dose and schedule of ifosfamide and to ascertain its place in combination therapy.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1985

Treatment of two patients with B cell lymphoma with monoclonal anti-idiotype antibodies.

Mouse monoclonal anti-idiotype antibodies have been used to treat two patients with progressive advanced B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Transient falls in the level of circulating malignant cells and idiotypic immunoglobulin were produced, and free unbound monoclonal antibody was identified in the serum. Homing of the antibodies to tumor cells in the blood, bone marrow, ascites, and lymph nodes was demonstrated in both patients. Although large amounts of anti-idiotype antibody were given (3.8 g and 5.8 g), no toxic effects were seen, and no antibodies to the foreign mouse protein were made. There was no modulation of the antigen from the tumor cells and no indication of immunoselection. There was evidence of large-scale tumor cell destruction, but only a modest reduction in tumor size. The killing of the tumor cells was mediated by the reticuloendothelial system and not by complement.

Aged↗
PubMed1984

Dynamic studies of lymphocytes labelled with indium-111 during and after treatment with monoclonal anti-idiotype antibody in advanced B cell lymphoma.

The migration pattern of lymphocytes labelled with indium-111 was followed in a patient with B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma treated with a murine monoclonal anti-idiotype antibody. During the early phase of continuous infusion of antibody rapid fluxes of labelled lymphocytes into and out of the blood were seen. Dynamic scanning showed immediate uptake in the lungs; thereafter activity decreased in the lungs and increased in the liver. Studies of labelled and unlabelled cells in the circulation showed that treatment resulted in the removal of lymphocytes from the blood which was repopulated from an extravascular compartment. Tumour cells were shown to be cleared from the blood by the reticuloendothelial system in the liver. Indium-111 should be used circumspectly because it may cause chromosomal damage in labelled cells, but it is clearly useful as a radiolabel for following the migration pathways of lymphocytes in vivo.

Aged↗
PubMed1984

Mouse monoclonal antibodies against the idiotype of human B cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas: production, characterization and use to monitor the progress of disease.

Four monoclonal anti-idiotype (Id) antibodies against B cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas have been made by a simple and rapid procedure for hybridoma production that does not use isolated Id-carrying immunoglobulin. Mice were immunized with plasma membranes from the tumor cells. Screening of hybridoma colonies using an autologous T cell line and a cell line bearing the same immunoglobulins as the malignant lymphocytes as well as the capping phenomenon on the patient's own tumor cells, allowed selection of hybridomas producing anti-Id antibodies. These anti-Id antibodies were used to demonstrate variations in the circulating malignant cell population and fluctuations in the level of circulating free Id.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Observations on the toxicity of the combination of gentamicin and mezlocillin in the treatment of patients with acute leukaemia.

In a retrospective study we have compared the toxic side effects related to the use of two antibiotic regimens in the treatment of febrile episodes in neutropenic, leukaemic patients undergoing first remission-induction. Nephrotoxicity was more severe in the gentamicin-mezlocillin (G/M) group: four patients developed oliguric renal failure and two others showed rises in the serum creatinine of more than 0.03 mmol/l. One of the two patients in the gentamicin-ticarcillin (G/T) group who showed nephrotoxicity developed renal failure. Ototoxicity and skin rashes were more commonly observed with G/M than with G/T, and the differences were statistically significant for both ototoxicity (P = 0.0004) and drug rashes (P = 0.02). The cause of the observed differences in toxicity has not been identified.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1983

Intermediate dose single agent cyclophosphamide chemotherapy of advanced breast cancer.

Twenty-one evaluable patients with metastatic breast cancer received three pulses of intravenous cyclophosphamide, escalating from 1.5 g/m2 to 2.5 g/m2 in the second and third courses. There were eight partial remissions (34.7%), but most were of short duration. All responding patients had soft tissue or nodal disease, but additional sites of response were bone (three cases), liver and lung (one case each). Marked leucopaenia (median WBC 0.7 X 10(9)/L) occurred 10-12 days after the higher doses (2.5 g/m2) and was associated with nine episodes of severe infection in five patients. Marked vomiting and anorexia led to significant weight loss (mean 4.5 kg) in half the patients, and alopecia was universal. In metastatic breast cancer cyclophosphamide seems to have a shallow dose response curve and high intermittent dosage seems to have no advantage over chronic daily administration.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia: a light microscopical and ultrastructural study.

A case of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia developing a patient with treated diffuse lymphocytic lymphoma is described. The electron microscopic features and life cycle of the organism are illustrated. The patient died twenty-four hours after the biopsy had been taken. Septrin appeared to have affected the trophozoite stage. Pneumocystis carinii appears to induce interstitial pulmonary oedema and fibrosis. A discussion of the role of electron microscopy in early diagnosis of the disease is presented.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The myelotoxicity of carboplatin is influenced by the time of its administration.

Previous studies have demonstrated that there are circadian rhythms in susceptibility to a range of commonly used cytotoxic drugs. In this study we have compared the pharmacokinetics and myelotoxicity of carboplatin administered at 18.00 and 06.00 in random order in patients with advanced ovarian carcinoma. Carboplatin treatment at 06.00 is associated with significantly greater thrombocytopenia than at 18.00 (platelet nadir 95,000 versus 180,000, p less than 0.05). There was no pharmacokinetic difference in the patients' handling of ultrafilterable platinum therefore it is possible that there is an intrinsic rhythm of susceptibility of bone marrow to carboplatin.

Blood Cell Count↗