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F Ganzina

Publications and source records attributed to F Ganzina.

26 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

High-dose medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) treatment in advanced breast cancer. A review.

Medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) when employed at high doses (greater than or equal to 500 greater than or equal to 1000 mg/day i.m.) can produce objective remission with improved survival in about 30% of postmenopausal women with advanced breast cancer resistant to cytotoxic drugs and endocrine therapies. When administered to women not previously treated with chemotherapy, the objective remission response rate reached 40%. From available evidence, high dose MPA can be considered a useful agent in the treatment of advanced breast cancer in postmenopausal women with soft tissue, pulmonary, pleural or osseous involvement even when patients have become refractory to prior hormone and cytotoxic therapies. Early results suggest that the response rate can be increased in patients with estrogen and/or progesterone-positive receptors. It is note worthy that in a study conducted on postmenopausal women resistant to cytotoxic and/or hormonal drugs, the median duration of survival was 13.5 months, while CRs plus PRs did not reach the median at 24 months after starting MPA treatment. High dose MPA is essentially devoid of major side effects. Relief of pain, increase in appetite and body weight, and sense of well being are characteristic features of the improved quality of life under MPA treatment. However, a gluteal abscess (from 2% to 20% dose related) is the most frequent side effect. A promising area for future studies is combined therapy using hormonal and cytotoxic agents or alternating sequential combinations. Well-designed studies are needed to develop means for increasing the complete response rate and therefore survival. Recent studies of combined chemo- and hormonal (MPA) therapy have yielded objective tumor regressions of 53 to 80% with an increased rate of complete remissions and duration of response.

Animals↗

Idarubicin in the treatment of acute leukemias. An overview of preclinical and clinical studies.

Idarubicin is a new derivative of Daunorubicin which was found to be more potent and more active than Daunorubicin and Doxorubicin in several experimental leukemias. Its antileukemic activity in preclinical models prompted the introduction of Idarubicin into clinical studies. As a single agent, Idarubicin produced complete remission in 20% and 30% of patients with heavily pretreated pediatric and adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) respectively. Idarubicin combined with Cytarabine and/or other antileukemic agents produced complete remissions in 46% of patients with refractory or relapsed AML and in 58% of patients with refractory or relapsed ALL (adult and pediatric). Subsequently, Idarubicin has been employed in untreated AML patients in combination with Cytarabine and/or Etoposide, producing complete remissions in more than 80% of patients. In ALL patients the drug has been used in combination with Vincristine, Cytarabine and Prednisone, producing complete remissions in 82% of patients. Recently, Idarubicin has been utilized in combination with intermediate doses of Cytarabine in refractory or relapsed ALL and AML, and 70% of patients achieved complete remission. Preliminary results of ongoing prospective randomized studies in untreated adult AML seem indicate that Idarubicin is at least equivalent, if not superior to Daunorubicin. The antileukemic activity of Idarubicin given orally as single agent, or in combination with other drugs, has been shown in AML and myelodysplastic syndromes. The toxicity of Idarubicin includes mild nausea and vomiting, alopecia and liver dysfunction. Ongoing randomized trials comparing Idarubicin to Daunorubicin should provide more information about the potential cardiotoxicity of this drug.

Animals↗

Idarubicin combined with intermediate-dose cytosine arabinoside in the treatment of refractory acute leukemia.

From December, 1985 to October, 1987, 16 patients aged from 14 to 62 (median 34) with acute leukemia in relapse (10 affected by ANLL and 6 by ALL) were treated with the following regimen: Idarubicin 12 mg/m2/day on days 1-2-3, Ara-C 600 mg/m2 twice a day from day 1 to 6. Twelve patients (75%) achieved complete remission (C.R.). Two (12%) died during the induction phase from alveolar pneumonitis. One patient was resistant. The median duration of C.R. and survival was respectively 12 (range 6 to 100 +) and 23 weeks (4 to 108 +). The median duration of granulocytopenia was 16 days (range 10 to 24 days). The most frequent non-hematological complications consisted of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and mucositis. Four patients had hepatic and splenic microabscesses of suspected mycotic etiology, and one showed a transient cardiac arrhythmia. The C.R. rate obtained in this series may be considered satisfaying since all but 3 patients were on treatment at the time of relapse. Yet the short duration of C.R. suggests the opportunity of performing consolidation cycles or suprelethal therapy followed by bone marrow transplantation.

Adolescent↗