Biomedical subjects

Ferdinando Frigeri

Publications and source records attributed to Ferdinando Frigeri.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Pentostatin (2'-deoxycoformycin) for the treatment of hepatosplenic gammadelta T-cell lymphomas.

We report the results of treatment with single agent 2'-deoxycoformycin (Pentostatin) in two patients with Hepatosplenic gammadelta T-cell lymphoma (HSgammadeltaTCL), a rare lymphoma subtype with a highly unfavorable prognosis. Present and previous data reviewed here demonstrates the striking cytotoxic activity of Pentostatin against gammadelta+ tumor T cells. Further studies are warranted to define the optimal strategy to fully exploit therapeutic potential of this drug in patients with HSgammadeltaTCL.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

PubMed2004

Rapid reversion of Loeffler's endocarditis by imatinib in early stage clonal hypereosinophilic syndrome.

Endomyocardial fibrosis (Loeffler's endocarditis) is the main cause of poor outcome in Hyper Eosinophilic Syndrome (HES) and Eosinophilic Leukemia (EL). Reversion of the cardiac damage has been seldom reported, and thrombi can superimpose on infiltrated walls, originating oembolic complications. The tyrosine kynase inhibitor imatinib has been recently employed in patients affected by HES or EL, with impressive results. We have treated with imatinib a young patient affected by Loeffler's endocarditis during EL. Loeffler's endocarditis was studied by transthoracic Doppler echocardiography with and without the contrast agent SonoVue. Cytogenetics, FISH and molecular analysis showed the presence of the FIP1L1/PDGFRA fusion gene, recently detected in a majority of HES patients. Standard echocardiography revealed a large infiltration of the apical region, with apparently pedunculate corpora floating in the LV chamber; after SonoVue injection, a thick endo-myocardial infiltration involving papillary muscles and tendinous chords appeared, which simulated mobile thrombi at standard echography. Treatment with low dose imatinib caused rapid regression of both eosinophilic proliferation and endomyocardiopathy. The fusion gene FIP1L1-PDGFRA was found significantly decreased after a few months of treatment. Using a contrast echocardiographic approach, we demonstrated the non-thrombotic origin of the "in plus" image in our patient and its rapid resolution following imatinib treatment. Imatinib is an excellent candidate for first line treatment of Loeffler's endocarditis, especially when the FIP1L1/PDGFA fusion gene is detected.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Aging and the hemopoietic system.

While increasing numbers of elderly patients are expected to require chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy in the future, the application of standard-dose chemotherapy in unselected cohorts of older patients usually results in a higher rate of life-threatening myelosuppression and treatment-related deaths compared to young individuals treated with the same chemotherapy regimens. The biologic mechanisms underlying reduced tolerance to chemotherapy of the hemopoietic system in older individuals are still poorly understood. Unveiling such mechanisms therefore represents a fundamental issue to ameliorate chemotherapy strategies for older cancer patients. Current evidence suggests that aging-related bone marrow changes are rather subtle and most probably irrelevant for the hemopoietic function of normal older individuals. These changes, however, may become clinically evident under conditions of severe hemopoietic stress such as the administration of repeated courses of chemo-radiotherapy. The mechanisms underlying age-dependent decline in the hematopoietic reserve are not fully clarified and probably involve age-associated changes in the stem and progenitor cells compartments which may ultimately lead to a reduced ability of recovery from hematologic stress. Age-related changes in endogenous anti-tumor immune responses also need to be accounted for in the aim of managing residual disease in elderly cancer patients treated with effective chemo-radiotherapy. Since dendritic cells (DCs) generated from older individuals appear fully functional, dendritic cell-based immunotherapy may represent an important tool to treat residual disease in aged cancer patients. While it is clearly established that primary prophylaxis with hemopoietic growth factors currently enables a large fraction of older cancer patients to receive appropriate chemotherapy, innovative strategies in the use of such growth factors may allow time-intensification of standard-dose chemotherapy for treating chemosensitive tumors, i.e. non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHLs), occurring in older individuals.

Aging↗