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Biomedical subjects

G Bacci

Publications and source records attributed to G Bacci.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy for localized Ewing's sarcoma of the extremities: preliminary results of a protocol which uses surgery (alone or followed by radiotherapy) for local control.

From June 1983 to December 1985, thirty-eight patients with localized Ewing's sarcoma of the extremities were treated with a protocol that consisted of an initial nine week period of polychemotherapy (vincristine, adriamycin and cyclophosphamide) followed by local therapy and additional chemotherapy (vincristine, adriamycin, cyclophosphamide and dactinomycin) for one year. As local treatment all patients were offered surgery; thirty-two accepted and six refused. These six patients were locally treated with radiotherapy alone (50 Gy). In the remaining patients an amputation was performed in one case and a resection in thirty-one. In resected patients when a wide margin was achieved (24 cases) no further local treatment was performed; when it was marginal (5 cases) or intralesional (2 cases) radiotherapy at lower doses (40 Gy) followed. At mean follow-up of thirty-seven months the percentage of continuously disease-free patients was 50% for those treated with radiotherapy, 76% with surgery, and 85% with surgery and radiotherapy. Eight patients developed metastatic disease and two patients had local recurrence and metastases. The local recurrences were seen in one patient locally treated with surgery and in one locally treated with radiotherapy. Nine major local complications were observed: three in patients treated with radiotherapy, five in patients treated with surgery, and one in a patient treated with surgery and radiotherapy. These results indicate that after induction chemotherapy conservative surgery is possible in almost all cases of Ewing's sarcoma of the extremities and that such treatment is better than radiotherapy alone as local therapy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Effect of perioperative transfusions on survival in osteosarcoma treated by multimodal therapy.

We report on a retrospective study of 155 patients amputated for nonmetastatic osteosarcoma of the long bones. Among the various prognostic variables considered, a significant correlation was found only between survival and transfusions. In this report, the authors consider some hypotheses reported by others for tumors of a different nature and site and conclude that perioperative transfusion may induce depression in the immune response, which is the cause of a shorter survival in the patients reviewed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Long-term results in 144 localized Ewing's sarcoma patients treated with combined therapy.

The results of 144 previously untreated cases of primary Ewing's sarcoma of bone are reported with a minimum follow-up of 5 years. This series was treated between 1972 and 1982 at Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli with a combined therapy. The local control of the disease consisted of amputation (ten cases), resection followed by radiation therapy (35-45 Gy) (48 cases) and radiation therapy alone (40-60 Gy) (86 cases). Adjuvant chemotherapy, rigorously standardized, was performed according two different protocols: the first (85 cases treated in the period 1972-1978) consisted of vincristine (VCR) Adriamycin (doxorubicin) (ADM), and cyclophosphamide (EDX); the second (59 cases treated in the period 1979-1982) of VCR, ADM, EDX and dactinomycin (DACT). At a follow-up of 5 to 16 years (median, 9), 59 patients (41%) are continuously disease-free (CDF), 81 (56%) developed metastatic disease and/or local recurrence, and four (3%) had a second malignancy. Three factors seem to be correlated to prognosis: the site of the initial lesion (only 23% of the pelvic lesions are represented in the CDF group versus 46% of the other locations); the chemotherapy protocol (32% of the cases in the first protocol are CDF versus 54% in the second); the type of local treatment (60% of the patients treated with amputation or resection plus radiotherapy versus 28% of those treated with radiation therapy alone are CDF). A local recurrence was observed in 24% of the patients (8% in the group locally treated with surgery or surgery plus radiation therapy versus 36% in the group treated with radiation therapy alone). These data suggest that even though adjuvant chemotherapy can improve the long-term results in localized Ewing's sarcoma patients, this disease still represents, in a high percentage of cases, a lethal process whose final prognosis widely depends on the local control of the lesion. Due to the questionable effect of the radiation therapy alone in controlling the primary lesion and its important side effects, the role of surgery in treating Ewing's sarcoma of bone should be extended.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Primary chemotherapy and delayed surgery (neoadjuvant chemotherapy) for telangiectatic osteogenic sarcoma of the extremities.

Twelve patients with telangiectatic osteogenic sarcoma (TOS) of the extremities were treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy, according to two different protocols. Preoperatively the patients received high-dose methotrexate(HD-MTX)/cisplatinum(CPD) or HD-MTX/CPD/adriamycin(ADM). CPD was delivered intra-arterially, the other drugs intravenously. Limb salvage surgery was performed in eight instances and four patients underwent amputation. Post operative chemotherapy was tailored according to the grade of necrosis determined by preoperative treatment on the primary tumor. In ten cases (83%) the grade of necrosis resulted higher than 95%. The mean length of follow-up was 3.5 years with a range of 18 to 72 months. Ten patients (83%) remained continuously disease-free, while two patients developed lung metastases and died of uncontrolled disease. No local recurrences were observed. These results are better than those observed in 167 contemporary cases of conventional osteosarcoma treated with the same protocols. This study confirms that TOS is not always a lethal tumor as suggested by prior reports. Employing neoadjuvant chemotherapy a high percentage of patients with TOS can be cured and in most of them, limb sparing surgery is possible and safe.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Functional gut disorders and health care seeking behavior in an Italian non-patient population.

We conducted a survey on functional gut disorders and health care seeking behavior in a large non-patient population of an Italian region (Umbria). 533 subjects were interviewed by means of a specific questionnaire. 44 (8.5%) reported symptoms compatible with the irritable bowel syndrome, 30 (5.8%) had non-colonic pain, 48 (9.2%) chronic constipation, and 20 (3.8%) dyspepsia. It is concluded that in our region there is a relatively high percentage of subjects that do not commonly seek health care, although affected by functional gut disorders.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) as a tumor marker in Ewing's sarcoma.

The pretreatment serum lactic acid dehydrogenase (LDH) level of 246 patients with Ewing's sarcoma of bone (47 metastatic and 199 localized at presentation) was examined to evaluate the use of LDH as a tumor marker. The percentage of patients with increased serum LDH levels was significantly higher in the metastatic group than in the group of patients with localized disease (83% vs 41%; p less than 0.01). In the latter group the relapse rate after treatment with combined therapy was significantly higher in patients with an elevated serum LDH at admission than in those with normal serum levels (68.2% vs 39.3%; p less than 0.01). After local treatment, in 73 out of 82 patients with an elevated serum LDH at admission the enzyme level normalized whereas in 9 it fell but never reached a normal value. The rate of relapse in these two groups was respectively 64% and 100%. The value of serum LDH at the time of recurrence, determined in 62 patients, was elevated in 50 (80.7%). These data demonstrate that in Ewing's sarcoma of bone pretreatment serum LDH levels have a definitive value in establishing the prognosis and could also be used in evaluating the response to therapy. A persistent elevated value of serum LDH, or an increasing value after a transient normalization, is usually followed by relapse.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Metastatic patterns in osteosarcoma.

The clinical courses of 193 patients with high-grade, non-metastatic osteosarcoma were reviewed to ascertain the evolution of the natural history of the disease. All patients had the primary lesion in the extremities and were treated at the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute between 1976 and 1982 with surgery alone (30 cases) or surgery plus adjuvant chemotherapy (163 cases). All patients were regularly followed at our Institute. One hundred and fourteen patients, of which 27 were treated with surgery alone and 87 treated with adjuvant chemotherapy, developed overt metastatic disease. No differences were found concerning the sites of the first relapse which, for approximately 90% of cases, were lungs in both groups. However, in the group of patients treated with adjuvant chemotherapy the development of overt metastatic disease, as compared to non-adjuvant patients, was delayed with time (13 vs 8 months) and the number of metastatic nodules in the lung at first relapse was reduced. This alteration in metastatic pattern due to adjuvant chemotherapy is important because it allows surgical resection of pulmonary metastases in a larger number of patients (51% vs 29%).

Adult↗
PubMed1988

The effectiveness of chemotherapy in localized malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) of bone: the Rizzoli Institute experience with 66 patients treated with surgery alone or surgery + adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Between January, 1974 and July, 1985 66 patients with non-metastatic malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) of bone in the estremities were surgically treated with amputation (34 cases) or resection (32 cases) according to the extension of the tumor. With the exception of 3 patients, who had severe medical contraindications to the chemotherapeutic drugs, all the patients were offered, in addition to the surgery, adjuvant chemotherapy (patients treated before 1983) or neoadjuvant chemotherapy (patients treated after 1983). 33 patients accepted, while 30 wanted to be treated with surgery alone. At median follow-up of 7 years (3-14) 25 patients remained continuously disease-free and 41 relapsed (27 with metastatic disease, 1 with local recurrence and 13 with both metastases and local recurrence). The percentage of patients who remained continuously disease-free was 12.1% (4:33) in the group of patients treated with surgery alone and 63.5% (21:33) in the group treated with surgery plus adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Although the two groups of patients were not completely superimposable (the patients treated with surgery alone were older and more often the MFH arose in pre-existing bone lesions) these results seem to suggest the usefulness of adjuvant and neoadjuvant chemotherapy for this tumor.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

[Buprenorphine and pentazocine in acute myocardial infarct. Study for a differential use].

Morphine is known as the best analgesic for patients with acute myocardial infarction complicated by heart failure. In patients with uncomplicated acute myocardial infarction, buprenorphine has recently been indicated as an alternative to the widely used pentazocine. In order to verify if the haemodynamic effects of the two drugs differed, a randomized double-blind controlled trial was performed on 20 patients with uncomplicated acute myocardial infarction: 10 patients were treated with i.v. pentazocine 30 mg. and 10 patients with buprenorphine 0.30 mg. (equianalgesic doses). Right atrial, ventricular and pulmonary artery and capillary pressure, cardiac index, total pulmonary and total systemic resistance were measured before testing and 15', 30', 60', 180' and 240' after drug injection. PO2 was measured before drug injection and 30' and 60' later. Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon test. All patients in each group showed uniform results: pentazocine increased total systemic resistance (mean increase 17%) while buprenorphine lowered it (mean reduction 12%) (P less than 0.05). Pentazocine lowered cardiac index (mean reduction 5.9%) while buprenorphine increased it (mean increase 9.3%) (P less than 0.05). Maximum changes occurred within 60' after the administration of both drugs. The other parameters did not change significantly from basal values. These results suggest that in patients with acute myocardial infarction uncomplicated by heart failure pentazocine and buprenorphine may be used in different haemodynamic situations. In the cases in which a reduction in total systemic resistance is desired, buprenorphine seems most suitable. However, in the presence of vagal reaction for instance, pentazocine may be administered.

Buprenorphine↗
PubMed1988

[Angiographic evaluation of the response of osteosarcoma to neoadjuvant chemotherapy].

Modern therapeutic osteosarcoma protocols, including both pre- and post-operative cycles of chemotherapy, have helped improving the quality of the prognosis and marking the local control of the neoplasm more reliable, with a subsequent increase in conservative surgery. Angiographic results of the chemotherapeutic response in 76 patients with primitive high-grade bone osteosarcoma are reported. The need to repeat angiographic controls under the same technical conditions is emphasized. The comparison of the above findings with data from the histological evaluation of the specimen, shows that angiography is a reliable means of evaluating the response to chemotherapy. Angiography is thus emphasized as a valid method in an early evaluation of the efficacy of chemotherapy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Adjuvant chemotherapy with six drugs (adriamycin, methotrexate, cisplatinum, bleomycin, cyclophosphamide and dactinomycin) for non-metastatic high grade osteosarcoma of the extremities. Results of 32 patients and comparison to 127 patients concomitantly treated with the same drugs in a neoadjuvant form.

Between March, 1983 and June, 1986, 32 patients with localized high grade osteosarcoma of the extremities who refused chemotherapy before surgery (neoadjuvant chemotherapy), were immediately operated on and treated with a protocol of adjuvant chemotherapy. This was performed with adriamycin, methotrexate, cisplatinum, bleomycin, cyclophosphamide and dactinomycin. At a median follow-up of 40 months (12-57), 20 patients (63%) remained continuously disease-free. These results appear to be better than the results achieved in our institution in 108 patients treated between 1980 and 1982 with an adjuvant chemotherapy protocol in which only adriamycin and methotrexate were employed. They also seem comparable to the results obtained in 127 contemporary patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy in which the same drugs were used (methotrexate i.v., cisplatinum i.a. preoperatively; adriamycin- methotrexate- cisplatinum or adriamycin -bleomycin -cyclophosphamide-dactinomycin postoperatively, depending on the degree of necrosis achieved by preoperative treatment). These data seem to indicate that the improved survival with neoadjuvant chemotherapy compared to a previous group of patients treated with adjuvant chemotherapy may be related to the improved effectiveness of the agents used rather than the sequence of treatment.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗
PubMed1988

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy for osteosarcoma of the extremities. Good response of the primary tumor after preoperative chemotherapy with high-dose methotrexate followed by cisplatinum and adriamycin. Preliminary results.

Forty-nine patients with localized osteosarcoma of the extremities were treated with a new protocol of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Preoperatively the patients received high-dose methotrexate intravenously, followed after a week by cisplatinum intra-arterially for a continuous infusion over a 72-hour period, plus adriamycin intravenously infused over an 8-hour period. In all cases the clinical and radiographic response was good and in 44 cases (89.7%) it was possible to perform conservative surgery. The histologic examination of the surgical specimen resulted in necrosis being "good" (greater than or equal to 90% of necrosis) in 41 patients (83.6%). This percentage of "good necrosis" was significantly higher than the percentage previously obtained in our Center as well as in others for preoperative treatment of this tumor. Up to now, patients with localized osteosarcoma of the extremities who showed a good histologic response to the preoperative chemotherapy have had a very good prognosis (82% of patients are continuously disease-free). These results suggest that this new regimen represents a substantial improvement in the treatment of this disease.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

The effects of methotrexate (MTX) on bone. A densitometric study conducted on 59 patients with MTX administered at different doses.

The bone density of two groups of patients with osteosarcoma treated with high and low doses of MTX is compared with that of a group of healthy subjects of the same age. Bone density was measured in the radius at the mid point and at the trabecular distal point. In the patients treated with low doses there were differences in bone density as compared with the controls. In those treated with high doses the bone mineral content values were significantly lower than those for the controls (p greater than 0.01) at the trabecular distal point but not at the mid point. The significant reduction in BMC in patients treated with high doses indicated that the osteopaenic effect is dose-dependent. The decrease in density only at the site at which trabecular bone is prevalent shows that MTX acts mainly at the level of this type of bone in accordance with the proven greater sensitivity of trabecular bone to the action of other osteopaenic agents.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the treatment of osteosarcoma of the extremities: preliminary results in 131 cases treated preoperatively with methotrexate and cisdiamminoplatinum.

The results of 131 cases of classic non-metastatic osteosarcoma of the extremities treated with preoperative chemotherapy, surgery and postoperative chemotherapy are reported. Preoperatively, the patients were given Methotrexate (MTX) intravenously (high and average doses) and Cisplatinum (CDP) intraarterially. For postoperative chemotherapy, the drugs and treatment protocols were based on the degree of necrosis observed (good, fair, poor). Conservative surgery was performed in 73% of the cases and amputation in 27%. At an average 30 month follow-up (9-48 months) 59.5% of the patients had remained disease-free, 37.5% had developed metastases, and 3% had developed local recurrence. The percentage of disease-free patients was higher for those treated with high doses of MTX (68% vs. 51%) and for those in whom preoperative chemotherapy had induced good necrosis (75% vs. 44%). Neither the age or sex of the patients, nor the site of the tumor or type of surgery performed influenced prognosis.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗
PubMed1988

[Usefulness of stratigraphy and computerized tomography in the initial staging of osteosarcoma of the extremities. Retrospective study of 217 cases].

The value of stratigraphy and pulmonary CT in the initial work-up of osteosarcoma of the extremities is assessed with reference to 217 patients encountered in the Bone Tumour Centre of Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute in May 1983-May 1986. Stratigraphy revealed lung metastases not identified by standard radiography in 4 patients (1.8%), while CT revealed metastases not identified by either standard X-rays or stratigraphy in a further 6 cases (2.7%). It is concluded that the increase in the percentage of cures (about 30%) reported in the last 10 years in osteosarcoma cases given adjuvant chemotherapy cannot be explained by any difference in initial selection due to the use of these techniques that were not adopted in the historical series.

Bone Neoplasms↗