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Biomedical subjects

G Cellamare

Publications and source records attributed to G Cellamare.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Randomized clinical trial of adjuvant fluorouracil, epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide chemotherapy for patients with fast-proliferating, node-negative breast cancer.

PURPOSE: The prospective applicability of new biologic tumor information to personalize adjuvant treatment of women with operable breast cancer remains to be demonstrated. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether patients with fast-proliferating, node-negative breast cancer could benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy with fluorouracil, epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide (FEC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Beginning in November 1989, we analyzed the proliferative activity of primary tumors in a consecutive series of women with node-negative breast cancer to identify subgroups of patients with a worse prognosis and who were therefore suitable candidates for adjuvant systemic therapy. Proliferative activity was determined by means of the [3H]-thymidine incorporation assay using an autoradiographic technique. Women with fast-proliferating breast cancer ([3H]-thymidine labeling index, > 2.3%) were randomized to receive either six cycles of adjuvant FEC or no adjuvant therapy until disease progression. RESULTS: One-hundred twenty-five and 123 patients treated with radical surgery for pT1 to T2, N0, M0 breast cancer were randomized to the FEC and control arms, respectively. After a median follow-up of 70 months, 27 events (21.6%) were observed in the FEC arm and 39 (32.2%) in the control arm, with a significantly lower number of locoregional relapses in the FEC group. Five-year disease-free survival (DFS) was 81% in the FEC group and 69% in the control group (P <.02 by log-rank test). Cox multivariate analysis described the impact of adjuvant therapy with FEC on DFS as independent of the patients' main clinical-pathologic characteristics. CONCLUSION: FEC adjuvant polychemotherapy seems able to significantly improve the clinical outcome of patients with fast-proliferating, node-negative breast cancer.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗
PubMed2001

Predictability of monthly and yearly rhythms of breast cancer features.

In order to evaluate if breast cancer biological characteristics undergo significant menstrual and seasonal variations, we analysed in a consecutive series of 905 breast cancer patients, steroid receptor level (ER and PgR by DCC assay), proliferative activity (3H-Thymidine Labeling Index, 3H-TLI) and size of primary tumour in relation to calendar date and day of menstrual cycle at the time of the surgical procedure. For data analysis, the method of time series construction and classical spectral analyses with Bartlett Kolmogorov-Smirnov test for white noise (BKS test) was utilised. For what concerns menstrual variations, 3H-TLI showed a significant periodicity (t = 0.3146, p < 0.01 by BKS test) with peaks at day 12nd and day 18th; ER showed a significant periodicity (t = 0.3605, p < 0.01 by BKS test) with more evident peak at day 27th; PgR, a significant periodicity (t = 0.160, p = 0.05 by BKS test) with peaks at day 15th and day 24th, similar to that observed for tumour size (t = 0.19, p < 0.05 by BKS test). With respect to yearly fluctuations, 3H-TLI showed only a trend for a significant rhythm (t = 0.16, p = 0.06 by BKS test) with peaks in May and November; ER a significant periodicity (t = 0.2099, p < 0.05 by BKS test) with two evident peaks in January and April; also for PgR a significant periodicity (t = 0.3161, p < 0.05 by BKS test) was demonstrated with a peak in July; finally, tumour size showed a significant rhythm (t = 0.335, p < 0.01) paralleling 3H-TLI behaviour. Finally, the analysis of variance with interaction of menstrual and seasonal timings showed that only the seasonal timing was able to independently influence the 3H-TLI variations (3H-TLI higher in spring). We confirmed that breast biology has significant menstrual and seasonal variations and that the seasonality is probably the timing factor more relevant in periodicity determination.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed2000

GnRH receptors in human breast cancer and its contiguous not-involved breast tissue.

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the presence of GnRH receptors (GnRH-R) in breast cancer and not-involved breast tissue, and the relationships between GnRH-R and receptors for estrogen (ER) and progesterone (PgR) in the same tissues. Utilizing a tritiated natural GnRH in order to assay the native receptor binding we analyzed the level of binding sites for GnRH in membranes derived from 90 breast tumors and in 40 cases from neighboring, not-involved breast tissue. GnRH-R was found both in cancer and normal tissues. The prevalence for GnRH-R was higher in tumor than in not-tumor tissue (45% vs 39%, respectively), but the overall levels were not significantly different (15.9+/-24 fmol/mg protein vs 18.2+/-39 fmol/mg protein, respectively). The only statistically different content of GnRH-R we found concerned PgR negative vs PgR positive tumor tissues (mean content: 23 vs 11 fmol/mg protein, respectively in PgR- and PgR+ tumors, p=0.03 by t test); furthermore the proportion of GnRH-R positive cases in the tumor resulted significantly higher in premenopausal patients vs postmenopausal (56% vs 32%, by Chi square test, p<0.05). The GnRH receptors status of primary tumor and contiguous not-involved breast tissue resulted associated (overall agreement: 63%, p<0.05) but no specific steroid patterns for GnRH-R positivity was observed.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed1998

Timing of breast cancer surgery within the menstrual cycle: tumor proliferative activity, receptor status and short-term clinical outcome.

We verified the variations of primary tumour steroid receptor status and proliferative activity at different times and phases (follicular vs luteal) of the menstrual cycle and their relationship with short clinical outcome in a cohort of 248 N- breast cancer patients. Steroid receptor content (ER and PgR) was evaluated by DCC assay and proliferative activity by 3H-Thymidine autoradiographic assay (TLI). Median age was 44 years, 60% of tumors were T1, and cytohistological grade was G1-2 in 54% of cases. At surgery, 57% were in the luteal phase while 43% were in the follicular phase. No significant variations were found in mean TLI or ER and PgR characteristics of the primary tumors surgically treated in different periods of the menstrual cycle; however, the ER level resulted significantly higher in 4th with respect to the 3rd week of menstrual cycle, while PgR level was higher in PgR+ cases treated during the 3rd week. The number of relapses and disease-free survival curves after 36 months median follow-up did not differ significantly for patients treated in different periods of the menstrual cycle (12% and 9% of disease relapses in luteal and follicular phases; p=n.s.). We can conclude, therefore, that TLI, ER and PgR expressions could vary significantly during menstrual cycle only in certain specific tumor subgroups.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

[Calcium antagonists vs ACE inhibitors in the treatment of essential arterial hypertension in the aged].

Numerous epidemiological studies have shown that systolic and systodisystolic hypertension constitute major risk factors for damaging or fatal cardiovascular accidents in the elderly as well as the young. Furthermore reducing the blood pressure also reduces the risk. In 1983 Fleckenstein investigated the Ca++ and MG++ contact of human arteries and clearly demonstrated that titres of both but especially Ca++ in the arterial wall increased progressively with age. The Authors themselves caused calcinosis of the arterial wall in rats treated with Vitamin D3 and Dihydrotachysterol and were able to prevent the occurrence with Verapamil. It is against this background that the present study compared the efficacy and tolerability of two anti-hypertensive drug groups in the calcium antagonists and the ACE inhibitors (Enalapril Maleate) used individually on two groups of elderly hypertensives. A group of 123 out patients with a mean age of 73 and all suffering from slight-to-moderate hypertension were monitored for 6 months being subjected to the following examinations: clinical assessment including blood pressure measurements lying and standing, biohumoral tests, remote heart X-rays, echocardiography (to establish the Reichek systolic wall stress index) and ECG. The clinical examination and ECG were repeated every 2 weeks for the first 6 months and once a month thereafter. The heart X-rays, echocardiogram and biohumeral tests were performed every 6 months. The patients were divided into two groups I and II and assigned to the selected treatment. The Group I patients were then divided into 3 subgroups and treated with 3 different calcium antagonists (Nifedipine R; Verapamil R and Diltiazem). All group II patients were treated with Enalapril Maleate.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Age Factors↗
PubMed1982

[Electrocardiographic changes in accidental hypothermia].

An 83-year-old woman was found unconscious several hours after she had fallen and fractured her lower limbs in a very cold cellar. On admission she was in shock and had metabolic acidosis, anemia and hypokalemia; her axillary and rectal temperature was 23 degrees C. Her initial ECG showed atrial fibrillation with slow ventricular response and a prominent J wave on the left precordial leads. These changes reverted to normal when body temperature returned to 37 degrees C. Moreover a transient, hypothermia-associated increase of QRS voltage was noted.

Accidents, Home↗