Biomedical subjects

Gianfranco Amicucci

Publications and source records attributed to Gianfranco Amicucci.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Intestinal permeability and systemic endotoxemia after laparotomic or laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

OBJECTIVE: Because laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is widely recognized as a "mild" or "mini-invasive" kind of surgery, in this prospective nonrandomized study, we investigated the effect of intestinal manipulation on intestinal permeability and endotoxemia, in patients undergoing elective cholecystectomy by comparing the laparoscopic with the laparotomic approach. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: The intestine is susceptible to operations at remote locations, and the barrier function is altered during intestinal manipulation, leading to bacterial or endotoxin translocation into the systemic circulation. METHODS: Forty-three patients undergoing elective cholecystectomy were divided into either the laparotomic (n = 22) or laparoscopic (n = 21) approach. Intestinal permeability was measured preoperatively and at day 1 and day 3 after surgery using the lactulose/mannitol absorption test. Serial venous blood samples were taken at 0, 30, 60, 90, 120, and 180 minutes, and at 12, 24, and 48 hours after surgery, for endotoxin measurement using the chromogenic limulus amoebocyte lysate assay. RESULTS: Intestinal permeability was significantly increased at day 1 [0.106 +/- 0.005 (mean +/- SEM)] in the laparotomic group compared with the preoperative level (0.019 +/- 0.005, P < 0.05) and to the laparoscopic group at day 1 (0.019 +/- 0.005, P < 0.05), which showed no change in comparison with the preoperative level. A significantly higher concentration of systemic endotoxin was detected intraoperatively in the laparotomic group of patients in comparison to the laparoscopic group (P < 0.05). There was a significant positive correlation between systemic endotoxemia and intestinal permeability (r(s) = 0.958; P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: An increase in intestinal permeability and a greater degree of systemic endotoxemia are observed during laparotomic cholecystectomy. This suggests that intestinal manipulation may impair gut mucosal barrier function and contribute to the systemic inflammatory response see in open cholecystectomy.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Hypoxic pelvic and limb perfusion with melphalan and mitomycin C for recurrent limb melanoma: a pilot study.

Hypoxic pelvic and limb perfusion by means of a balloon occlusion technique was evaluated in patients with recurrent melanoma of the lower limbs who were non-responders to isolated hyperthermic limb perfusion or who were not eligible for this procedure. A pilot study was performed in 17 patients, who underwent hypoxic pelvic and limb perfusion with 50 mg/m(2) of melphalan or 50 mg/m(2) of melphalan and 25 mg/m(2) of mitomycin C. Each procedure was followed by haemofiltration. A leakage monitoring study was performed in five of the 17 patients. The response rate and time to disease progression were the primary endpoints, with overall survival as the secondary endpoint. During the procedures there were no technical, haemodynamic or vascular complications, and no deaths occurred during surgery or in the postoperative period. Significant leakage (median 40%) was measured in the five patients studied. No severe systemic or regional toxicity was observed. After one course of treatment, the objective response rate was 47% (95% confidence interval 22.5-71.5%), the median time to disease progression was 10 months (range 2-40 months), and the 3 year overall survival was 20%. Hypoxic pelvic and limb perfusion seems to be a safe and effective treatment for patients with unresectable recurrent limb melanoma who are not eligible for isolated hyperthermic limb perfusion. Due to the non-homogeneity of the study, with some patients receiving a combination of melphalan and mitomycin C and others receiving only melphalan, it is not possible to make definite conclusions with regard to efficacy. Further studies are necessary to establish whether the response rates can be improved by using different drug regimens.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Deliberate hypoxic pelvic and limb chemoperfusion in the treatment of recurrent melanoma.

BACKGROUND: The treatment of patients with advanced or recurrent pelvic melanoma, which are often associated with lesions in the lower limbs, is still unsatisfactory and controversial. A simplified hypoxic pelvic and limb perfusion has been recently recommended to provide therapeutic options for palliation and possibly cure. METHODS: A nonrandomized and noncontrolled phase II experimental study was performed in 11 patients with symptomatic unresectable recurrent melanoma of the pelvis and limb. Patients were submitted to hypoxic pelvic and limb perfusion with 25 mg/m(2) of melphalan, 50 mg/m(2) of cisplatin, 300 mg/m(2) of dacarbazine, and 75 mg/m(2) of epirubicin by means of a simplified balloon occlusion technique. Response rate and time to disease progression were the primary endpoints; overall survival was the secondary endpoint. RESULTS: During the procedures there were no technical, hemodynamic, or vascular complications, and no deaths occurred during surgery or in the postoperative period. Response rate was 82% (95% confidence interval, 58% to 100%). Median time to disease progression was 12 months (range 9 to 30 months). Three-year overall survival was 34%. CONCLUSIONS: Hypoxic pelvic and limb perfusion is a safe and good palliative treatment for patients with unresectable recurrent melanoma. Further studies are necessary to to confirm these data and to establish if refinements can be made with acceptable toxicity.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Selected hypoxic stop-flow perfusions: indication and limits.

AIMS AND BACKGROUND: The treatment of unresectable cancers is still one of the main medical challenges. Stop-flow perfusion has been used as locoregional chemotherapy based on blood supply blockage of the tumor-bearing area. The aim of the present paper is to report our personal experience in the clinical use of hypoxic stop-flow perfusion and discuss future prospects for research. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: Since December 1997 more than 500 stop-flow perfusions have been performed at the University of L'Aquila. Hypoxic perfusion was adopted for the following indications: recurrent rectal cancer, advanced pancreatic cancer, recurrent pelvic and limb melanoma, and recurrent limb melanoma. RESULTS: For recurrent rectal cancer median survival was 12.2 months, for advanced pancreatic cancer 9.6 months, for recurrent pelvic and limb melanoma 34.4 months, and for recurrent limb melanoma 23.8 months. CONCLUSIONS: Based on these encouraging results, stop-flow perfusion should be considered an effective treatment. Future fields of research include tailored chemotherapy and hyperthermia.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Acute abdomen: emergency laparoscopy or observation?].

Acute abdomen accounts for 13-40% of all emergency surgical admissions. The aim of this prospective randomised controlled study was to examine the role of early laparoscopy in the management of acute abdomen compared with the more traditional active observation approach. From July 1993 to August 2004, 522 patients consecutively admitted with acute abdomen were randomised to either early laparoscopy (260 patients) (group 1) or active observation and non-invasive investigation (262 patients) (group 2). Baseline investigations included a full blood count, a pregnancy test in women of child-bearing age, and chest and/or abdominal radiography, if indicated clinically. Sixty-two patients in the laparoscopy group underwent a total of 116 radiological investigations compared with a total of 558 investigations in all patients in the observation group (p < 0.05). In the observation group, 34.7% of patients remained without a clear diagnosis compared with 4.2% of patients in the early laparoscopy group (p < 0.0001). The morbidity rate was 1.1% in group 1 and 27% in group 2 (p < 0.0001). The duration of hospital stay was significantly shorter in group 1 (3.1 vs 7.3 days) (p < 0.01). Eight patients in group 1 required readmission (total readmission: 46 days) compared with 58 patients in group 2 with a total readmission of 201 days (p < 0.05). Early laparoscopy is valuable in the management of acute abdomen. It affords significantly higher diagnostic accuracy and a greater improvement in quality of life than the more traditional observation approach.

Abdomen, Acute↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Intestinal and systemic endotoxaemia after laparotomic or laparoscopic cholecystectomy].

Since laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is widely recognised as being a "mild" or minimally invasive kind surgery, the aim of this prospective non-randomised study was to investigate the effect of intestinal manipulation on intestinal permeability and endotoxaemia in patients undergoing elective cholecystectomy, comparing the laparoscopic and laparotomic approaches. The intestine is susceptible to operations at remote locations, and the barrier function is altered during intestinal manipulation, leading to bacterial or endotoxin translocation into the systemic circulation. Fifty-three patients undergoing elective cholecystectomy were divided into two groups on the basis of laparotomic (n = 27) or laparoscopic (n = 26) approach. Intestinal permeability was measured preoperatively, and on day 1 and day 3 after surgery using the lactulose/mannitol absorption test. Serial venous samples were taken at 0, 30, 60, 90, 120 and 180 minutes, and at 12, 24 and 48 hours after surgery, for endotoxin measurement using the chromogenic limulus amoebocyte lysate assay. Intestinal permeability was significantly increased on day 1 [0.106 +/- 0.0005 (mean +/- S.E.M.)] in the laparotomic group compared to the preoperative level (0.019 +/- 0.005, p < 0.05) and to the laparoscopic group on day 1 (0.019 +/- 0.005, p < 0.05) which showed no change in comparison with the preoperative level. A significantly higher concentration of systemic endotoxin was detected intraoperatively in the laparotomic group of patients in comparison with the laparoscopic group (p < 0.05). There was significant positive correlation between systemic endotoxaemia and intestinal permeability (rs = 0.958; p = 0.001). An increase in intestinal permeability and degree of systemic endotoxaemia are observed during laparotomic cholecystectomy. This suggets that intestinal manipulation may impair the mucosal barrier function of the gut and contribute to the systemic inflammatory response seen in open cholecystectomy.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Thoracic stop-flow perfusion in the treatment of refractory malignant pleural mesothelioma: a phase I-II evaluation/trial.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive treatment-resistant tumor with a median survival from diagnosis of 12 months. Although multimodality protocols that combine aggressive surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy or radiotherapy have shown improved survival in selected cases, the majority of patients with MPM are not suitable for radical surgery due to advanced stage and comorbid medical illness. For these patients combination chemotherapy with Pemetrex and Cisplatin should be considered for first line palliative chemotherapy. The therapeutic options available to patients with MPM resistant or refractory to systemic chemotherapy are very limited. Thoracic "stop-flow" perfusion (TSP) is a semi-invasive loco-regional drug delivery system that, limiting the circulation to the thorax during the anticancer agent's infusion, claims the advantage of reaching high drug concentration at the tumor site while maintaining a low systemic toxicity. The aim of this phase I-II study was to evaluate the toxicity profile and efficacy of two different platinum-based combined regimens--cisplatin plus mitomycin-C (MMC) and cisplatin plus melphalan (L-PAM)--administered using TSP technique in patients with advanced or recurrent MPM who had refractory disease after systemic first line chemotherapy. Patients with histologically proven unresectable stage II-III MPM entered this trial. Between January 1995 and December 2001, 27 patients were enrolled in the study and submitted to TSP using the two different chemotherapy cisplatin based regimens: 12 patients received cisplatin 100 mg/m2 plus MMC 20 mg/m2 (MMC arm) and 15 cisplatin 100 mg/m2 plus L-PAM 50 mg/m2 (L-PAM arm). Objective responses were assessed by CT-scan 30 and 60 days after the end of treatment in all 27 enrolled patients. Two patients (7.4%) achieved a complete response, 2 (7.4%) a partial response and 4 (14.8%) a minor response. The remaining 19 patients (70.3%) showed a stable disease. No patients developed progression of the disease following the first TSP. The overall median time to progression was 8.9 months (range 1-41). The median survival time for all patients from the beginning of regional chemotherapy was 16.6 months, with a 1-year survival rate of 62.9%, a 2-year survival rate of 18.5%, and a 3-year survival rate of 7.4%. Our data show that TSP is a relatively effective second-line treatment in patients with progressive disease after systemic chemotherapy, with a low rate of major complications and treatment-related toxicity.

Adult↗