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J Casper

Publications and source records attributed to J Casper.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2001

Salvage treatment with paclitaxel, ifosfamide, and cisplatin plus high-dose carboplatin, etoposide, and thiotepa followed by autologous stem-cell rescue in patients with relapsed or refractory germ cell cancer.

PURPOSE: To study feasibility and efficacy of a new salvage regimen in patients with relapsed and/or refractory germ cell tumors. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between May 1995 and February 1997, 80 patients were entered onto a phase II study. Conventional-dose salvage treatment with three cycles of paclitaxel 175 mg/m(2), ifosfamide 5 x 1.2 g/m(2), and cisplatin 5 x 20 mg/m(2) (TIP) was followed by one cycle of high-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) with carboplatin 500 mg/m(2) x 3, etoposide 600 mg/m(2) x 4, and thiotepa 150 to 250 mg/m(2) x 3 (CET). In 23 patients, one additional cycle of paclitaxel 175 mg/m(2) and ifosfamide 5 g/m(2) (TI) was given immediately before TIP to improve stem-cell mobilization. RESULTS: Fifty-five (69%) of 80 patients responded to TIP, 24 (30%) of 80 patients had stable disease (n = 5) or tumor progression (n = 19), and one patient died. Only 62 (78%) of 80 patients received subsequent HDCT. Among those, 41 (66%) of 62 patients responded and 20 (32%) of 62 patients had stable disease (n = 3) or tumor progression (n = 17). One patient died after HDCT from multiorgan failure. Survival probabilities at 3 years were 30% for overall and 25% for event-free survival. Peripheral neurotoxicity with sensorimotor impairment grade 2 through 4 in 29%, paresthesias grade 2 through 4 in 24%, and skin toxicity grade 2 through 3 in 15% of patients were the most relevant side effects. CONCLUSION: Treatment with TIP followed by high-dose CET is feasible and can induce long-term remissions in 25% of patients with relapsed or refractory germ cell tumors. Peripheral nervous toxicity in approximately one third of patients is a disadvantage of this salvage strategy.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗
PubMed2001

What is the value added by human intervention in protein structure prediction?

This article presents results of blind predictions submitted to the CASP4 protein structure prediction experiment. We made two sets of predictions: one using the fully automated SAM-T99 server and one using the improved SAM-T2K method with human intervention. Both methods use iterative hidden Markov model-based methods for constructing protein family profiles, using only sequence information. Although the SAM-T99 method is purely sequence based, the SAM-T2K method uses the predicted secondary structure of the target sequence and the known secondary structure of the templates to improve fold recognition and alignment. In this article, we try to determine what aspects of the SAM-T2K method were responsible for its significantly better performance in the CASP4 experiment in the hopes of producing a better automatic prediction server. The use of secondary structure prediction seems to be the most valuable single improvement, though the combined total of various human interventions is probably at least as important.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗
PubMed2001

High-dose etoposide phosphate and G-CSF mobilizes peripheral blood stem cells in patients that previously failed to mobilize.

Ten consecutive patients in our unit who had failed to mobilize a sufficient stem cell yield after either an initial or several mobilization regimens received high-dose etoposide phosphate (1500-2000 mg/m2) followed by granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF; 10 micrograms/kg per day) to stimulate mobilization. Eight of the ten patients were apheresed. A median of 2.1 x 10(6) CD34+/kg (range 0-5.2) was collected. The number of CD34+ cells/microliter peripheral blood (pB) was significantly increased compared to the first-line mobilization [median 13.0 (range 2.68-29) versus median 4.76 (range 1.36-12); P < 0.05]. Besides hematotoxicity and four cases of infection (WHO grade 3), no major side effects were seen. The median duration of neutropenia was short (5 days, range 0-10), which is important in heavily pretreated patients. These results indicate that high-dose etoposide phosphate with G-CSF is safe, well tolerated, and may be effective in peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) mobilization in patients who had previously failed to mobilize.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Treatment of relapsed leukemia after unrelated donor marrow transplantation with unrelated donor leukocyte infusions.

The efficacy and toxicity of donor leukocyte infusions (DLI) after unrelated donor bone marrow transplantation (BMT) is largely unknown. We identified 58 recipients of unrelated DLI (UDLI) for the treatment of relapsed disease from the National Marrow Donor Program database. A retrospective analysis was performed to determine response, toxicity, and survival after UDLI and to identify factors associated with successful therapy. UDLI was administered for relapsed chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) (n = 25), acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) (n = 23), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) (n = 7), and other diseases (n = 3). Eight patients were in complete remission (CR) before UDLI, and 50 were evaluable for response. Forty-two percent (95% confidence interval [CI], 28%-56%) achieved CR, including 11 of 24 (46%; 95% CI, 26%-66%) with CML, 8 of 19 (42%; 95% CI, 20%-64%) with AML, and 2 of 4 (50%; 95% CI, 1%-99%) with ALL. The estimated probability of disease-free survival (DFS) at 1 year after CR was 65% (95% CI, 50%-79%) for CML, 23% (95% CI, 9%-38%) for AML, and 30% (95% CI, 6%-54%) for ALL. Acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) complicated UDLI in 37% of patients (grade II-IV, 25%). A total of 13 of 32 evaluable patients (41%) developed chronic GVHD. There was no association between cell dose administered and either response or toxicity. In a multivariable analysis, only a longer interval from BMT to relapse and BMT to UDLI was associated with improved survival and DFS, respectively. UDLI is an acceptable alternative to other treatment options for relapse after unrelated donor BMT. (Blood. 2000;95:1214-1221)

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2000

Phase II study of bendamustine in patients with relapsed or cisplatin-refractory germ cell cancer.

Despite generally high cure rates in patients with metastatic germ cell cancer, patients with incomplete response to first-line cisplatin-based chemotherapy or with relapsed disease following high-dose salvage therapy exhibit a very poor prognosis. We investigated the efficacy and toxicity of bendamustine, a bifunctional alkylating benzimidol derivative with only partial cross-resistance to other alkylating agents such as ifosfamide or cyclophosphamide. Nineteen patients with cisplatin-refractory germ cell tumors (GCT) or relapse after high-dose chemotherapy plus autologous stem cell support were treated with bendamustine at a dose of 120 mg/m2 on 2 consecutive days at 3 week intervals. Patients had received a median of 9 (range 4-20) platinum-containing treatment cycles prior to bendamustine and 13 patients (68%) had previously received carboplatin/etoposide-based high-dose chemotherapy. One patient achieved a partial remission of only 6 weeks duration. No other responses were seen. Toxicity was low with one patient developing WHO grade 3 thrombocytopenia as the only WHO grade 3/4 toxicity observed. Hematologic toxicity was similar in patients pretreated with and without high-dose chemotherapy plus autologous stem cell support. We conclude that bendamustine has little or no clinically relevant activity in patients with cisplatin-refractory GCT or relapsed disease after high-dose chemotherapy.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Clinical phase I dose escalation and pharmacokinetic study of high-dose chemotherapy with treosulfan and autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation in patients with advanced malignancies.

A Phase I dose escalation and pharmacokinetic study of the alkylating cytotoxic agent treosulfan was conducted to evaluate the maximum tolerated dose and the dose-limiting toxicities in patients with advanced malignancies rescued by autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. Twenty-two patients (15 ovarian and 7 other carcinomas/lymphomas) with a median age of 48 years were treated with 28 high-dose courses. Treosulfan was infused over 2 h at escalating doses from 20 to 56 g/m2, and pharmacokinetic parameters were analyzed. At 56 g/m2, three of six patients experienced dose-limiting toxicities: diarrhea grade III/IV in three patients; mucositis/stomatitis grade III in one patient; toxic epidermal necrolysis in one patient; and grade III acidosis in one patient. Other low-grade side effects, including erythema, pain, fatigue, and nausea/vomiting, were recorded. Two patients died within 4 weeks after treatment because of rapid tumor progression and fungal infection, respectively. Plasma half-life, distribution volume, and renal elimination of treosulfan were independent of dose, whereas the increase in area under the curve was linear up to 56 g/m2 treosulfan. The maximum tolerated dose of high-dose treosulfan is 47 g/m2. A split-dose or continuous infusion regimen is recommended for future high-dose trials. In consideration of antineoplastic activity and limited organ toxicity, inclusion of high-dose treosulfan in combination protocols with autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation seems worthwhile.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Treatment of patients with cisplatin-refractory testicular germ-cell cancer. German Testicular Cancer Study Group (GTCSG).

With the use of cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy, metastatic testicular germ-cell tumors can be cured in 70% to 80% of patients. The combination of cisplatin, etoposide and bleomycine (PEB) is considered standard therapy. Patients refractory to cisplatin-based chemotherapy have a markedly poor prognosis. Several chemotherapeutic agents have been evaluated in intensively pre-treated or cisplatin-refractory patients. Neither the anthracyclines nor vinorelbine, topotecan or biological agents such as suramin and retinoic acid have demonstrated clinical activity. Paclitaxel has been evaluated at different doses and schedules and yielded a response rate of 21% (range 11-30%), with single patients achieving complete remissions. This has led to the inclusion of paclitaxel in salvage regimens in combination with cisplatin and/or ifosfamide. Two studies have evaluated gemcitabine in refractory germ-cell tumors and demonstrated a response rate of 17% (95% CI 7-28%) in 52 intensively pre-treated patients, two-thirds of whom had relapsed after previous high-dose chemotherapy plus autologous stem-cell transplantation. The non-hematological toxicity of weekly gemcitabine at doses of 1,000 to 1,250 mg/m2 was tolerable, and hematological side effects included thrombocytopenia in approximately 20% of patients. Ongoing studies in refractory germ-cell tumors performed by the German Testicular Cancer Study Group are evaluating bendamustine, an alkylating agent with activity in breast and small-cell lung cancer, and oxaliplatin, a platinum derivative with incomplete cross-resistance to cisplatin. Future trials combining new active agents may examine alternating treatment strategies in patients with poor-prognostic disease or as salvage treatment.

Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic↗
PubMed1999

Marrow transplantation from unrelated donors for patients with severe aplastic anemia who have failed immunosuppressive therapy.

Allogeneic marrow transplantation offers curative therapy for patients with aplastic anemia. We analyzed retrospective results in 141 patients with severe aplastic anemia who received transplants between 1988 and 1995 from an unrelated volunteer donor identified through the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP). All patients had failed one or more courses of immunosuppressive therapy. Of the patients, 121 (86%) received a radiation-containing conditioning regimen, and 20 (14%) were given chemotherapy only. Based on serologic human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing (class I and II), 105 patients (74%) received HLA-matched marrow, and 36 (26%) received marrow mismatched for at least one HLA-A, -B, or -DR antigen. Allele-level (molecular) typing for HLA-DRB1 was available in 108 donor-recipient pairs; 77 patients received DRB -matched and 31 DRB1-mismatched transplants. All but 13% of patients were given a cyclosporine-containing regimen for graft-vs.-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis, and 45 patients (32%) received marrow that was T cell-depleted. Among 131 evaluable patients, 116 (89%) achieved sustained engraftment and 15 (11%) did not. Among patients with engraftment, acute GVHD of grades II-IV developed in 60 patients (52%) and extensive chronic GVHD in 24 patients at risk (31%). Currently, 51 patients (36%) are surviving at 11-94 months (median 36) after transplantation. All but five have Karnofsky scores > or =80. Patients who received a serologically matched transplant fared somewhat better than did patients given a serologically mismatched transplant p = 0.03). Patients with donors matched by both serology and allele-level DRB1 typing had significantly better survival than DRB1-mismatched patients with 56 vs. 15% surviving at 3 years p = 0.001). Outcome in patients transplanted within 3 years of diagnosis was superior to that among patients transplanted with greater delay. Major causes of death were graft failure, GVHD, and infections. These data suggest that unrelated marrow transplantation offers successful therapy for a proportion of patients who have failed immunosuppressive therapy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Gemcitabine in patients with relapsed or cisplatin-refractory testicular cancer.

PURPOSE: Despite generally high cure rates in patients with metastatic testicular germ cell tumors, patients with incomplete response to cisplatin-based first-line therapy or with relapsed disease after high-dose salvage chemotherapy have a very poor prognosis. This phase II study evaluates the use of gemcitabine in patients with intensively pretreated or cisplatin-refractory testicular germ cell cancers. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty-five patients (median age, 33 years) were enrolled; 31 patients were fully assessable. All patients had metastatic nonseminomatous germ cell tumors; eight patients had extragonadal primary tumors. Twenty patients (63%) had lung metastases, and 12 patients (39%) had liver metastases. The median number of prior cisplatin-based chemotherapy cycles was seven; 22 patients (71%) had received high-dose chemotherapy with autologous stem-cell transplantation, and 19 patients (61%) had received treatment with paclitaxel. Seventeen patients (54%) were considered refractory or absolutely refractory to chemotherapy. RESULTS: Six of 31 assessable patients (19%) responded favorably to gemcitabine, 11 patients (35%) displayed no change, and 14 patients (45%) had disease progression. The median time to treatment failure was 4 months (range, 2 to 9+ months), and the median survival was 6 months (range, 2 to 23 months). Patients received a median of six gemcitabine applications. Ten patients (32%) required dose reductions, mainly owing to hematologic toxicity. Grade 3/4 granulocytopenia occurred in four patients (13%) and grade 3/4 thrombocytopenia in seven patients (22%). One case of severe sepsis was observed. CONCLUSION: Gemcitabine displays antitumor activity in intensively pretreated and refractory germ cell tumors. Responses were observed in approximately 20% of patients, including three of 22 patients after previous high-dose chemotherapy and one of four patients with mediastinal tumors. Gemcitabine may be a reasonable palliative option for intensively pretreated patients and should be further investigated to define its role in the risk-adapted treatment strategies for germ cell tumors.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Adoptive immunotherapy for leukemia: donor lymphocytes transduced with the herpes simplex thymidine kinase gene for remission induction. HGTRI 0103.

This study will evaluate the safety and efficacy of allogenic donor lymphocyte infusions in patients who have relapsed hematologic malignancies after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Donor lymphocyte transfusions have resulted in the cure of some patients with relapsed leukemia or lymphoproliferative disorder after allogeneic BMT, but has been complicated by the development of graft versus host disease (GvHD). We hypothesize that a retroviral vector containing the Herpes simplex thymidine kinase (HStk) gene will allow for retention of the anti-leukemia response of transfused donor lymphocytes while allowing for the adverse effects of GVHD to be mitigated. Patients with relapsed hematologic malignancies after allogeneic BMT will be infused with ex vivo gene modified donor lymphocytes. The Herpes Simplex thymidine kinase (HStk) gene will be transduced into the cells ex vivo using LTKOSN. 1 vector supernate. Insertion of the HStk gene into lymphocytes confers a sensitivity to the anti-herpes drug ganciclovir (GCV). This selective destruction of donor lymphocytes in situ will be used to abrogate the effect of graft versus host disease, if it develops.

Clinical Protocols↗
PubMed1998

Production and pre-clinical significance of haematopoietic peptide growth factors (HPGF) in human non-seminomatous germ cell tumour cell lines.

Peptide growth factors involved in the regulation of haematopoiesis (HPGF), for example granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) and granulocyte/macrophage-colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), are of clinical importance in the treatment of testicular germ cell tumour (GCT) patients with modern chemotherapy regimens since they ameliorate chemotherapy-induced neutropenia. Aberrant expression of and/or response to HPGF has been reported in several solid tumour types although no data are available on GCT with the exception of those on stem cell factor (SCF). The aims of this pre-clinical study were twofold: (1) to screen a panel of human non-seminomatous (NS)GCT for the production of HPGF and (2) to test the effects of G-CSF or SCF on the growth of NSGCT cell lines in vitro, and on the growth kinetics of two human NSGCT xenograft models. HPGF concentrations in cell culture supernatant from 11 NSGCT cell lines growing under routine culture conditions were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The growth kinetics of cell lines was quantified in vitro using the sulphorhodamine B assay. The growth kinetics of nude mouse NSGCT xenografts was followed by measuring tumour volumes every 2-3 days over days 1-30, following daily subcutaneous injection of nude mice (days 1-14). The cell lines produced G-CSF (1/11 cell lines), GM-CSF (2/11), SCF (2/11), M-CSF (6/11). and interleukin-6 (9/11). Growth stimulation of cell line H12.1 by SCF was observed in vitro, but no statistically significant differences in NSGCT xenograft tumour volume (VT) or relative VT (r VT) in treated groups were observed on days 14 or 29 compared to the control. The change in rVT of H12.1 xenografts treated with G-CSF alone compared to control (rVT/rVT,c) was 0.96 on day 29. The values for rVT/rVT,c for H12.1 xenografts treated with G-CSF in combination with low- or high-dose SCF were, respectively, 1.67 or 1.7 compared to 1.19 for SCF-treated mice. The results are in agreement with clinical data to date where no observations have been reported of stimulation or inhibition of tumours in patients receiving treatment with G-CSF. Before any clinical trials are initiated in GCT patients treated with G-CSF in combination with SCF, further pre-clinical experiments with this tumour type are recommended to investigate this phenomenon further in a greater number of NSGCT cell lines in vitro and in vivo and with a wider range of SCF/G-CSF schedules. The potential relevance of secretion of HPGF in NSGCT cell lines in vitro to the pathobiology of GCT in patients is also a subject of interest for future research.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

T cell-depleted allogeneic bone marrow transplantation for high-risk non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: clinical and molecular follow-up.

The use of allogeneic BMT in patients with relapsed non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) offers the advantage of tumor-free bone marrow and possibly a 'graft-versus-lymphoma effect' which may decrease the risk of recurrence. However, allogeneic BMT also poses an increased risk of death due to graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) which can be ameliorated by T cell depletion. We performed a retrospective review of 37 patients who underwent T cell-depleted allogeneic BMT for aggressive and indolent NHL between 1988 and 1996. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to identify indolent NHL patients with the BCL2/IgH translocation which served as a marker of residual disease. Sixteen of 37 patients (44%) are alive and progression-free with a median follow-up of 4.4 years (range 1-10.3). The incidence of grade 2-4 acute GVHD was 36% and extensive chronic GVHD developed in 12%. Patients with aggressive NHL have an overall PFS of 33% (12-54%); those with chemotherapy-resistant and sensitive disease have PFS of 17% (0-47%), and 40% (15-65%) respectively at 5 years. Patients with indolent histologies have overall PFS of 62% (37-86%); those with chemotherapy-resistant and sensitive disease have PFS of 55% (25-85%) and 80% (45-100%) respectively at 5 years. Eight patients with indolent disease had a BCL2/IgH translocation detectable by PCR. Five of these eight patients remain alive and progression free at a median of 6.5 years after BMT (range 2.1-7.4 years), four of whom remain PCR positive from 1.7 to 2.9 years after transplantation. We conclude that T cell-depleted allogeneic BMT poses a low risk for death due to GVHD, and should be considered for patients with relapsed and refractory indolent NHL.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

[Changes in hemostasis of dogs with acute lymphoblastic leukemia].

Twelve dogs suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukaemia were investigated concerning the following tests: platelet count, prothrombin time (PT, standard test, modified test), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), activity of the individual coagulation factors II, V, VII, X, VIII:C, IX, XI, XII, prekallikrein, and high-molecular weight kininogen, the activity of antithrombin III (AT III), protein C, plasminogen, and alpha 2-antiplasmin as well as concentration of fibrinogen, soluble fibrin and fibrin(ogen) degradation products (FDP). All patients showed a decreased platelet count due to suppression of megakaryopoesis by infiltration of the bone marrow with leukaemic cells. In addition, in most of the patients a moderate activity decrease of one or more individual coagulation factors has been found, especially regarding factor II (median, x0.50 = 51%, p = 0.0001), but also factors X (x0.50 = 71%, p = 0.0003) and XI (x0.50 = 68%, p = 0.0006). This was reflected by the APTT and the PT activity (modified test), which were prolonged or decreased, respectively, in the majority of the cases. Furthermore, the activity of AT III and of plasminogen was distinctly diminished (p < 0.001). Like the concentration of FDP, the plasma level of soluble fibrin was significantly higher than in normal dogs (p < 0.001). This indicates that besides thrombocytopenia disseminated intravascular coagulation occurs frequently in dogs with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and is a main cause for the decreased activity of several plasmatic components of the haemostatic system. The lack of correlation between the concentration of soluble fibrin as an indicator of intravascular coagulation and the total blast cell count (rS = 0.011) shows the importance of other factors like degree of cell lysis as well as participation of organs such as the liver for generation of consumption coagulopathy in dogs with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

Angiotensins↗
PubMed1998

The use of dose-intensified chemotherapy in the treatment of metastatic nonseminomatous testicular germ cell tumors. German Testicular Cancer Study Group.

With the use of a cisplatin-based chemotherapy, metastatic testicular cancer has become a model for a highly curable malignant disease. Current data show that 70% to 80% of patients with this disease will achieve long-term survival following cisplatin/etoposide/bleomycin therapy. The role of high-dose chemotherapy with autologous stem cell support is being investigated in metastatic germ cell cancer in attempts to improve outcome for patients whose disease relapses after standard-dose chemotherapy and for those who present initially with advanced metastatic disease. Prognostic categories for patients receiving high-dose salvage chemotherapy have recently been developed: cisplatin-refractory disease, beta-human chorionic gonadotropin values greater than 1,000 U/L, and primary mediastinal germ cell tumors are factors characterizing patients who will derive less benefit from high-dose chemotherapy than those with chemosensitive disease at relapse. While standard-dose salvage chemotherapy achieves only a 20% long-term survival rate, high-dose salvage chemotherapy may yield a cure rate of approximately 40%. A randomized study comparing high-dose therapy with conventional-dose therapy (IT94 coordinated by the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation) in patients with relapsed disease is ongoing to substantiate this observation. The use of dose-intensive therapy as first-line treatment is currently being studied by several institutions. High-dose therapy may be better tolerated when used first line compared with its use in the salvage situation, and may also achieve a rapid initial cell kill before cytostatic drug resistance develops. The German Testicular Cancer Study Group has developed a sequential high-dose combination regimen of cisplatin/etoposide/ifosfamide given with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and peripheral blood stem cell support for four cycles every 3 weeks. This ongoing study, started in 1990, had accrued 218 patients with advanced testicular germ cell tumors as of June 1997. Of 141 evaluable patients receiving dose levels 1 through 5, 82 (58%) have achieved complete remission with no evidence of disease and 32 (23%) have achieved partial remission with marker normalization. The early death rate was 8%. Overall and event-free survival rates at 2 years are 78% and 73%, respectively, with a projected 5-year overall survival rate of 74%. Despite favorable preliminary results, this approach cannot be considered standard treatment. Currently, high-dose chemotherapy with peripheral blood stem cell transplantation should be administered to patients with testicular cancer only within controlled clinical trials to allow long-term cure rates and treatment-related late side effects to be evaluated.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗
PubMed1997

Quantification of additional short arms of chromosome 12 in germ cell tumours using the polymerase chain reaction.

Male germ cell tumours are characterised by the over-representation of 12p sequences, most often in the form of isochromosome i(12p). This study describes the development of a quantitative detection system for additional copies of 12p employing the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The validity of this method was assessed on two i(12p) containing tumour cell lines in which the number of i(12p) was determined by fluorescence in situ hybridisation. Fourteen primary male germ cell tumours were analysed using the PCR-based method. While 3/8 seminomatous germ cell cancers did not contain any additional 12p, all 6 non-seminomatous tumours did and the severity of the disease correlated with the respective copy number. The ease of the PCR-based method makes it possible for the quantification of additional 12p to become a routine diagnostic and prognostic tool for testicular germ cell tumours, thereby helping to define the role of the i(12p) anomality in larger retrospective studies.

Chromosomes, Human, Pair 12↗