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Biomedical subjects

K E Richert-Boe

Publications and source records attributed to K E Richert-Boe.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

Screening digital rectal examination and prostate cancer mortality: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer is the second most common cause of death from cancer in men in the United States. Digital rectal examination is the oldest and most commonly used screening test for prostate cancer, but as yet there are no studies which demonstrate its effectiveness. METHODS: A case-control study was conducted among members of a large health maintenance organisation to estimate the effect of screening digital rectal examination on mortality from prostate cancer. 150 men, aged 40-84 when cancer was diagnosed, who developed fatal prostate cancer, and 299 male controls matched for age who did not die from prostate cancer were studied. A history of screening digital rectal examination during the 10 years before the date on which cancer was-diagnosed was determined from medical records. RESULTS: A similar proportion of men who died from prostate cancer and controls had undergone at least one screening digital rectal examination during the 10 year interval (odds ratio = 0.84, 95% confidence interval 0.48 to 1.46). Similar results were obtained when a shorter interval (such as five years before diagnosis) during which screening histories were evaluated was considered, or in analyses in which men with a history of benign prostatic hypertrophy were excluded. CONCLUSIONS: The data suggest that screening digital rectal examination does not reduce mortality from prostate cancer to any appreciable degree.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Heterogeneity of cancer surveillance practices among medical oncologists in Washington and Oregon.

BACKGROUND: Medical oncologists provide long term care for patients who have been treated for cancer and are in remission. However, little is known about how physicians use routine laboratory and imaging tests for detecting cancer recurrence in their patients. METHODS: To assess type and level of their surveillance testing of patients with cancer who are in remission, a cross-sectional survey of medical oncologists was performed. Seventy-three members of the American Society of Clinical Oncology residing in Washington and Oregon participated (70% response rate). Standardized questionnaires were mailed to medical oncologists using a multiple-mailing technique. Three scenarios, each describing a patient with cancer of the breast, colon, or prostate, were included. Participants were asked to indicate the frequency at which they would order seven different diagnostic tests in the routine follow-up of such patients. RESULTS: Virtually all respondents would practice some level of follow-up testing of their patients. Although testing practices did not vary significantly according to physician age, year of graduation, practice type, or state of residence, there was considerable variability from physician to physician. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that optimal cancer-surveillance testing programs for patients with cancer of the breast, colon, or prostate have not yet been satisfactorily defined.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Glutathione S-transferase M1 (GSTM1) deficiency and lung cancer risk.

The association between glutathione S-transferase M1 (GSTM1) deficiency and lung cancer risk has been controversial in the published literature. To examine this controversy, 12 case-control studies of GSTM1 status and lung cancer risk were identified in the published English literature. These studies included a total of 1593 cases and 2135 controls. We conclude that GSTM1 deficiency is a moderate risk factor for lung cancer development with an odds ratio of 1.41 (95% confidence interval = 1.23-1.61; P < 0.0001) by using Mantel-Haenszel methods for stratified analysis. This increased risk is evident for all the major histological subtypes of lung cancer. Although the increased risk is small, GSTM1 deficiency accounts for approximately 17% of lung cancer cases because of the high prevalence of GSTM1 deficiency.

Bias↗
PubMed1994

Phase II study of edatrexate in advanced head and neck cancer. A Southwest Oncology Group study.

Fifty-two patients with persistent, recurrent and/or metastatic squamous cell cancer of the head and neck were treated with weekly edatrexate, 80 mg/m2. Nine patients had received previous adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Of the 46 eligible patients, two complete responses and one partial response were observed (6%, 95% confidence interval of 1-18%). The most common toxicities were myelosuppression and mucositis, but dermatologic toxicity was also observed in 25% of patients. Edatrexate appears to have limited activity in advanced head and neck cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

In vitro hematopoiesis in myelodysplasia: liquid and soft-gel culture studies.

In vitro clonogenic assays of bone marrow have provided invaluable information about the complex regulatory mechanisms controlling hematopoiesis, both normal and abnormal, and have led to the discovery of colony stimulating factors. Our understanding of the abnormalities of growth and differentiation characterizing the MDS have been advanced largely through use of these assays. Abnormalities commonly seen in cultures of marrow from patients with MDS include decreased or absent colony growth, abortive cluster formation, and defective maturation of cells within the colonies. Although some investigators have defined growth patterns as "leukemic" and "nonleukemic" and have tried to correlate growth patterns with potential for evolution to acute leukemia, these methods are difficult to apply to any given case. Given the wide variety of techniques used to collect cells and the lack of standard sources for stimulating growth factors, the results, not surprisingly, have been inconclusive in predicting both prognosis and progression to acute leukemia. New methods by which clonogenic assays can be standardized, such as purification of the clonogenic cells and use of recombinant growth factors, should allow these assays to advance our understanding of MDS, develop new therapies, and predict responses to therapy in individual patients.

Cells, Cultured↗
PubMed1987

Hematologic complications of rheumatic disease.

The systemic rheumatic diseases are commonly complicated by hematologic abnormalities. Five frequently encountered and clinically relevant complications are reviewed. They include the anemia of chronic disease, neutropenia, autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura, the lupus inhibitor, and hematologic malignancies. The pathophysiology and treatment of each of these conditions are discussed in this review.

Anemia↗
PubMed1978

Treating acute nonlymphocytic leukemia.

Acute leukemia is no longer an uncommon disease among the middle-aged and elderly. In recent years, treatment programs available for acute nonlymphocytic leukemia have improved dramatically. While remission rates in patients over age 50 are not as high as in younger age groups, combination chemotherapy is effective in a significant number of older patients, and complete remissions can be obtained in 20 to 50%. Recent years have also witnessed much progress in the ability to provide essential supportive therapy during periods of marrow hypoplasia. Because acute leukemia is uniformly fatal if untreated, aggressive therapy should be made available to all these patients, regardless of age.

Acute Disease↗