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Biomedical subjects

K Höffken

Publications and source records attributed to K Höffken.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1978

Circulating immune complexes in rats bearing chemically induced tumors. I. Sequential determination during the growth of tumours at various body sites.

Circulating immune complexes were measured in sequential monitoring studies in rats bearing chemically induced tumours at different body sites. The assay employed were based upon radioimmunoprecipitation of serum factors with 125I-C1q or with an indirect test whereby the inhibition of binding of 125I-C1q to IgG aggregates by tumour-bearer sera was measured. 125I-C1q-binding immune complexes were detected at the initial phase of tumour growth and the level of this activity returned to the normal range after tumour excision. With tumour growing at subcutaneous sites or in th peritoneal cavity, serum-borne C1q-binding material, after reaching a maximum level, decreased despite tumour progression and eventually fell into sub-normal ranges at terminal stages of growth. In contrast, following intravenous tumour cell injection, immune-complex levels increased until terminal stages of disease. The present findings indicate that the measurement of C1q-binding serum factors represents a useful method for monitoring the growth and burden of experimental animal tumours.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

[Reappraisement of lymphangiography in Hodgkin's disease. Comparison with 109 primary staging laparatomies (author's transl)].

Accuracy of lymphangiography was estimated in 109 patients with Hodgkin's disease by comparing its results with those of primary staging laparotomy. Accurate lymphangiographic diagnosis was achieved in 90% of involved and 85% of non-involved para-aortic lymph nodes, respectively. 11 of 12 false-positive cases were due to over-interpretation of lymph nodes exhibiting no enlargement but showing filling defects. Involvement without enlargement of lymph nodes appears to be a rare, even in young patients. Although staging laparotomy is of advantage, particularly when other methods fail to give reliable results, lymphangiography is still a valuable method for staging of Hodgkin's disease.

Diagnostic Errors↗
PubMed1977

[Chemotherapy of malignant bone tumors].

In several primary malignant tumors significant improvement of formely bad prognosis has been achieved by the introduction of new cytostatic compounds and the study of new cytostatic combination regimens. Adjuvant chemotherapy in osteosarcoma and Ewing's sarcoma led to remarkable increase in survival rates. Leaning on natural history and on remission rates reached by cytostatic treatment in metastasizing stages of disease, proposals for adjuvant chemotherapy are made and chemotherapy regimen appliable on out-patient basis is described.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed1976

Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) in monitoring the course of testicular tumours.

In 29 patients with metastasising testicular tumours serial determination of HCG was performed for monitoring cytostatic chemotherapy. Clinical remissions and stable disease were accompanied by normalisation of elevated HCG values in 85% and 80% of all cases, respectively. Despite the normalisation of HCG levels, no complete disappearance of clinically detectable tumour lesions could be seen in the herein presented cases. Seventeen percent of the patients showed normal HCG levels, although they had progressive disease. Recurrent disease was associated with preceeding increase of HCG in only 33% of the cases. Because of the frequency of mixed tumour tissues in teratomas, additional methods for monitoring therapy should be used.

Chorionic Gonadotropin↗
PubMed1976

[Adriamycin, cyclophosphamide, and 5-fluorouracil in the treatment of metastasizing breast cancer (author's transl)].

In a prospective study eleven patients with metastasizing breast cancer were treated with 5-fluorouracil, adriamycin, and cyclophosphamide )FAC). Complete remission occurred in three patients, with two of them still in remission four and thirteen months later. Partial remission (50% decrease in tumour size for more than four weeks) was achieved in five cases, with three of them still in remission. Time for remission induction was one to three months. The mean duration of complete remissions is not yet reached after thirteen months- that of partial remissions was 6.5 months. Two patients showed stable disease for four and more than eleven months, respectively. Only in one case progressive disease was noticed. Mean survival time from the start of therapy was 7.5 months for all patients. For complete and partial responders mean survival is not yet reached after eighteen months. With one exception therapy was given on an outpatient basis. Experimental and clinical data on therapeutic synergism of adriamycin, cyclophosphamide, and 5-fluorouracil show no advantage of the three-drug combination over the combination of adriamycin and cylophosphamide alone.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed1976

[Laparoscopy in patients with Hodgkin's disease (author's disease)].

Laparoscopy with spleen and multiple liver biopsies was performed in 94 patients with Hodgkin's disease in stages III B and IV B. In four of them involvement of the liver was demonstrated in this way. Exploratory laparotomy was subsequently performed in 35 patients, liver involvement being revealed in only one patient in whom it had not been previously demonstrated by laparoscopy and (or) biopsy. While laparoscopy proved to be of similar value to exploratory laparotomy in assessing liver involvement, it was no substitute for operation. It was valuable in determining the stage of the disease and following its course.

Biopsy↗
PubMed1976

Chemotherapy in stage II testicular tumours: preliminary communication.

Twenty-six patients with stage II testicular teratomas (metastatic spread to the retroperitoneal lymph nodes only) were treated after retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RLD) by cytostatic chemotherapy with or without radiotherapy. So far, eight patients (30.5%) have recurrent disease, with a median interval of 21 months from time of diagnosis to relapse. The 3-year survival rate for the total group (relapse-free and relapsed patients) was 85.7%. The median survival is not yet reached after 36 months. The own results and reports of the literature show an advantage of early cytostatic treatment over its institution in widespread disease only. It remains to be clarified whether chemotherapy in stage II disease prevents or only delays metastatic spread.

Humans↗
PubMed1976

[Actinomycin-D therapy in testicular cancer (author's transl)].

In early stages of the disease the prognosis of testicular cancer has been improved mainly by the introduction of radical surgical procedures. Cytostatic treatment of metastasising testicular cancers has only been of limited value. Actinomycin D has been shown to be one of the most potent agents in malignant teratomas. Own results are presented for 21 eligible patients who received actinomycin D alone. One complete remission and 4-partial remissions were achieved giving an overall response rate of 19%. This precentage seems to be low compared to similar data in the current literature. The result may be explained by the selection of the patients with a high percentage showing far advanced disease before therapy was initiated. However, comparing the data presented with those from our own study on combination chemotherapy and with the more recent results in the literature, single agent chemotherapy does not seem to be the method of choice in metastasising testicular cancer. Improvement of the results by the integration of combination chemotherapy, hormonal therapy and irradiation will have to be based on prospective, controlled studies.

Adult↗
PubMed1975

[New chemotherapy (adriamycin, belomycin and vincristin) of metastasizing malignant testicular teratoma (author's transl)].

In a prospective study 18 patients with metastasizing testicular teratomas were treated with adriamycin, bleomycin and vincristin. Sixteen could be fully evaluated: 12 in stage IV (visceral metastases), three in stage III (lymphondular involvement beyond the diaphragm) and one with advanced stage II (iliac, para-aortic and inguinal nodes). None of the patients had previously received chemotherapy. Toxic side-effects were not severe enough to prevent 12 patients from being treated on an outpatient basis. Complete remission occurred in five, with four of them still in remission two, eight, ten and eleven months later. Partial remission (50% decrease in tumour size for at least four weeks) occurred in three, with one still improving. No change was noted for 11 months in a patient with advanced pulmonary disease. Progression under therapy occurred in seven patients and in some of them there was an initial response which did not, however, meet the criteria of partial remission. The therapeutic results as well as toxicity suggest that this regime is superior to actinomycin D montherapy and various previously used combinations.

Adult↗