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M Boleda

Publications and source records attributed to M Boleda.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

Randomized clinical trial of adjuvant mitomycin plus tegafur in patients with resected stage III gastric cancer.

PURPOSE: The efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy in gastric cancer is controversial. We conducted a phase III, randomized, multicentric clinical trial with the goal of assessing the efficacy of the combination of mitomycin plus tegafur in prolonging the disease-free survival and overall survival of patients with resected stage III gastric cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with resected stage III gastric adenocarcinoma were randomly assigned, using sealed envelopes, to receive either chemotherapy or no further treatment. Chemotherapy was started within 28 days after surgery according to the following schedule: mitomycin 20 mg/m(2) intravenously (bolus) at day 1 of chemotherapy; 30 days later, oral tegafur at 400 mg bid daily for 3 months. Disease-free survival and overall survival were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier analysis and the Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS: Between January 1988 and September 1994, 148 patients from 10 hospitals in Catalonia, Spain, were included in the study. The median follow-up period was 37 months. The tolerability of the treatment was excellent. The overall survival and disease-free survival were higher in the group of patients treated with chemotherapy (P =.04 for survival and P =.01 for disease-free survival in the log-rank test). The overall 5-year survival rate and the 5-year disease-free survival rate were, respectively, 56% and 51% in the treatment group and 36% and 31% in the control group. CONCLUSION: Our positive results are consistent with the results of recent studies; which conclude that there is a potential benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy in resected gastric cancer.

Aged↗

Protracted treatment with tegafur and low dose oral leucovorin in patients with advanced colorectal carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Protracted oral administration of tegafur (TG) and leucovorin (LV) attempts to simulate the continuous infusion of 5-fluorouracil, with a higher intracellular folate pool. In a prior dose-finding study with a fixed TG dose of 0.75 g/m2/day for a period of 21 days and continuous oral LV, the recommended dose of LV was 45 mg/day in 28-day cycles. METHODS: Thirty-nine patients with histologic confirmation of adenocarcinoma of the colon or rectum, either advanced or metastatic disease, and who were not candidates for radical treatment were included in a Phase II study using this schedule. RESULTS: One hundred sixty-three cycles of chemotherapy were delivered (median, 4 cycles per patient). Toxicity was observed in the form of diarrhea, which was severe in 12 patients (30.7%). Grade 3 (according to the World Health Organization criteria) oral mucositis was recorded in 7 patients (18%). Asthenia was severe in 10% of the patients. Recuperation from toxicity was rapid and managed primarily on an outpatient basis. Two complete (5.1%) and 13 partial (33.3%) responses were observed, with a global response index of 38.5% (95% confidence interval, 23.2-53.6%). The median overall survival was 11.3 months. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study show that an all-oral regimen of tegafur and leucovorin can obtain biochemical modulation, with a significant response rate, in patients with advanced colorectal carcinoma. Randomized trials are needed to assess the possible advantage of this regimen over intravenous schedules.

Administration, Oral↗

Anticachectic efficacy of megestrol acetate at different doses and versus placebo in patients with neoplastic cachexia.

Anorexia and cachexia are present in the majority of patients with advanced-stage cancer. Several agents have been tested for their ability to reverse weight loss in these patients. Megestrol acetate has been demonstrated to improve appetite and weight, independent of tumor response, when used in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer. Several trials have studied the ability of megestrol acetate to stimulate weight gain in patients with non-hormone-sensitive tumors. One hundred fifty patients with a weight lost of more than 5% in the 3 previous months were randomized between double-blind megestrol acetate 160 mg daily (LMA), megestrol acetate 480 mg daily (HMA), or placebo (P). Weight, mid-arm circumference, triceps skinfold thickness (TST), performance status (Karnofsky index), and a quality-of-life status by seven linear analogic self-assessment scales were assessed before the start of treatment and at 4, 8, and 12 weeks thereafter. One hundred seven patients were assessable at 4 weeks, 79 at 8 weeks, and 64 at 12 weeks. Sixty-eight percent of patients treated with HMA increased their weights during their permanence on study, versus 37% and 38% of patients treated with P or LMA (p < 0.03). The mean weight gain after 12 weeks of treatment with HMA was 5.41 kg. A significant increase on TST was observed in the HMA group versus the LMA and P groups. There was no gain in performance status or quality of life in any group of treatment. The toxicity registered was mild. There were no thromboembolic events. This trial supports the efficacy of megestrol acetate at 480 mg/day in the treatment of cancer-related cachexia and anorexia, with mild toxicity. However, performance status and quality of life were not influenced by this treatment.

Aged↗

[Latin America, land of emigration: the process approach to net migration].

"In this paper, the author deals with migration in America since 1950, focusing on the emigration process from Latin America. For this purpose, the analysis is based upon net migration rates that can be obtained by indirect methods. At the beginning, data are provided by continents, then the analysis focuses on 25 Latin American countries." (SUMMARY IN ENG AND SPA)

Americas↗

Consumption of alcohol, coffee, and tobacco, and gastric cancer in Spain.

A case-control study on gastric cancer was carried out between 1987 and 1989 in four regions of Spain. Three hundred and fifty-four cases of histologically confirmed adenocarcinoma were included (235 men and 119 women). For each case, a control was selected, matched by sex, age, and area of residence, from the same hospital as the case. No association was observed with smoking, nor with the consumption of coffee or tea. The usual consumption of alcohol was associated with gastric cancer in men (odds ratio = 1.54, 95 percent confidence interval = 1.03-2.31), but there was no dose-response relationship. No association was observed in women. All estimations were carried out taking into account the effect of the dietary factors associated with gastric cancer. In accordance with previous evidence, the association observed between gastric cancer and alcohol appears not to be causal.

Adult↗

[Toward a universal typology of urban stability].

"In this study, [the author has] sought to apply the urban typology proposed by J. Hardoy, to the regions of three Latin American countries (Argentina, Ecuador, and Mexico). This application has led to the definition of a new typology that has several advantages, in relation to Hardoy's. For example, it includes both extremes of urban stability, that is: regions that are stable because urban development has not yet begun and regions that are stable because the urban development has already ended." Other advantages of the proposed typology are described. (summary in ENG, SPA)

Americas↗

Alternating chemotherapy in advanced non-small cell lung cancer: a phase II study.

Fifty-three patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were treated with alternating two-drug schedules cisplatin/vindesine and ifosfamide/mitomycin. Objective response (complete and partial response) was obtained in 31% (confidence limits 18.6-44%) of patients. The median duration of response was 26 weeks. The median survival was 25 weeks, with 24% of patients alive at 1 year. The toxicity was acceptable. The still poor antitumor activity of the chemotherapy schedules used and the lack of non-cross-resistance are factors that could explain the low antitumor activity of alternating chemotherapy.

Adult↗

[Metastatic alopecia].

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Alopecia Areata↗