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Biomedical subjects

M K Samson

Publications and source records attributed to M K Samson.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

A randomized trial of cisplatin, vinblastine, and bleomycin versus vinblastine, cisplatin, and etoposide in the treatment of advanced germ cell tumors of the testis: a Southwest Oncology Group study.

This is a Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) prospective randomized trial of cisplatin, vinblastine, and bleomycin (PVB) versus vinblastine, cisplatin, and etoposide (VP-16) (VPV) in the treatment of advanced germ cell tumors of the testis. The study objective was to determine what effect the replacement of bleomycin with VP-16 has on complete response (CR), survival, and drug toxicity. One hundred sixty-nine patients were registered and randomized. Of these patients, 160 were assessable for response. All had histologically confirmed disseminated germ cell neoplasms of testicular origin. Forty-six had minimal metastatic disease, and 114 had maximal disease. Seventy-seven were randomized to PVB and 83 to VPV chemotherapy. There was no significant difference in pretreatment characteristics between the two arms with regard to tumor burden, histologic type, and overall performance status. Patients received four courses of induction chemotherapy, either PVB (cisplatin 120 mg/m2 day 3, vinblastine 12 mg/m2 day 1, bleomycin 15 U/m2 twice per week) or VPV (vinblastine 8 mg/m2 day 1, cisplatin 120 mg/m2 day 3, VP-16 50 mg/m2 days 2 to 5). Chemotherapy was given every 3 weeks. Cytoreductive surgery was done postinduction if a chemotherapy CR was not achieved. There was no difference in the percentage of patients achieving a disease-free status between PVB (77%) and VPV (73%). The mean leukocyte nadir was similar for both treatments, but the mean platelet nadir was significantly lower (P = .003) in the VPV arm. All bleomycin-related toxicities (pulmonary, mucositis, skin) were avoided in the VPV arm. We conclude that bleomycin can be replaced in first-line therapy for advanced germ cell tumors without sacrificing efficacy and with the advantage of avoiding unnecessary drug toxicity.

Adolescent↗

The role of physician-assistants in critical care units.

We evaluated the feasibility of utilizing physician assistants as providers of primary care in a medical ICU. After a three-month period of rigorous training, two PAs were assigned to the ICU. Their performance as well as the operation of the ICU over a two-year period was evaluated and compared to two preceding years when it was operated by house officers. There were no changes in occupancy, mortality or the rate of complications. Evidence for more careful evaluation of patients prior to admission and discharge, manifesting as slightly fewer admissions and slightly longer duration of hospitalization, was also documented. We conclude that properly trained PAs may have a role in providing health care in intensive care settings.

Critical Care↗

PCNU: phase II evaluation in advanced colorectal carcinoma.

PCNU, a N-(2-chloroethyl)-N-nitrosourea, was administered to 37 previously treated patients with metastatic adenocarcinoma of the colon and rectum. The drug dose was 100 mg/m2, intravenously, over one hour for good risk patients and 75 mg/m2 for poor risk patients. Poor risk patients were defined as patients over 65 years of age or having liver enzymes greater than twice normal. The infusion was repeated at 6 week intervals. Seventeen patients (median performance status 80%) received PCNU at the 100 mg/m2 dose; 20 patients (median performance status 70%) received PCNU at the 75 mg/m2 dose. Complete responses were not observed. One patient treated with 100 mg/m2 achieved a partial response. Toxicity was primarily hematological with life-threatening leukopenia and thrombocytopenia observed in six patients. PCNU administered in the described dose schedule demonstrated little therapeutic efficacy in this patient population.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Aclacinomycin A. Phase II evaluation in bronchogenic squamous-cell carcinoma.

Aclacinomycin A (ACLA-A) was administered to 22 patients with metastatic measurable bronchogenic squamous-cell carcinoma in a Phase II trial of the drug. Sixteen patients were fully assessable for response and toxicity. The initial dose of ACLA-A was 85 mg/m2 weekly for 4 consecutive weeks; however, due to severe myelosuppression, the weekly dose was reduced to 65 mg/m2. Fifteen patients were previously untreated. Toxicity was primarily hematological. Complete or partial responses were not observed on this treatment schedule. ACLA-A administered on this schedule lacks therapeutic efficacy in the treatment of patients with advanced bronchogenic squamous-cell carcinoma.

Aclarubicin↗

Aclacinomycin A. Phase II evaluation in advanced soft tissue sarcoma.

Aclacinomycin A (ACLA-A), an anthracycline antibiotic, was administered in a Phase II study to 20 patients with advanced, measurable soft tissue sarcomas. The dose schedule consisted of 85 mg/m2 intravenous ACLA-A given weekly for 4 weeks followed by a 2-week rest. Because of severe myelosuppression in the initial patients, the weekly dose was reduced to 65 mg/m2. Seventeen patients were fully evaluable for toxicity and response to the drug. Complete or partial responses were not identified. Toxicity was primarily hematological. ACLA-A administered in the above schedule demonstrated no therapeutic efficacy in patients with advanced soft tissue sarcomas.

Aclarubicin↗

Fludarabine phosphate. Phase II evaluation in advanced soft-tissue sarcomas.

Fludarabine phosphate (NSC-312878) was administered to 23 patients with advanced soft-tissue sarcomas. Patients entered on the study had a median performance status of 80 and had prior chemotherapy restricted to one previous regimen. Dose schedule was 100 mg/m2 in poor-risk patients (creatinine clearance less than 70 cc/min) and 125 mg/m2 in good-risk patients every 3 weeks. No complete or partial responses were noted in the 20 evaluable patients. Median survival was 12 weeks. Leukopenia was the most common toxicity. Fludarabine phosphate in the above schedule failed to demonstrate therapeutic efficacy in this patient population.

Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic↗

Randomized comparison of cyclophosphamide, imidazole carboxamide, and adriamycin versus cyclophosphamide and adriamycin in patients with advanced stage malignant mesothelioma: a Sarcoma Intergroup Study.

In 1980, a consensus chemotherapy intergroup study for advanced malignant mesothelioma was initiated based on a collaborative agreement among the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG), the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG), and the Southeastern Cancer Study Group (SECSG). The purpose of the study was to evaluate cyclophosphamide (500 mg/m2 day 1), imidazole carboxamide (250 mg/m2 days 1 through 5), and doxorubicin (Adriamycin; Adria Laboratories, Columbus, OH) (50 mg/m2 day 1) v cyclophosphamide (500 mg/m2) and doxorubicin (50 mg/m2) in a randomized prospective clinical trial involving 76 fully evaluable patients with advanced stages II to IV malignant mesothelioma. A total of nine responses (12%) were documented, including three complete and six partial responses. There was no significant difference in response duration or survival between treatment arms. Leukopenia (greater than 2,000/microL) was observed in 46% of patients treated with the three-drug combination and 38% of patients receiving the two-drug combination. The variables of performance status 0-1 and the absence of prior chemotherapy/radiotherapy were significant with respect to favorable impact on survival. We conclude, based on the minimal benefit observed, that the combination of cyclophosphamide and doxorubicin with or without imidazole carboxamide does not warrant further investigation in patients with advanced-stage malignant mesothelioma.

Adult↗

CBDCA: phase II evaluation in advanced colorectal carcinoma.

Carboplatin (CBDCA) (NSC-241240) was administered to 25 consecutive patients with measurable colorectal carcinomas. Twenty-four patients were previously untreated, with a median performance status of 80. The dose schedule was 400 mg/m2 every 28 days and was escalated to 450 mg/m2 if no side effects or grade I toxicities occurred. All patients are assessable for toxicity and response. No complete response was observed; one partial response, lasting 23 weeks, was noted. Toxicity was primarily hematological. Neither auditory nor renal toxicities were observed. CBDCA administered in the above schedule has little therapeutic efficacy in previously untreated colorectal carcinoma patients.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Cisplatin and etoposide before definitive radiation therapy for inoperable squamous carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, and large cell carcinoma of the lung: a phase I-II study of the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group.

A trial of "neoadjuvant" cisplatin-etoposide and radiation therapy was conducted by the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group for non-small cell carcinoma of the lung limited to the thorax. Thirty evaluable patients were studied: two achieved complete response and four achieved partial response after chemotherapy. All patients underwent radiation therapy as planned, with no unusual acute reactions. Sixteen patients had local failure, and 13 had distant metastasis. Twenty-seven patients are dead, two are alive with cancer, and one is clinically free of cancer at 145 weeks. Five of six patients who survived greater than or equal to 2 years after treatment had adenocarcinomas. There was no unexpected late toxicity. This combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy is unlikely to improve results in the treatment of inoperable non-small cell carcinoma of the lung over those with radiotherapy alone.

Actuarial Analysis↗

Phase I evaluation and clinical pharmacology of tricyclic nucleoside 5'-phosphate using a weekly intravenous regimen.

Tricyclic nucleoside phosphate (TCN-P) was selected for clinical trials because of its unusual chemical structure and activity against L1210 murine leukemia and MX-1 mammary xenograft. Inhibiting DNA synthesis, TCN-P was more toxic during S-phase of cell cycle. A phase I study was conducted in 24 patients with advanced solid cancers. The drug was given as a slow i.v. injection over 5 min on Days 1, 8, 15, and 22 of a 42-day cycle with a 2-week rest. Five dose levels ranging from 12 to 96 mg/m2 were studied with 3 to 12 patients treated at each level; a total of 106 doses was administered. The major hematological toxicity was thrombocytopenia, with a median nadir occurring at Day 34 of the cycle and first appearing at doses greater than 24 mg/m2. Anemia was seen at each dose level occurring between Days 8 and 34. Non-myelosuppressive toxic effects included stomatitis, anorexia, transient fever, nausea and vomiting, and dose-limiting hyperglycemia and diarrhea. The highest tolerated dose was 48 mg/m2. Plasma, pleural fluid, urine, and tissue samples were analyzed for TCN-P and tricyclic nucleoside (TCN) in selected patients by high-performance liquid chromatography. Plasma decay curves revealed extended retention of both TCN and TCN-P. Autopsy specimens obtained 61 days after therapy showed the highest residues of TCN-P in liver metastases and of TCN in gall bladder, bile, and pancreas. No drug was detected in urine samples of two patients. Prolonged retention and erratic plasma levels of the drug are probably due to extensive enterohepatic circulation, as well as repeated interconversion between TCN-P and TCN within cells. This weekly schedule produced unexpected clinical toxicity and should not be pursued.

Acenaphthenes↗

Dibromodulcitol (DBD), DTIC, and actinomycin-D in disseminated malignant melanoma. A phase I-II clinical trial.

Thirty-seven fully assessable patients with metastatic malignant melanoma were administered DTIC, actinomycin-D, and dibromodulcitol (DBD) on a q 3- to 4-week schedule. Doses of actinomycin-D and DTIC were 1.25 mg/m2 and 750 mg/m2, respectively, on day 1. DBD was progressively escalated in five dose levels in succeeding patients from an initial 90 mg/m2 daily, days 3-7, to a dose-limiting 230 mg/m2. Two complete and nine partial responses were observed for an overall response rate of 30%. Median duration of response was 18 weeks. Major toxicities observed were hematologic and gastrointestinal. Median survival of all patients was 30 weeks and did not differ significantly from our earlier trials of DTIC and actinomycin-D +/- chlorozotocin. Although the observed objective response rate was higher than our previous efforts in this disease, the addition of DBD failed to significantly impact on the survival of the entire treatment group. Further investigation of this chemotherapy combination does not appear warranted.

Adult↗

Phase II evaluation of aclacinomycin-A in patients with adenocarcinoma and large cell carcinoma of the lung.

Aclacinomycin-A (ACLA-A), the new anthracycline antibiotic that produces substantially less cardiotoxicity relative to doxorubicin, was evaluated in a phase II trial for advanced large cell and adenocarcinoma of the lung patients. Twenty-three patients with measurable disease were entered into the trial and received ACLA-A in doses of a weekly infusion of 65 mg/m2 and 85 mg/m2. Eighteen patients were evaluable for response and toxicity. Two patients were evaluable for toxicity only, one died before completion of a full course of therapy, and two did not receive the drug. There were no complete or partial remissions in this study. Three patients had disease stabilization for a median of 10 weeks (range 6-17). Toxicity was mainly hematologic. Nausea and vomiting were moderate. ACLA-A, in the dose schedules used, appears to have no activity in large cell and adenocarcinoma of the lung.

Aclarubicin↗

Dose-response and dose-survival advantage for high versus low-dose cisplatin combined with vinblastine and bleomycin in disseminated testicular cancer. A Southwest Oncology Group study.

One-hundred fourteen patients with advanced testicular cancer were randomized to treatment consisting of either high-dose (120 mg/m2, monthly) or low-dose (15 mg/m2, daily X 5 monthly) cisplatin, both combined with vinblastine and bleomycin. There were 60 (53%) complete remissions and 42 partial remissions for an overall response rate of 90%. An additional 11 patients, 4 with carcinoma and 7 with mature teratoma, following surgical cytoreduction, were rendered free of disease. There was a significantly higher complete response rate for high dose induction chemotherapy, 63%, when compared with low dose, 43% (P = 0.03). A survival advantage was also observed for patients receiving high-dose therapy (P = 0.009). For the subgroup of patients with maximal disease and embryonal +/- teratoma +/- seminoma histology there was a clear advantage in favor of high-dose over low-dose therapy both in complete response rate and survival (P = 0.03). There have been only four relapses, all occurring within 1 year of study entry. While there has been a higher frequency of leukopenia, renal, neuromuscular, and mucosal toxicity with high-dose therapy, thus far no irreversible toxicity leading to functional impairment has been seen. The authors have demonstrated a clear-cut relationship for dose of therapy, not only with response and survival, but with the increased potential for cure as well.

Adolescent↗

Phase II clinical evaluation of AZQ in adenocarcinoma of the lung.

Twenty patients with advanced measurable adenocarcinoma of the lung were treated with AZQ 20 mg/m2 weekly for 4 weeks, followed by a 2-week rest. No complete or partial responses were observed. Stabilization was observed in seven individuals, lasting 6-32+ weeks, with a median of 6 weeks. Toxicity was limited to reversible myelosuppression. We conclude that AZQ administered at this dose and schedule has no significant activity against advanced adenocarcinoma of the lung.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Phase I trial of aclacinomycin-A. A clinical and pharmacokinetic study.

Aclacinomycin-A is a new anthracycline antibiotic with a broad spectrum of antitumor activity in animals. Compared to doxorubicin, it was found to produce less cardiotoxicity and alopecia. A Phase I trial of aclacinomycin-A given as a weekly 15 min IV infusion was conducted in 20 previously treated patients with advanced solid tumors. Four dose levels ranging from 40 to 100 mg/m2 were studied; myelotoxicity was dose-limiting at 85 and 100 mg/m2. Other toxicities were moderate to severe nausea and vomiting in 9 patients, mild phlebitis in 2 patients, and mild abnormality of liver function tests in 3 patients. No cardiac or renal toxicities were seen, but two partial responses were observed. The pharmacokinetic profile of aclacinomycin-A in plasma and urine was studied in 3 patients given 65 mg/m2 using a high performance liquid chromatography assay. The data obtained were consistent with a two compartment model of drug disposition with initial and terminal half-life values of 6.6 min and 13.3 h, respectively. The major fluorescent metabolite was eliminated with a terminal half-life of 25 h. Two metabolites as well as the parent drug were excreted in the urine as less than 10% of the doses given. This pharmacokinetic profile is similar to that of other anthracyclines, although aclacinomycin-A appears to have lower blood levels than doxorubicin given at equivalent doses. On this weekly schedule, the recommended dose is 65 mg/m2 for Phase II trials.

Aclarubicin↗

Combination chemotherapy with mitomycin C, adriamycin, and cyclophosphamide (MAC) in stage III and IV ovarian cancer.

Twenty-nine patients with stages III and IV epithelial carcinomas of the ovary were treated with a combination of mitomycin-C, adriamycin, and cyclophosphamide (MAC). A 62% response rate (CR + PR) was observed in previously untreated patients with a median survival of responding patients of 100+ weeks, compared to 29 weeks for nonresponding patients (p less than 0.001). Toxicity was acceptable with moderate to severe but manageable myelosuppression. Prospective, randomized trials comparing this drug combination to others with demonstrated efficacy are indicated.

Cyclophosphamide↗