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Biomedical subjects

N Pavlidis

Publications and source records attributed to N Pavlidis.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Docetaxel (Taxotere) is active in non-small-cell lung cancer: a phase II trial of the EORTC Early Clinical Trials Group (ECTG)

In a multicentre trial of the EORTC ECTG we have treated 43 non-pretreated patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with the new semisynthetic taxoid docetaxel (Taxotere). Six patients were ineligible; of the 37 eligible patients, ten had prior radiotherapy and 18 prior surgery. They received 100 mg m-2 in 1 h i.v. every 3 weeks, usually in an outpatient setting. Prophylactic steroids, antihistaminics or antiemetics were not routinely given. Two patients were not evaluable because they withdrew from the study because of a hypersensitivity reaction after the second cycle. The main toxicity was neutropenia (80% of cycles), although infections were rare (4%). One patient died from sepsis during neutropenia. Hypersensitivity reactions necessitating interruption of docetaxel (Taxotere) infusions were found in only 10% of cycles. The overall response rate was 23% with one complete response, and seven partial responses. Stable disease was found in 16 patients. The median duration of response was 36 weeks, and the median survival of all patients was 11 months. Docetaxel (Taxotere) is among the most active drugs for treatment of NSCLC.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Is the combination of 5-fluorouracil and folinic acid effective in advanced gastric carcinoma? Results of a pilot study and review of the literature.

The main purpose of this trial was to investigate the activity of a less toxic regimen in patients with advanced gastric carcinoma regarding response rate and survival. We report on a pilot study of 20 patients treated with the combination of 5-fluorouracil and folinic acid. 5-fluorouracil was administered at a daily dose of 450 mg/m2 followed by folinic acid 200 mg/m2 for four consecutive days every four weeks. The overall response rate was 15% with one complete and two partial responders. The median duration of response was 11, 10 and 10 months respectively. The median survival of all patients was 9 months. Toxicity was mild and consisted primarily of diarrhea. Stomatitis and myelosuppression occurred rarely. In conclusion, the combination of 5-fluorouracil and folinic acid has moderate activity in gastric cancer, while median survival appears similar to the other more intensive regimens. The combination is very well tolerated with minimal toxicity. A detailed review of the literature regarding the effectiveness of the above regimens on response rate, overall survival and toxicity is also presented.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1994

Phase II studies of Elsamitrucin in breast cancer, colorectal cancer, non-small cell lung cancer and ovarian cancer. EORTC Early Clinical Trials Group.

PURPOSE: To test the antitumor activity of Elsamitrucin in metastatic cancer of the breast, colon and rectum, non-small cell lung and ovary. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eligibility required histologically proven cancer. Patients with colorectal or non-small cell lung cancer could not have received prior chemotherapy. Patients were entered if WHO PS was < or = 2 and organ functions were normal. Treatment consisted of Elsamitrucin 25 mg/m2/week given as a 5-10 min infusion for at least 3-6 weekly doses. RESULTS: One hundred and five patients entered the studies, 97 were eligible, 94 are evaluable for toxicity and 75 for response. Toxicity mainly consisted of mild nausea/vomiting, and less frequently reversible hepatotoxicity and malaise. No objective responses were seen. CONCLUSION: Elsamitrucin at this dose and schedule is not an active drug in metastatic breast cancer, colorectal cancer, non-small cell lung cancer or ovarian cancer.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Cisplatin/etoposide versus carboplatin/etoposide chemotherapy and irradiation in small cell lung cancer: a randomized phase III study. Hellenic Cooperative Oncology Group for Lung Cancer Trials.

The efficacy and toxicity of cisplatin/etoposide and carboplatin/etoposide combinations along with thoracic irradiation were prospectively assessed in patients with small cell lung cancer. Both combinations were equally effective. However, the carboplatin/etoposide regimen caused significantly less nausea, vomiting, nephrotoxicity, and neurotoxicity, and it was easier to administer. Dose intensity and treatment delays were similar in both groups. Thoracic irradiation given concurrently with chemotherapy is feasible and seems to offer a survival advantage. The relapse rate also is lower among patients who have received radiation therapy, and recurrences tended to be outside of the lung. Overall, a survival benefit was identified for patients aged between 50 and 65 years who had limited disease, good performance status, and only one metastatic site. Prophylactic brain irradiation in a subset of patients reduced brain metastasis, but the difference did not reach significance. From this trial, it is concluded that carboplatin/etoposide combination therapy is highly effective and is well tolerated by patients with small cell lung cancer. In limited disease, this combination can be given concurrently with thoracic irradiation and offers a survival advantage.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Endometrioid carcinoma of the prostate. The diagnostic value of Leu7 and prostatic specific antigen.

In a case of endometrioid carcinoma of the prostate the expression of Leu7 and prostatic specific antigen (PSA) was studied immunohistochemically on paraffin sections. The same markers were studied in 14 cases of prostatic cancer and 14 cases of uterine endometrial carcinoma. Endometrioid carcinoma of the prostate was negative for Leu7 and PSA, while all prostatic cancer specimens were positive for the above markers. All uterine endometrial carcinomas were negative for PSA and only a small percentage of cells in 4 specimens were positive for Leu7. The absence of Leu7 and PSA in this case of endometrioid carcinoma strongly suggests a müllerian origin.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1993

Megestrol acetate in cancer patients with anorexia and weight loss. A Hellenic Co-operative Oncology Group (HeCOG) study.

Fifty-two patients with hormone-independent cancer, who complained of anorexia and of weight loss with at least 10%, received megestrol acetate (MA), 480 mg daily, during 1-21 weeks. Of the 41 patients treated during 4 weeks or longer, 38 experienced weight gain. Monthly subjective evaluation of six parameters using a linear analog self-assessment (LASA) form showed a significant improvement in the patient's rating of appetite, mood, nausea and vomiting, and quality of life; the tumor was progressive in 21, stable in 11 and it regressed in only 9 of these patients. No toxicity was observed; one case of death due to a congestive heart failure remains unexplained. MA at the dose used is a powerful appetite stimulant; it contributes to weight increase and might improve the subjective appreciation of quality of life. MA at lower doses should be compared in a prospective trial to the dose used in this study.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Subsets of tumors responsive to cisplatin or carboplatin combinations in patients with carcinoma of unknown primary site. A Hellenic Cooperative Oncology Group Study.

In this retrospective analysis 48 patients with metastatic undifferentiated carcinoma, adenocarcinoma and epidermoid carcinoma of unknown origin were studied. The purpose of this analysis was to evaluate both the response rate and the toxicity of combination chemotherapy containing cisplatin or carboplatin, and to attempt to identify certain clinical subsets of patients sensitive to these drugs. Four patients were not evaluable and 13 (29.5%), eight of the 34 treated with regimens containing cisplatin and 5/14 with carboplatin-based chemotherapy, responded to treatment. Six of the 23 with undifferentiated tumours, 4/17 with adenocarcinomas and 3/8 with epidermoid cancers responded to chemotherapy. Four of 6 women with adenocarcinoma of the peritoneal cavity, 5/11 with undifferentiated carcinomas with midline distribution and 3/5 with epidermoid carcinomas of the cervical nodes responded. Seven patients achieved complete and six partial remissions. The mean duration of response was nine months; a number of patients enjoyed prolonged and/or durable remissions. Toxicity was tolerable. We conclude that: (a) both cisplatin and carboplatin are active agents in this syndrome with one-third of the evaluable patients responding, and (b) there may be chemosensitive subgroups, such as patients with peritoneal adenocarcinomatosis, undifferentiated carcinoma with midline distribution and metastatic epidermoid carcinoma of the neck nodes. The effectiveness of carboplatin in these patients and the responsiveness of metastatic epidermoid carcinoma of unknown origin have not been adequately dealt with in the literature.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1992

Primary extranodal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the head and neck.

Among 387 cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) treated in our units between January 1977 and December 1990, 52 (13.4%) had primary extranodal (PE) NHL of the head and neck. The median age was 55 years with a M:F ratio of 1.9:1. The most frequent primary site was the tonsil (28 cases), followed by oral cavity, parotid gland, orbit and other sites. The aggressive histological subtypes predominate. 55.2% of the patients were in stage I and 44.8% in stage II of disease. The CR rate was high (94.2%). The 5 years' overall survival rate was 65% and it was influenced mainly by stage (stage I 82.5% vs. 48.7% in stage II). Sex, age and histology did not significantly affect survival rate. Patients with primary Waldeyer's ring involvement (WR group) did not differ significantly from the other primary sites analyzed as a group (non-WR group) in respect to median age, sex distribution, histology and CR rates. They differed, however, in: (1) stage distribution with stage II disease more frequent in the WR group; (2) overall survival and disease-free survival both of which were significantly better in the non-WR group; and (3) the high incidence of GI tract involvement as initial manifestation of relapse in the WR group. It is concluded that the behaviour of the Waldeyer's ring PE-NHL is rather distinctive and should be considered separately from the other PE-NHL of the head and neck.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

New evidence that tamoxifen does not induce osteoporosis: a nuclear activation analysis and absorptiometry study.

The possibility of increased risk for osteoporosis in breast cancer patients treated with tamoxifen was investigated. 26 patients aged 41-65 years without skeletal metastases were studied. All patients were treated with 20 mg/d tamoxifen for a mean time of 22 months. The data obtained by in vivo neutron activation analysis of the phosphorus content in hands, were supplemented with data obtained by single photon absorptiometry in the forearm and radiographic morphometry. Comparison of the data with that of age and sex matched normal controls showed that breast cancer patients treated with tamoxifen are not prone to osteoporosis.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗
PubMed1989

Is androgen substitution necessary in hypogonadal patients when they are treated with chemotherapy for malignant diseases?

A patient with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism owing to endogenous gonadotropin releasing hormone deficiency, who developed Hodgkin's disease is described. Chemotherapy administration caused prolonged and life-threatening myelosuppression; androgen substitution seemed to reverse bone marrow function and to maintain normal peripheral blood counts. Whether or not androgens are a necessary substitution in hypogonadal patients suffering from cancer and undergoing chemotherapy is discussed.

Aged↗
PubMed1983

Mitoxantrone (Novantrone) as single agent and in combination chemotherapy in the treatment of advanced breast cancer.

Nineteen out of 62 evaluable patients with advanced breast cancer achieved an objective tumour response to mitoxantrone (31%) given in a dose of 12-14 mg/m2 by i.v. infusion repeated at 3-weekly intervals. The response rate in patients who had received no prior chemotherapy for advanced disease was 35%, compared with 22% in previously treated patients. Median duration of response was 10 months. Responses were seen in three out of nine patients who failed to respond to adriamycin. Neutropenia was dose limiting and eight out of 65 patients evaluable for toxicity had a neutropenic infection. Two patients developed readily reversible cardiac failure and two more developed physiological features of cardiac impairment, all after prolonged treatment. Other toxicities were mild and the drug was well tolerated; severe alopecia occurred in only one patient. Nine patients treated with a combination of mitoxantrone, vincristine and methotrexate all developed leukopenia with a mean white blood count of 1400/mm2 (range 200-2400) although no episodes of neutropenic infection were seen and the combination was otherwise well tolerated. Mitoxantrone is an active, well tolerated drug in the treatment of advanced breast cancer and merits further evaluation.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Correlative histologic and serologic findings of sicca syndrome in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

We prospectively evaluated 24 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus for clinical, histologic, and serologic evidence of sicca syndrome. Abnormalties suggestive of sicca syndrome in patients with systemic lupus were identified by parotid scan (58%), questionnaire (54%), labial biopsy (50%), Schirmer's test (21%), and parotid flow rate (13%). An increased frequency of autoantibodies to gamma globulin and cellular antigen SS-A was detected in lupus patients with histologic changes on labial biopsy. The serologic findings are similar to those of patients with sicca syndrome alone with the exception of the reduced incidence of anti-SS-B in patients with systemic lupus.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

Immunization of patients with Sjögren's syndrome with pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine: a randomized trial.

Thirty-two patients with Sjögren's syndrome were randomly selected to receive either multivalent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine or saline placebo in a double-blind study. Among placebo treated patients, levels of antipneumococcal antibodies remained constant. Immunized patients developed significant elevations of antibody concentrations against all 12 capsular serotypes measured. Levels fell, but persisted above baseline, for 8 of the serotypes 6 months after immunization. During the 6-month study no clinical or serologic evidence of disease exacerbation occurred in either group. We conclude that pneumococcal vaccine can be safely and successfully administered to patients with Sjögren's syndrome.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Stress-induced impairment of macrophage tumoricidal function.

Several studies have shown the effect of stress on immune cells and their functions. The purpose of the present work was to investigate the influence of acute immobilization stress on macrophage nonspecific tumoricidal activity. Peritoneal macrophages were activated by nonspecific immunopotentiators such as interferon or bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and the killing of MBL-2 leukemic target cells was measured. Macrophages from mice submitted to stress showed decreased responsiveness to interferon or LPS. In addition, the role of corticosteroids as mediators in the phenomenon was also studied. Indeed, we observed that corticosteroids were able to inhibit macrophage cytotoxicity and could at least play some role. This data could contribute to a better understanding of the effect of stress on the host immunosurveillance against tumor development.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Clinicopathologic study of vascular endothelial growth factor, thrombospondin-1, and microvessel density assessed by CD34 in patients with stage III ovarian carcinoma.

The aim of the study was to investigate angiogenesis in patients with advanced-stage ovarian carcinoma. We used paraffin-embedded tumor tissues from 33 patients diagnosed with FIGO III ovarian cancer who had optimal surgery and received platinum-based chemotherapy. The tissue expression of CD34, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) was assessed immunohistochemically. CD34 stained hot spot areas were used to evaluate tumor microvessel density (MVD). VEGF and TSP-1 were assessed by semiquantitative methods. The studied molecules were investigated for relationship with standard clinicopathologic parameters. MVD count was high: median value of 39, range 12-143 microvessels/mm2. VEGF was present in all cases and stained strong in 91%. Stroma staining for TSP-1 was weak in 79% of the cases, strong in 6%, and absent in five (15%). We did not find correlations between the three studied markers and histologic type or tumor grade. MVD score did not relate to VEGF or TSP-1. We only observed a trend toward a longer survival in patients with tumors expressing high TSP-1 (60 vs. 36 months, P= 0.1). Proangiogenetic factor VEGF is highly expressed in advanced-stage ovarian carcinomas. The findings of this study may offer support for considering VEGF-targeted therapeutics in ovarian cancer treatment research.

Adenocarcinoma↗