PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

Philippe Thiesse

Publications and source records attributed to Philippe Thiesse.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

Osteosarcoma metastatic to the kidney and iatrogenic hemorrhage.

A 16-year old female presented painful masses in the lumbar region 5 years after the initial diagnosis of a localized osteosarcoma of the tibia. Abdominal X-ray revealed calcified masses. A bone scan confirmed an increased uptake in the renal areas. An ultrasound-guided fine needle biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of metastases. The procedure was complicated by subcapsular hemorrhage and gross hematuria. Renal metastases from osteosarcoma are usually asymptomatic and invisible on abdominal X-rays. The diagnosis is generally established by radionuclide bone scan or abdominal CT-scan. Our observation suggests that histological documentation of these unusual clinical presentations should be carefully weighed against the risk of the procedure.

Amputation, Surgical↗

Active breathing control for Hodgkin's disease in childhood and adolescence: feasibility, advantages, and limits.

PURPOSE: The challenge in early Hodgkin's disease (HD) in children is to maintain good survival rates while sparing organs at risk. This study assesses the feasibility of active breathing control (ABC) in children, and compares normal tissue irradiation with and without ABC. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Between May 2003 and June 2004, seven children with HD with mediastinal involvement, median age 15, were treated by chemotherapy and involved-field radiation therapy. A free-breathing computed tomography simulation scan and one additional scan during deep inspiration using ABC were performed. A comparison between planning treatment with clinical target volume including supraclavicular regions, mediastinum, and hila was performed, both in free breathing and using ABC. RESULTS: For a prescription of 36 Gy, pulmonary dose-volume histograms revealed a mean reduction in lung volume irradiated at more than 20 Gy (V20) and 30 Gy (V30) of 25% and 26%, respectively, using ABC (p = 0.016). The mean volume of heart irradiated at 30 Gy or more decreased from 15% to 12% (nonsignificant). The mean dose delivered to breasts in girls was small in both situations (less than 2 Gy) and stable with or without ABC. Considering axillary irradiation, the mean dose delivered to breasts remained low (<9 Gy), without significant difference using ABC or not. The mean radiation dose delivered to thyroid was stable using ABC or not. CONCLUSIONS: Using ABC is feasible in childhood. The use of ABC decreases normal lung tissue irradiation. Concerning heart irradiation, a minimal gain is also shown. No significant change has been demonstrated concerning breast and thyroid irradiation.

Adolescent↗

ET-743: a novel agent with activity in soft-tissue sarcomas.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: ET-743 (ecteinascidin-743, trabectedin, Yondelis) is a natural marine product that has shown clinical activity in sarcoma. This paper reviews the current knowledge on this compound. RECENT FINDINGS: ET-743 interferes with several transcription factors, traps protein from the nucleotide-excision repair system, thus resulting in DNA damage, modulates gene expression, and blocks cells in the G2-M phase. In the clinical setting, after failure of standard treatment, ET-743 at 1.5 mg/m2 in 24 h continuous infusion every 21 days yielded an overall response rate close to 8% and stabilization rates of 30-40%, some lasting beyond 3 years. Leiomyosarcomas, liposarcomas, and synovial sarcomas may be the more sensitive histotypes. The major toxicities of ET-743 are hepatic--through biliary duct destruction--and hematologic. They are not cumulative and a significant number of patients may receive 12 courses or more. In a randomized Phase II study testing weekly ET-743 with treatment every 3 weeks, an improved progression-free survival rate was observed in the 3-weekly arm; the results of the follow-up Phase III trial should be available at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting of 2006. Phase I combination studies are in currently progress. SUMMARY: ET-743 is a novel active drug for sarcoma which yields prolonged disease-free survival in subsets of patients.

Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating↗

[News of the year 2005 in sarcomas].

This year, the innovations were numerous in sarcomas. Important progress were accomplished in the search for predictive factors which make it possible to propose to the patient a personalized treatment with the therapeutic ones reduced in the event of good prognosis or on the contrary aggressive steps in the event of bad prognosis. These prognostic factors can be genetic or clinical. Progress were also accomplished in the clinical field with the research of the most adapted therapeutic strategies and of advanced in various drugs of chemotherapy in particular the ET-743. Lastly, research is active and of many ways are tested into preclinic with a detailed attention on the way of the angiogenesis.

Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating↗

[Organization and impact of the multidisciplinary committee in oncology].

Medical practices in oncology are expected to be more and more multidisciplinary, yet few articles studied how this may be concretely applied. This article is describing the functioning of a multidisciplinary specialized committee in a rare tumor. 219 medical cases during 26 meetings between 09/04/2003 and 14/02/2004 had been studied. Discussions had been observed, described and studied qualitatively and quantitatively. At the time of a national plan has been launched to impose obligatory the consultation of such committees before any treatment strategy, two lessons can be drawn from this case study. On the one hand, it shows that a multidisciplinary committee may be an organizational tool facilitating the emergence of collective decisions, since it may facilitate the formulation and the discussion of alternative options (72 cases out of 219). More generally, to take treatment decisions, members of the committee exchange arguments that deal mostly with clinical and psychological condition of the patient (50 cases out of 219), state-of-the-art knowledge (39 cases out of 219) and individual experience of the practitioners (33 cases out of 219). On the other hand, this article intends to underline that the creation of such committees cannot be considered as a sufficient condition to improve the quality of treatment decisions. Indeed, this case study shows that the quality of decisions does not only rely on the collective deliberation, but also on the individual and specific competencies of some members of the committee that other members admit.

Decision Making↗

Diffuse medulla oblongata and pontine gliomas in childhood. A review of 37 cases.

From 1975 to 1997, thirty seven newly diagnosed children aged 2 mos. to 14.3 years with diffuse medulla oblongata or pontine tumours were referred to the Centre Léon Bérard. Surgical biopsies were performed in 9 patients. All but one received radiation therapy. The mean dose of radiation was 53 Gy. Thirty two received chemotherapy. All patients died, one from related toxicity, and the rest from progressive disease. Relapses always occurred in the radiotherapy field. Medulla oblongata and pontine tumours would appear to have the worst outcome of all brain stem gliomas and should be separately analysed.

Adolescent↗