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Biomedical subjects

R De Lellis

Publications and source records attributed to R De Lellis.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

Growth hormone-releasing factor and fibroblast growth factor regulate somatostatin gene expression.

A multiple peptide-synthesizing clonal rat cell line was used to study the effect(s) of GRF and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) on the synthesis and secretion of somatostatin (SS). The presence of SS-specific mRNA in 44-2C cells was shown morphologically by in situ hybridization. The release and cellular content of SS increased significantly after treatment with rat hypothalamic GRF (rGRF), the ED50 for rGRF stimulation of intracellular SS was 1.9 X 10(-11) M. GRF stimulated SS production in serum-supplemented and serum-free cultures. Results obtained after incubation of 44-2C cells with 125I-labeled rGRF indicated uptake and nuclear localization of rGRF by 44-2C cells. FGF stimulated the secretion and cellular content of SS. We propose that bFGF regulates the short term secretion and accumulation of SS and mediates rGRF-stimulated SS expression.

Animals

Surgical treatment of 43 retroperitoneal sarcomas.

Forty-three cases of primary retroperitoneal sarcomas, observed and treated from 1970 to 1983 at this Institute, were analysed. The series consisted of 16 liposarcomas (37%), 10 leiomyosarcomas (23%), 7 rhabdomyosarcomas (16%), 5 fibrosarcomas (12%), 2 malignant histiocytomas (5%), 2 sarcomas NOS (5%) and 1 mesenchymoma (2%). All the patients underwent surgery. In order to evaluate the results of surgery, the patients were divided into three groups, according to the type of operation performed, that is open biopsy, resection and excision. Survival of the patients in the first group never exceeded 24 months. The symptom-free period for the patients treated by incomplete removal of the tumour (second group) lasted 3-24 months. Further surgery, in three cases for this group, did not result in a useful control of the disease. As regards radically treated cases, local recurrence was observed in 3 of the 7 liposarcomas, 2 of the 5 leiomyosarcomas, 1 of the 2 rhabdomyosarcomas and 1 fibrosarcoma. Out of 16 cases of the third group, regularly followed up, only 3 patients (liposarcomas) were alive and free of disease at 5 years from first operation. Overall 5-year survival for this group was 31.9%; disease-free survival was 18.7%. For the whole series of 43 cases, overall 5-year survival was 11.4%. As far as histology was concerned, liposarcomas showed the highest operability rate: out of 16, 7 were resected and 9 radically excised. There is a lack of convincing evidence for the utility of post-operative chemotherapy. On the contrary, post-operative radiotherapy seems to be worthwhile for liposarcomas, especially after non-radical operations.

Adult

The surgeon's attitude to malignant lymphomas of the breast. Analysis of eight cases.

Eight cases of malignant lymphomas of the breast were considered. The age of the patients ranged from 26 to 57 years. All the cases were staged according to the Ann Arbor classification system; the distribution was 2 Ie, 2 IIe, 1 IIIe and 3 IVe. Surgery was limited to excisional biopsy in all patients, one of whom had been operated on elsewhere. Six patients had radiotherapy following limited surgery. All of them received chemotherapy. The treatment resulted in complete local control of the disease in all cases and only 2 patients died from disseminated disease. Six patients were alive and free of disease from 34 to 84 months after the diagnosis. Our experience and analysis of the literature allow us to conclude that the role of surgery in the diagnosis and treatment of malignant lymphomas with breast involvement should be limited to removal of the nodule, when possible, or to incisional biopsy in the case of massive involvement of the breast. In effect, aggressive surgery with a radical aim is not presently justified; in contrast, systemic chemotherapy should always be administered.

Adult

Prognosis of breast cancer patients after mastectomy and dissection of internal mammary nodes.

The results of the analysis carried out on data on 1119 patients with operable breast cancer treated at the National Cancer Institute of Milan from 1965 to 1979 with enlarged mastectomy are reported. Metastases to internal mammary chain were found to be significantly associated with the maximum diameter of primary (16.1% for tumors less than 2 cm and 24.5% for larger tumors, p = 0.007), the age of the patients (27.6% in patients younger than 40 years, 19.7% in patients between 41-50 years, and 15.6% in patients older than 50 years, p = 0.01). The site of origin of the cancer had no impact on internal mammary node metastases. Patients with positive axillary nodes showed metastases to internal mammary nodes in 29.1% of the cases, while 9.1% of patients with axillary negative nodes had positive retrosternal nodes. Survival was significantly affected by the presence of positive internal mammary nodes: the percentage of 10-year survival varied from 80.4% in patients with axillary and internal mammary negative nodes to 30.0% in patients with both nodal basins involved. Intermediate survival rates (54.6% and 53.0%) were found when one or the other of the nodal stations (axillary and internal mammary) was separately affected. Maximum diameter of the primary significantly affected the survival of each group identified by the status of both axillary and internal mammary nodes. In conclusion, the information on the presence or absence of internal mammary node metastases would be of great importance in formulating the prognosis of breast cancer patients. To obtain this information, a biopsy at the first intercostal space may be reasonable in selected patients (age, maximum diameter, and axillary node involvement being the basis for selection) as long as noninvasive methods of diagnosis are available.

Adenocarcinoma

Endocrine differentiation in basal cell carcinoma.

Argyrophilic cells have been found in 2 different basal cell carcinomas (BCC), and membrane-bound endocrine-like granules, in the carcinoid range, have been observed in 4 consecutive cases of such tumors. It is postulated that BCC can occasionally display cells showing an endocrine differentiation.

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