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Biomedical subjects

R Gerard-Marchant

Publications and source records attributed to R Gerard-Marchant.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

[Lymph node histopathologic aspects in cutaneous lymphomas of the mycosis fungoides or Sézary syndrome type. Retrospective study of 98 biopsies].

The results of a retrospective study of 98 lymph nodes in 89 patients with documented mycosis fungoides (M.F.) are reported. According to the histopathological aspect, three groups are determined: group I of 20 lymph nodes with lesions of dermopathic lymphadenopathy; group II of 27 lymph nodes, presenting variable-sized clusters of atypical cerebriform lymphocytes located in paracortex without homogenization; group III of 51 lymph nodes with partial or total homogenization; according to the different cytologic types, four histopathologic forms are described in group III: small, large, mixed and immunoblastic cellularly type. The paracortical changes of dermopathic lymphadenopathy observed in group I cannot be distinguished from those in patients with unrelated diseases. All histopathological aspects of group III correspond to a specific MF involvement. The most difficulties are caused by lymph nodes from group II; in order to detect an early MF involvement, the histopathologist has to find a partial infiltration of paracortex by atypical large and numerous lymphocytes. Morphometric and immunohistochemical methods previously reported are useful but they are expensive and they cannot be usually carried out. Because of the heterogeneity of the lesions a perfect routine paraffin-embedded with serial sections seems to be the most helpful way for recognition of early MF involvement in lymph nodes. In our series, as in literature, correlations with clinical course show that lymph node involvement classified in group III is pejorative. But it seems that histo-prognostic evaluation based on a suspicion of early involvement has to be carefully established because of the lack of significant difference of clinical behaviour between group I and group II.

Humans

Topography of childhood tumors: pediatric coding system.

The importance of a uniform coding system for cancer research, tumor registry, and exchange of information is recognized. However, tumors arising in children differ from those in adults, resulting in lack of precision when one coding system is used for both. Because the topographic code of the International Classification of Disease for Oncology for adult tumors does not lend itself well to pediatric tumors, the International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP) developed a four-digit topographic coding system particularly adapted to childhood tumors. The four digits correspond to anatomic site, general and specific localization, and tissue of origin. An SIOP pilot study demonstrated the usefulness of this code.

Child

Calcitonin and carcinoembryonic antigen in poorly differentiated follicular carcinoma.

Previous studies have shown that certain patients suffering from poorly differentiated follicular carcinoma (PDFC) of the thyroid had high levels of calcitonin (CT) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in the plasma. In this work, both CT and CEA were localized in tissue sections obtained at operation from patients suffering from PDFC. The results confirm the hypothesis that certain cases of PDFC are in fact CT-secreting tumors and represent another type of thyroid neoplasma. Patients suffering from PDFC should be screened using both CT and CEA assays.

Adenocarcinoma

Burkitt-type lymphoma in France among non-Hodgkin malignant lymphomas in Caucasian children.

In a retrospective analysis of 87 cases of Caucasian childhood non-Hodgkin malignant lymphoma (NHML) from Lyon, France, all the case were diffuse lymphomas, but 47 were diagnosed as monomorphic small non-cleaved NHML, pathologically indistinguishable from Burkitt's lymphoma (BL). BL could then be the most frequent childhood lymphoma in France. This homogeneous series allows better definition of the characteristics of BL within NHML. Age distribution is similar to that of endemic BL, with a sex ratio of 3.7/1. Abdominal masses are initially present in 68% of the cases, whereas jaw is involved in only 4%. The disease is characterized by its overwhelming evolution in the absence of therapy. However, complete remission (CR) is usually obtained after the first chemtherapy regimen. Most relapses occur at 3-8 months. Death could be related to cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) involvement, local recurrence or secondary marrow involvement. Ninety per cent of the patients alive with no evidence of disease (NED) 8 months after CR can be considered as definitely cured. Our study on Caucasian children with NHML indicates that, from histological and clinical criteria, nearly half the cases are very similar to African BL. Even though EBV rarely associated with our cases, BL could be a worldwide lymphoma.

Abdomen

Radiation therapy in the management of malignant thymic tumors.

A review of 20 patients with malignant thymic tumors is presented. A simplified classification is used avoiding the term thymoma, which is considered misleading. Most of the patients were treated by a combination of surgery and radiation therapy while 7 were treated by irradiation alone. Postoperative radiation therapy is indicated when the tumor is incompletely removed. This is also advised in invasive tumors even when they are considered completely resected. Irradiation alone of inoperable tumors should be carried out with high doses (55 to 60 Gy) to decrease the risk of local recurrence.

Adolescent

[The treatment of Wilm's tumor, improvements and new trends. A study of 724 cases treated at the Gustave-Roussy Institute. 1952-1980 (author's transl)].

Study of 724 cases of Wilm's tumor treated between 1952 and 1980 at the Gustave-Roussy Institute, according to 5 successive therapeutic protocols with or without chemotherapy (Actinomycin alone or Actinomycin and Vincristine). Recovery rates change from 44 to over 90% during this period. Improvement of survival was first obtained by the efficient treatment of metastases, then by preventing their development with systematic chemotherapy with Actinomycin and Vincristine. Rate of survival without relapse changed from 38 to 71 and 86%. Thus, the decrease in the number of patent metastases subjected to heavy treatments responsible for severe respiratory and orthopedic sequelae improved the quality of survival of these children.

Adolescent

Malignant histiocytosis in childhood: clinical study and therapeutic results in 22 cases.

Twenty-two children with malignant histiocytosis ranging in age from 2 to 13 1/2 years are described. In 10 cases, the correct diagnosis was only made retrospectively. The most salient pathologic features were found in lymph node biopsy specimens. Fever and wasting were the most prominent symptoms in 21 cases, and abdominal pains were striking in 9. Peripheral lymphadenopathy, mostly of the cervicoaxillary type, was present in 21 patients, with marked tenderness in 14. Abnormal mediastinal and/or paraaortic lymph nodes were detected radiographically in two-thirds of the patients. Other prominent features included subcutaneous inflammatory infiltration in 12 patients and skin nodules in 8. Pleural effusions were seen in 8 children. The haematologic findings are described. Only 5 of 19 children had bonemarrow involvement. Fifteen patients died, one to 45 months from onset of their illness (median survival time, five months). Nine patients are alive with no evidence of disease 21 to 46+ months (median, 40 months) after the time of diagnosis and 8 have currently been off treatment for periods ranging from three to 29 months; they all have been treated with vincristine, prednisone, cyclophosphamide, and adriamycin and 4 have achieved remission after treatment with vinblastine, bleomycin, and CCNU or cytosine-arabinoside. It is concluded from this study that clearly delineated clinical features of malignant histiocytosis in childhood should allow more rapid determination of the proper diagnosis and should result in early treatment by means of intensive systemic combination chemotherapy, which has dramatically improved the prognosis.

Adolescent

[Difficulties in the application of Rye's classification to Hodgkin lymph nodes].

Rye's histological classification has been used the world over for the last 15 or so years in Hodgkin's disease but its practical application still poses numerous problems. These are related either to the border-line cases which separate the 4 Rye types or to the sub-classification of nodular sclerosis, or the problem of deciding whether certain classical or recently described histological entities can indeed be called Hodgkin's disease. The Rye classification allows a better approach to a positive and differential diagnosis of Hodgkin's disease and its prognostic and epidemiological usefulness is indisputable. This is to say that the criteria which define the four types should be more specific leaving less for subjectivity. Meanwhile, a collegial analysis of the histological data definitely improves the reliability of this system.

Hodgkin Disease

Subsets of malignant lymphomas in children related to the cell phenotype.

We studied the lymphomatous cells of 39 children presenting with the classical features of malignant lymphoma. Twenty-two had T lymphoblasts. We could classify these patients into three subsets: The T lymphoblasts from children group 1 displayed antigen(s) shared by a thymocyte subpopulation, had terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TDT), but no affinity for peanut agglutinin (PNA). The T lymphoblasts from children group 2 lacked the thymocyte antigen(s), had no TDT, but showed affinity for PNA. The T lymphoblasts from children group 3 displayed mature T-cell antigens, had no TDT, and no affinity for PNA. Children from the three groups were similar in terms of clinical presentation, age and sex distribution, and cell morphology; however patients from the three groups might have a different prognosis. Fourteen children had B lymphoblasts that, in half of the cases, had affinity for Helix pomatia agglutinin. Three patients had lymphoblasts lacking specific marker. Two of them had cells displaying an antigen found on common acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells and had TDT.

Adolescent

Preoperative versus postoperative radiotherapy, single versus multiple courses of actinomycin D, in the treatment of Wilms' tumor. Preliminary results of a controlled clinical trial conducted by the International Society of Paediatric Oncology (S.I.O.P.).

The preliminary results of a controlled clinical trial organized by the S.I.O.P. of radiotherapy and chemotherapy in patients with nephroblastoma are presented. Forty-two centers have participated. Between September 1971 and October 1974, 398 patients were registered; 195 were eligible for the trial and were randomized. The remaining 203 patients were excluded from the trial, but were followed in the same way as the patients in the trial. The results were evaluated in terms of recurrence-free survival rate and survival rate. Results in patients who received preoperative and postoperative radiotherapy (group A, 73 patients) were compared with the results in patients who recieved only postoperative radiotherapy (group B, 64 patients). The tumor ruptured at surgery in three patients of group A, and in 20 patients of group B, a difference that is statistically significant. No significant difference in survival and recurrence-free survival between groups A and B is observed at present. Results in patients treated with a single course of actinomycin D (group I, 80 patients) were compared with the results in patients treated with multiple courses (group II, 80 patients). At present, no significant difference is found between the two groups.

Adolescent

External radiotherapy and radioiodine in the treatment of 359 thyroid cancers.

Between 1943 and 1965, 359 patients with carcinoma of the thyroid were treated by external radiotherapy or radioiodine out of a total number of 560 patients treated during the same period. In 65 of these patients surgery had been satisfactory from a macroscopic point of view. Prophylactic post-operative irradiation was given to 55 and the survival rate was 91 per cent at five years and 85 per cent at ten years. Ten received radioiodine, eight were alive at five years and six at ten years. In 95 patients excision of the tumour had been macroscopically incomplete. Fifty-four were treated by external radiotherapy and the survival rates were 50 per cent at five years and 48 per cent at ten years. For the differentiated carcinoma of this group 68 per cent were surviving at five years and 58 per cent at ten years. Of 41 patients treated with radioiodine, 75 per cent were surviving at five years and 31 per cent at ten years. Eighty-five patients were inoperable. Sixty were treated by external radiotherapy, the survival rates were 17 per cent at five years and 8.5 per cent at ten years. For the differentiated carcinomas of this group the survival rates were 24 per cent and 18 per cent. Twenty-five were treated with radioiodine, 26 per cent were surviving at five years and 4.5 per cent at ten years. The patients treated by external radiotherapy can be divided into two subgroups according to the technique of treatment and dose used. Between 1943 and 1955, patients were treated with conventional X rays (mean applied dose 2,800 rads), between 1956 and 1965 the patients were treated with 60Co (mean applied dose 5,000 rads). For the 45 patients of the first group, the survival rates were 35 per cent at five years and 32 per cent at ten years. For the 124 of the second group the respective survival rates were significantly higher: 60.6 per cent and 53 per cent. The results of external radiotherapy were similar to those of radioiodine at five years and better at ten years. In conclusion, a dose of 5,000 to 6,000 rads delivered by megavoltage external radiotherapy in five to six weeks, is well tolerated and effective mostly in differentiated carcinomas and medullary carcinomas. The survival rates of 64 patients whose metastases were unable to pick up iodine is practically zero at five years. For 68 patients with uptake in their metastases the survival rates were 53 per cent at five years and 23 per cent at ten years. The survival rate in patients with pulmonary metastases was higher than in patients with bony metastases (75 per cent versus 44 per cent at five years and 42 per cent versus 8 per cent at ten years.

Age Factors