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Biomedical subjects

R Gluckman

Publications and source records attributed to R Gluckman.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

A phase II trial of docetaxel (Taxotere) in hormone-refractory prostate cancer: correlation of antitumor effect to phosphorylation of Bcl-2.

Twenty-one patients with hormone refractory prostate cancer were enrolled to receive single-agent docetaxel (Taxotere; Rhône-Poulenc Rorer, Collegeville, PA) 75 mg/m2 intravenously every 21 days. Six patients consented to biopsies of the prostate tumor before and following the first cycle of chemotherapy and 11 patients underwent periodic blood collection for isolation of the mononuclear cell fraction. The toxicities of treatment were moderate but included eight episodes of grade III and two episodes of grade IV nonhematologic toxicity as well as seven episodes of grade III and 11 episodes of grade IV hematologic toxicity (primarily neutropenia, including four episodes of febrile neutropenia). An objective response of more than 50% reduction in prostate-specific antigen was observed in seven patients (38%) and more than half of the patients with symptomatic disease at the initiation of therapy had improvements on treatment. Radiographic or scintigraphic evidence of tumor regression was observed in six patients. Nine patients experienced a prolonged period of stable disease on treatment (median, six cycles). Tumor specimens are currently being analyzed for bcl-2 expression and phosphorylation. The current series confirms the substantial single-agent activity of docetaxel in hormone refractory prostate cancer and may help to further elucidate its mechanism of action at the molecular level.

Aged↗

VAB-6: an effective chemotherapy regimen for patients with germ-cell tumors.

One hundred sixty-six patients with germ-cell tumors (GCT) of the testis, retroperitoneum, and mediastinum were treated with cyclophosphamide, vinblastine, bleomycin, dactinomycin, and cisplatin (VAB-6), with and without maintenance chemotherapy. The overall complete response (CR) rate was 78%, 67% to chemotherapy alone, and 11% after chemotherapy and resection of viable residual cancer. The CR rate in all patients with seminoma was uniformly high, while the CR rate of patients with testicular nonseminomatous germ-cell tumors (79%) was superior to that of similar tumors of extragonadal origin (60%). The overall relapse rate was 12%, and was greater in tumors of extragonadal origin (21%) than in those of testicular origin (11%). Three relapses occurred after 2 years. Maintenance chemotherapy did not prolong either relapse-free or total survival. Toxicity was tolerable, and there were no treatment deaths. No Raynaud's phenomena have occurred, with a minimum duration since start of therapy of 36 months. VAB-6 is an effective chemotherapy regimen in patients with GCT with no treatment-related deaths and a majority of patients requiring only 3 months of treatment.

Adolescent↗