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Biomedical subjects

R Margolese

Publications and source records attributed to R Margolese.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Lumpectomy and radiation therapy for the treatment of intraductal breast cancer: findings from National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project B-17.

PURPOSE: In 1993, findings from a National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) trial to evaluate the worth of radiation therapy after lumpectomy concluded that the combination was more beneficial than lumpectomy alone for localized intraductal carcinoma-in-situ (DCIS). This report extends those findings. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Women (N = 818) with localized DCIS were randomly assigned to lumpectomy or lumpectomy plus radiation (50 Gy). Tissue was removed so that resected specimen margins were histologically tumor-free. Mean follow-up time was 90 months (range, 67 to 130). Size and method of tumor detection were determined by central clinical, mammographic, and pathologic assessment. Life-table estimates of event-free survival and survival, average annual rates of occurrence for specific events, relative risks for event-specific end points, and cumulative probability of specific events comprising event-free survival are presented. RESULTS: The benefit of lumpectomy plus radiation was virtually unchanged between 5 and 8 years of follow-up and was due to a reduction in invasive and noninvasive ipsilateral breast tumors (IBTs). Incidence of locoregional and distant events remained similar in both treatment groups; deaths were only infrequently related to breast cancer. Incidence of noninvasive IBT was reduced from 13.4% to 8.2% (P = .007), and of invasive IBT, from 13.4% to 3.9% (P < .0001). All cohorts benefited from radiation regardless of clinical or mammographic tumor characteristics. CONCLUSION: Through 8 years of follow-up, our findings continue to indicate that lumpectomy plus radiation is more beneficial than lumpectomy alone for women with localized, mammographically detected DCIS. When evaluated according to the mammographic characteristics of their DCIS, all groups benefited from radiation.

Breast Neoplasms↗

Linkage analysis of 26 Canadian breast and breast-ovarian cancer families.

We have examined 26 Canadian families with hereditary breast or ovarian cancer for linkage to markers flanking the BRCA1 gene on chromosome 17q12-q21. Of the 15 families that contain cases of ovarian cancer, 94% were estimated to be linked to BRCA1. In contrast, there was no overall evidence of linkage in the group of 10 families with breast cancer without ovarian cancer. A genetic recombinant in a breast-ovarian cancer family indicates a placement of BRCA1 telomeric to D17S776, and helps to define the region of assignment of the cancer susceptibility gene. Other cancers of interest that appeared in the BRCA1-linked families included primary peritoneal cancer, cancer of the fallopian tube, and malignant melanoma.

Adult↗

Lumpectomy compared with lumpectomy and radiation therapy for the treatment of intraductal breast cancer.

BACKGROUND AND METHODS: Women with ductal carcinoma in situ have been treated both by lumpectomy and by lumpectomy followed by radiation therapy, but the benefit of combined therapy is uncertain. A group of 818 women with ductal carcinoma in situ were randomly assigned to undergo lumpectomy or lumpectomy followed by breast irradiation (50 Gy). Sufficient tissue was removed that the margins of the resected specimens were histologically tumor-free. The mean duration of follow-up was 43 months (range, 11 to 86). The principal end point of the study was event-free survival, as defined by the presence of no new ipsilateral or contralateral breast cancers, regional or distant metastases, or other cancers and by no deaths from causes other than cancer. RESULTS: Five-year event-free survival was better in the women who received breast irradiation (84.4 percent, vs. 73.8 percent for the women treated by lumpectomy alone; P = 0.001). The improvement was due to a reduction in the occurrence of second ipsilateral breast cancers; the incidence of each of the other events was similar in the two groups. Of 391 women treated by lumpectomy alone, ipsilateral breast cancer developed in 64 (16.4 percent); it was noninvasive in 32 and invasive in the remaining 32. Of 399 women treated with lumpectomy and breast irradiation, ipsilateral breast cancer developed in 28 (7.0 percent) (noninvasive in 20 and invasive in 8). The five-year cumulative incidence of second cancers in the ipsilateral breast was reduced by irradiation from 10.4 percent to 7.5 percent for noninvasive cancers and from 10.5 percent to 2.9 percent for invasive cancers (P = 0.055 and P < 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Breast irradiation after lumpectomy is more appropriate than lumpectomy alone for women with localized ductal carcinoma in situ.

Breast Neoplasms↗

Retinoblastoma and p53 gene product expression in breast carcinoma: immunohistochemical analysis and clinicopathologic correlation.

We examined 100 breast cancers for retinoblastoma (Rb) and p53 protein expression by immunohistochemistry using the PMG3.245 and PAb 1801 antibodies. We assessed percentages of reactive cells and their intensity, as well as staining patterns. The results were correlated with neu protein reactivity and a panel of variables, including age, tumor size and type, nuclear grade, estrogen receptor/progesterone receptor content, and lymph node status. Retinoblastoma protein negativity, either partial or complete, was noted in 47% of cases. Surprisingly, a relatively stronger Rb reaction was seen in some high nuclear grade tumors. p53 positivity was found in 23% of cases and was a significant predictor of Rb loss. p53 also was correlated with poorly differentiated (nuclear grade III) neoplasms and neu expression but not with negative ER status. Tissue distribution profiles for Rb-negative and p53-positive cells were variable in this series, with both uniform and heterogeneous patterns observed. This suggests that Rb and p53 alterations may represent early or late events in transformation. Our findings further implicate Rb and p53 derangements in mammary oncogenesis.

Adult↗

Surgical considerations in selecting local therapy.

Clinical trials have demonstrated that patients treated with lumpectomy and radiation therapy have long-term survival rates equivalent to those treated with classical forms of mastectomy. Perhaps questions remain about appropriate treatment of the very smallest and the largest of operable breast tumors, but the majority of patients with primary breast cancer can be successfully treated with conservative surgery and radiation. Factors involved in surgical decision making, technical features of lumpectomy, and postoperative treatment are discussed.

Breast Neoplasms↗

Significance of ipsilateral breast tumour recurrence after lumpectomy.

Breast cancer treatment trials from the US National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project have established breast-conserving operations as a replacement for radical mastectomy (NSABP B-04), and have shown that in terms of survival free from distant disease there was no significant difference between lumpectomy, lumpectomy plus breast irradiation, and total mastectomy (NSABP B-06). 9-year follow-up data from B-06 are used here to address the issue of ipsilateral breast tumour recurrence (IBTR) and the development of distant disease, a question with important clinical and biological implications. A Cox regression model on fixed co-variates (ie, features such as tumour type or size present at surgery and not subsequently alterable) and on IBTR, which is time dependent and not fixed, revealed that the risk of distant disease was 3.41 times greater after adjustment for co-variates in patients in whom an IBTR developed. IBTR proved to be a powerful independent predictor of distant disease. However, it is a marker of risk for, not a cause of, distant metastasis. While mastectomy or breast irradiation following lumpectomy prevent expression of the marker they do not lower the risk of distant disease. These findings further justify the use of lumpectomy.

Breast Neoplasms↗

Effect of tamoxifen on serum insulinlike growth factor I levels in stage I breast cancer patients.

Insulinlike growth factor I (IGF-I) has been shown to be a potent mitogen for breast cancer cells in vitro, and IGF-I receptors have been demonstrated on human primary breast neoplasms. In a randomized, placebo-controlled study, we document that administration of the antiestrogen tamoxifen to patients with breast cancer was associated with a statistically significant (P = .002) reduction in the serum level of IGF-I. The mean IGF-I level was 1.4 U/mL in the placebo-treated group and 0.9 U/mL in the tamoxifen-treated group. Because serum IGF-I level is growth hormone (GH) dependent and because data suggest that the pubertal surge in GH and IGF-I levels is sex steroid dependent, we speculate that the mechanism underlying our observation may involve blockade by tamoxifen of estrogen action in the hypothalamic-pituitary axis. We conclude that tamoxifen treatment reduces IGF-I levels and that this reduction may contribute to the therapeutic effect of the drug.

Aged↗

Evaluation of the worth of corynebacterium parvum in conjunction with chemotherapy as adjuvant treatment for primary breast cancer. Eight-year results from the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project B-10.

During the 1970s, information obtained from animal tumor models and from patients with a spectrum of solid tumors indicated the worth of a variety of immunostimulating agents. These findings provided a biological and clinical rationale for conducting randomized trials to evaluate the worth of those agents. Consequently, in May 1977 the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) implemented a randomized trial to determine whether Corynebacterium parvum (C. parvum, CP) plus chemotherapy would be more effective than chemotherapy alone in prolonging the disease-free survival (DFS) and survival (S) of patients with primary operable breast cancer and positive axillary nodes. The results of that trial through 8 years of follow-up fail to indicate that treatment with CP used in conjunction with l-phenylalanine mustard (L-PAM) plus 5-fluorouracil (PF) results in a better DFS and S than that observed after chemotherapy alone. Use of the immunomodulator has instead resulted in a poorer, but not statistically significant, outcome. Despite adjustments made to account for any imbalance in distribution of prognostic factors between the two treatment groups and despite considering treatment compliance as a factor, the unfavorable outcome persisted. A high incidence of fever and chills was associated with the administration of CP. The administration of hydrocortisone before each CP treatment reduced the frequency of those and other systemic effects. The failure to demonstrate a benefit from CP is in keeping with the failure of other nonspecific stimulating agents to contribute to the creation of a new paradigm for the treatment of breast cancer.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗

Mitomycin C and mitoxantrone chemotherapy for advanced breast cancer: efficacy with minimal gastrointestinal toxicity and alopecia.

In an attempt to examine the possibility of decreased toxicity in patients with advanced breast cancer who had not previously received chemotherapy, 33 women were given combination chemotherapy consisting of mitomycin C (10 mg/m2) every 6 weeks and mitoxantrone (6 mg/m2) every 3 weeks. The patients had predominantly visceral disease and received a median of two cycles of therapy. Of the 32 evaluable subjects, 15 (47%) achieved a partial response lasting a median of 7 months. Hematological toxicity was generally mild, although there were two episodes of sepsis. One patient developed hemolytic-uremic syndrome, and one subject developed pulmonary fibrosis, both presumably attributable to treatment with mitomycin C. Another patient died of hepatic failure (hepar lobatum). Thus, there were five patients who sustained life-threatening toxicities; this may have been due to the poor performance status and advanced age of some of the patients. Gastrointestinal toxicity and alopecia were minimal. Patient acceptance was high and there was an improvement in symptomatology in the majority of patients. In conclusion, mitomycin C and mitoxantrone chemotherapy is an active drug combination for the treatment of advanced breast cancer that seldom causes significant distressing gastrointestinal side effects or alopecia; however, the duration of response to this regimen appears to be shorter than that obtained with either cyclophosphamide - methotrexate - 5-fluorouracil (CMF) or cyclophosphamide - Adriamycin - 5-fluorouracil (CAF) combination chemotherapy.

Alkylating Agents↗

Systemic therapy in patients with node-negative breast cancer. A commentary based on two National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) clinical trials.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether in the previous National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) studies of node-negative breast cancer there were either cohorts of patients with a prognosis favorable enough to preclude using systemic therapy or subsets of patients who failed to benefit from the treatments. DESIGN: Randomized clinical trials with stratification after surgery. SETTING: NSABP trials at institutions in the United States and Canada. PATIENTS: Data were collected on 731 eligible patients (Protocol B-13) with estrogen-receptor-negative tumors who randomly received either no therapy after surgery or sequential methotrexate and fluorouracil (M----F) followed by leucovorin. Data were also collected on 2834 patients (Protocol B-14) with estrogen-receptor-positive tumors who randomly received either placebo or tamoxifen treatment. The percentage of patients surviving disease-free was determined through 4 years of follow-up using life-table estimates. INTERVENTIONS: Protocol B-13 patients received 12 courses of M----F given intravenously on days 1 and 8 every 4 weeks. Leucovorin therapy was begun 24 hours after M----F administration. Protocol B-14 patients received 5-year treatment with either tamoxifen (10 mg twice daily by mouth) or placebo. RESULTS: When the outcome of untreated patients in either trial was related to the stratification variables, women were found to have a disease-free survival of less than 80% through 4 years of follow-up. This percentage is apt to decrease because the probability of treatment failure increases with time. In both trials, all subsets of women benefited from M----F or tamoxifen therapy. CONCLUSIONS: The disease-free survival of all cohorts of node-negative patients with estrogen-receptor-negative or estrogen-receptor-positive tumors was poor enough to justify systemic treatment. The benefits of the therapies used are insufficient to eliminate the need for assessing putatively better regimens.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗

Body size and breast cancer prognosis: a statistical explanation of the discrepancies.

A historical cohort of 68 female breast cancer patients from one institution who were enrolled in a multicenter randomized controlled trial between 1971 and 1973 were followed up to the beginning of 1986. Weight and height at the time of mastectomy were transformed into two indices of body size, namely the Quetelet Index and a weight to "ideal weight" ratio. These two indices were analyzed for their relation with overall and disease-free survival, while controlling for the effect of several potential confounding variables. While neither index was linearly related to the hazard of death or recurrence, a significant quadratic (curvilinear) relation was found for both indices and both hazards. In all cases the hazard function was concave up, indicating that not only overweight but also underweight status is predictive of an unfavorable prognosis of breast cancer. This finding offers a possible explanation for the discrepancies among previous studies on this topic.

Adult↗

Eight-year results of a randomized clinical trial comparing total mastectomy and lumpectomy with or without irradiation in the treatment of breast cancer.

In 1985 we presented results of a randomized trial involving 1843 women followed for five years that indicated that segmental breast resection (lumpectomy) followed by breast irradiation is appropriate therapy for patients with Stage I or II breast cancer (tumor size, less than or equal to 4 cm), provided that the margins of the resected specimens are free of tumor. Women with positive axillary nodes received adjuvant chemotherapy. Lumpectomy followed by irradiation resulted in a five-year survival rate of 85 percent, as compared with 76 percent for total mastectomy, a rate of survival free of distant disease of 76 percent, as compared with 72 percent, and a disease-free survival rate of 72 percent, as compared with 66 percent. In the current study, we have extended our observations through eight years of follow-up. Ninety percent of the women treated with breast irradiation after lumpectomy remained free of ipsilateral breast tumor, as compared with 61 percent of those not treated with irradiation after lumpectomy (P less than 0.001). Among patients with positive axillary nodes, only 6 percent of those treated with radiation and adjuvant chemotherapy had a recurrence of tumor in the ipsilateral breast. Lumpectomy with or without irradiation of the breast resulted in rates of disease-free survival (58 +/- 2.6 percent), distant-disease-free survival (65 +/- 2.6 percent), and overall survival (71 +/- 2.6 percent) that were not significantly different from those observed after total mastectomy (54 +/- 2.4 percent, 62 +/- 2.3 percent, and 71 +/- 2.4 percent, respectively). There was no significant difference in the rates of distant-disease-free survival (P = 0.2) or survival (P = 0.3) among the women who underwent lumpectomy (with or without irradiation), despite the greater incidence of recurrence of tumor in the ipsilateral breast in those who received no radiation. We conclude that our observations through eight years are consistent with the findings at five years and that these new findings continue to support the use of lumpectomy in patients with Stage I or II breast cancer. We also conclude that irradiation reduces the probability of local recurrence of tumor in patients treated with lumpectomy.

Breast Neoplasms↗

A randomized clinical trial evaluating sequential methotrexate and fluorouracil in the treatment of patients with node-negative breast cancer who have estrogen-receptor-negative tumors.

We evaluated the postoperative use of sequential methotrexate and fluorouracil followed by leucovorin in 679 patients with primary breast cancer, histologically negative axillary nodes, and estrogen-receptor-negative (less than 10 fmol) tumors. No survival advantage was observed with this therapy as compared with no postoperative therapy during four years of follow-up (87 percent vs. 86 percent; P = 0.8). However, there was a significant prolongation of disease-free survival among women who received this therapy as compared with those who did not (80 percent vs. 71 percent; P = 0.003). An advantage was observed in both the patients less than or equal to 49 years old and those greater than or equal to 50. At four years, treatment failure was reduced by 24 percent in the younger group and by 50 percent in the older group. The rates of both local and regional and distant metastases were decreased. These benefits, achieved without the use of an alkylating agent, were associated with tolerable side effects. Multivariate analysis testing for potential interactions failed to identify subgroups of patients who did not benefit from the therapy. These results, although promising, do not obviate the need for additional trials to evaluate potentially better regimens of therapy, but they do suggest that sequential methotrexate-fluorouracil should be used in the control arm in such studies. Their use is also justified for the treatment of patients who refuse to participate in clinical trials, provided the patients meet the eligibility criteria of the present study. Since women with tumors too small for conventional analysis of estrogen-receptor and progesterone-receptor concentrations were not included in this study, we do not recommend systemic treatment for them outside of a clinical trial.

Aged↗

Immunohistochemical studies with monoclonal antibodies B72.3 and MA5 on histologic and cytologic specimens from benign and malignant breast lesions.

Monoclonal antibodies B72.3 and MA5 were tested by the avidin-biotin immunoperoxidase method in histologic sections of 38 benign, 22 precancerous and 22 cancerous breast lesions, as well as in fine needle aspiration (FNA) smears and cell blocks of 25 breast carcinomas. Neither B72.3 nor MA5 was specific for breast cancer cells: both also reacted with cells from benign and precancerous conditions. B72.3 as a "detector" of malignant cells or their precursors was superior to MA5, however: it was not reactive to cells in most benign breast lesions (mammary duct ectasia, fibroadenoma and ductal hyperplasia, with and without atypia). Cancerous cells had heterogeneous immunostaining with B72.3, which may lead to false-negative results in relatively hypocellular FNA samples. FNA samples prepared as both smears and cell blocks provided the most abundant cellular samples and the lowest false-negative immunostaining reaction of cancerous cells with B72.3.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

Combination chemotherapy with carboplatin and bleomycin for advanced and recurrent head and neck cancer: a phase II study.

Carboplatin is a platinum analogue with activity reported in head and neck cancer. We conducted a phase II trial with 14 patients who had recurrent head and neck cancer. They were treated with carboplatin 300 mg/m2 intravenously (I.V.) and bleomycin 30 units I.V. every 4 weeks. No responses were observed in this group of patients. Dose intensity of carboplatin administration may be an important determinant of response.

Aged↗

Phase II trial of a combination of doxorubicin and mitoxantrone in metastatic breast cancer.

To exploit possible different non-cross-resistant mechanisms of cytotoxicity, 25 patients with advanced breast cancer were given combination chemotherapy consisting of iv mitoxantrone (7 mg/m2) and doxorubicin (30 mg/m2) every 3-4 weeks. The patients had predominantly visceral disease and received a median of six (range, one to 12) cycles of therapy. There were no complete responders, but 13 patients (52%) achieved partial remission lasting a median of 8 months (range, 4-21+). Three patients (12%) had disease stabilization and nine (36%) had disease progression. Hematologic toxicity was generally mild, with median wbc count and platelet count nadirs of 1900/mm3 (range, 700-3100) and 160,000/mm3 (range, 49,000-406,000), respectively. One patient may have died from treatment-related sepsis (pneumonia), but lymphangitic lung disease was not excluded. Hair loss progressing to severe alopecia over several treatment cycles was relatively common, affecting seven of 16 evaluable patients (44%). Vomiting was mild or absent in 17 (71%) of 24 evaluable patients. Three of 15 patients in whom serial measurements of left ventricular ejection fraction were performed developed significant reductions compatible with anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity. Two of these patients also had pericardial effusions and one developed congestive heart failure. In conclusion, mitoxantrone and doxorubicin is an active, well-tolerated drug combination for the treatment of advanced breast cancer but may have appreciable cardiotoxicity.

Adult↗

The technique of segmental mastectomy (lumpectomy) and axillary dissection: A syllabus from the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast Project workshops.

Surveys conducted by the American College of Surgeons indicate an increasing trend toward the treatment of primary breast cancer by segmental mastectomy and radiotherapy. This operation has never been formally taught in training programs, and scant standard descriptive material exists. The National Surgical Adjuvant Breast Project conducted a series of workshops to develop guidelines for the performance of the operation. The essential points are (1) pathologic control of margins to ensure complete surgical excision, (2) surgical principles of complete tumor excision, (3) attention to optimum cosmetic results, and (4) axillary dissection for accurate staging and regional control of the disease. This article summarizes the recommendations made at those workshops.

Axilla↗