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Biomedical subjects

S Morassut

Publications and source records attributed to S Morassut.

36 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Epirubicin in the treatment of malignant mesothelioma: a phase II cooperative study. The North-Eastern Italian Oncology Group (GOCCNE)--Mesothelioma Committee.

From September 1986 to April 1988, all consecutive patients with histologically proven (pathologic review mandatory) malignant mesothelioma, measurable disease, age less than 75 years, Karnofsky performance status equal to or greater than 40, and no previous chemotherapy were treated with epirubicin at the dosage of 75 mg/m2 i.v. every 3 weeks. Of the 23 patients who entered the study, 2 were retrospectively found not to have malignant mesothelioma. In the 21 eligible patients (all evaluable), no complete remission, 1 partial remission, 11 stable diseases and 9 progressions were noted. Toxicity was very mild. Median survival was 7.5 months. At the dosage used, epirubicin proved to be of little value in the management of these patients. Whether higher doses are more effective, as has been noted in other tumors, remains to be ascertained.

Aged↗

Cisplatin and mitomycin C in advanced chemotherapy-refractory breast cancer.

A combination of platinum (100 mg/m2 in a 24-h continuous i.v. infusion) and mitomycin C (10 mg/m2 i.v. push at the end of the cisplatin infusion) was administered in 20 patients with advanced breast cancer refractory to conventional treatments (CMF and anthracycline-containing regimens, hormonal therapies). The response rate was 20% (4/20), including one complete response of lung metastases which lasted 12 months. Median duration of partial responses was 4 months. Major toxicity was gastrointestinal and it was superimposable to that observed with other cisplatin-containing regimens. A marked and prolonged asthenia was reported in 6/20 patients (30%), and the regimen's compliance was poor. We conclude that at these doses and schedule, the cisplatin and mitomycin C combination has a limited efficacy in advanced breast cancer patients, and its use is not recommended in pretreated patients.

Adult↗

Partial response to lonidamine of advanced bladder carcinoma: a case report.

A 76 year old woman presented with locally advanced papillary transitional cell carcinoma. The patient had elsewhere had trans-urethral resection and radiotherapy and declined salvage cystectomy. She was treated with Lonidamine (150 mg X 3/day p.o. Repeat CT scan after 8 months showed partial remission. This response was unchanged after 28 months Lonidamine therapy.

Aged↗

[Computerized tomography in the staging of carcinoma of the oropharynx, the tongue and the mouth floor].

Eighty-seven patients with carcinoma of oropharynx, tongue and floor of the mouth were examined by means of CT; (TNM criteria); tumor staging was reviewed and compared with that obtained by clinical examination, by endoscopy, at surgery and histology. CT proved to be a reliable technique to detect both the presence of neoplasms, with the exception of very superficial ones, and their deep spread to parapharyngeal space, to muscles of floor of the mouth and prevertebral pterygoid muscles. Lymph node metastases, especially to retropharyngeal nodes, were also clearly demonstrated on CT scans, which indicates this technique as the examination of choice in oropharyngeal and oral cavity tumor staging, for it yields valuable information which can integrate clinical findings.

Humans↗

High predictivity of galactosyl-hydroxylysine in urine as an indicator of bone metastases from breast cancer.

We measured the urinary excretion of galactosyl-hydroxylysine (GH) and hydroxyproline in two groups of women with breast cancer, with (M+, n = 24) and without (Mo, n = 30) clinical, scintigraphic, or radiological evidence of bone metastases. Both these compounds are excreted in larger amounts in the M+ group than in the Mo patients. However, GH, which is a specific marker for bone collagen, provides better predictivity for bone metastases than does hydroxyproline: 92% sensitivity and 90% specificity vs 74% and 79%, respectively, for hydroxyproline.

Adult↗

[Usefulness of computerized tomography in the prognosis of subarachnoid hemorrhage].

The authors reviewed the computed tomographic (CT) scans of 129 patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). The close correlation is stressed between the severity of the symptoms onset and the amount of blood demonstrated on CT scans. The importance is confirmed of CT in the prognostic evaluation of SAH. As a matter of fact, CT findings define the location and the amount of blood: these factors are closely related to the occurrence of vasospasms -i.e., the primary cause of death and poor outcome. CT also shows the possible complications (hematoma, hydrocephalus, mass effect) that, when present, have a negative impact on prognosis, independent of the neurologic condition. Finally, the authors point out how a reliable prognosis of SAH is based upon combined clinical evaluation and CT study.

Adult↗

Presurgery chemotherapy (CT) in locally advanced bladder carcinoma: a feasible and possibly effective approach.

In October 1984, a prospective pilot study aiming to evaluate the feasibility and to preliminarily test the efficacy of the chemotherapy--surgery sequence in locally advanced bladder carcinoma was started at our institutions. Chemotherapy consisted of adriamycin 50 mg mq-2 and cisplatin 50 mg mq-2 on day 1 and fluorouracil 500 mg mq-2 and teniposide 100 mg mq-2 on days 1 and 8; chemotherapy was repeated every 3 weeks for three cycles and followed by surgery (radical cystectomy; TUR if radical surgery medically contraindicated). The characteristics of the 28 patients so far treated include: T3b in 26 patients, local relapse after surgery in two, nodal metastases in seven. Twenty-five patients were male and three female, median age was 61 yr (range 42-75). Clinical response following chemotherapy was: complete remission (CR) in five patients, partial remission (PR) in 15, stable disease (SD) in three, progression (PRO) in two. Three patients are not evaluable. Treatment was moderately well tolerated. Thirteen patients underwent radical surgery, three exploratory surgery, three TUR; refusal in three patients, early death in two, too early in one. No evidence of disease was found in the surgical specimen of five patients (three CR, two PR), microscopic residual disease in four PR patients, gross residual disease in 11 patients (one CR, six PR, two SD, two PRO). Actuarial median survival (all 28 patients) is 45% at 36 months. These preliminary results suggest that the combination of chemotherapy and surgery is feasible and may be effective in these poor prognosis patients.

Adult↗

Primary lung melanoma.

A rare case of primary malignant melanoma of the lung in a 30 year-old female is reported. A chest x-ray and C.T. scan revealed a mass 3 cm in diameter. The patient underwent left lower lobectomy for cure.

Adult↗

Intermittent pelvic arterial infusion with peptichemio, doxorubicin, and cisplatin for locally advanced and recurrent carcinoma of the uterine cervix.

The preliminary results of intraarterial chemotherapy with peptichemio, doxorubicin, and cisplatin as part of a multimodality treatment in locally advanced and recurrent cervical carcinomas are reported. Treatment consisted of a bilateral sequential infusion of peptichemio 20 mg, doxorubicin 10 mg and cisplatin 20 mg in a 6-hour period via an external infusion pump. After a rest period of 4 days, treatment restarted until maximum response or toxicity. Twenty-five patients, 12 with primary advanced (four Stage IIb, eight Stage III) and 13 with recurrent tumors were treated. All previously untreated patients obtained objective response. In particular, two patients with Stage IIb and III disease, respectively, achieved a complete response. Nine of 13 patients with recurrent disease (69%) were responsive, too, and therefore an overall objective response rate of 84% was achieved. Responses were noted after a median of five cycles of chemotherapy, whereas hematologic toxicity observed in all but one patient, was encountered after a median of four cycles. Toxicity of grade 1 and 2 was noted in 19 patients (76%), whereas of grade 3 and 4 in only 5 (20%). One treatment-related death, due to sepsis during myelosuppression, was reported. Catheter-related toxicity was noted in four patients causing femoral thrombosis in two. In one case a bypass operation was required. After intraarterial chemotherapy, all 21 responsive patients were eligible for radical surgery and 18 (86%) underwent both surgery and postoperative radiation therapy. Surgery was excluded in three patients. In these three cases radiation therapy alone was employed. In this series, the schedule of intraarterial chemotherapy employed was very effective. Patient accrual is ongoing in order to confirm the response rate so far obtained and to evaluate, with a longer follow-up, the impact of this multidisciplinary approach on local control and survival.

Adult↗

Lymphangiography and abdominal computerized tomography in persistent generalized lymphadenopathy.

Lymphangiography (LAG) and abdominal computed tomography (CT) were performed on 13 intravenous drug (heroin) abusers with persistent generalized lymphadenopathy (PGL). All 12 LAG performed were abnormal with a repetitive pattern of diffuse abnormalities of internal structures with small filling defects of both pelvic and abdominal lymph nodes. In 12/13 (92%) of the patients, lymphadenopathy was evidenced by CT scan as well. Retroperitoneal lymph nodes were always abnormal, mesenteric and pelvic nodes in 7 patients each. In 9/13 (69%) of the patients, the spleen was found to be moderately enlarged. The LAG films of our first 2 patients referred to us with an erroneous histologic diagnosis of malignant lymphoma were read to be consistent with involvement by lymphoma. Considering that patients with PGL are at risk for transformation to malignant lymphoma, the LAG and CT findings of PGL should be kept in mind when transformation to malignant lymphoma occurs and staging is performed.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Calcified gastric cancer--CT findings before and after chemotherapy. Case report and discussion of the pathogenesis of this type of calcification.

Diffuse calcifications in primary gastric cancer are very rare, most of them being found in mucinous adenocarcinoma. We present the CT aspects of a locally advanced gastric cancer, which showed partial response to neo-adjuvant chemotherapy. The pathological features of the surgical specimen after total gastrectomy are also reported and the pathogenesis of the calcifications is discussed.

Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous↗

Metastatic angiosarcoma of the spleen. A case report and treatment approach.

We report a case of a 28-year-old man with angiosarcoma of the spleen and liver metastases. The aim of this paper is to underline the importance of planned splenectomy in these patients even if they have metastatic disease, and to propose an intensive chemotherapy regimen consisting of anthracyclines, ifosfamide and mesna with G-CSF support.

Adult↗

Efficacy of total androgen blockade in metastatic prostatic carcinoma with transient hypogonadotropic hypogonadism: a case report.

A patient affected by metastatic prostatic carcinoma and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (HH) was treated with flutamide 750 mg/day plus an LH-RH analog. After confirmation of basal castration during treatment, he continued with antiandrogens alone. Following the normalization of gonadic function and subjective mild bone flare-up, the patient resumed the initial treatment and obtained a partial response. When flutamide was interrupted because of liver toxicity, the patient showed progressive disease in the bone, which was unresponsive to both flutamide resumption and salvage hormone therapy (bicalutamide). The patient is currently receiving chemotherapy with VP16 and estramustine phosphate and is showing both serologic (PSA) and symptomatic response. The interest of this case lies in the incidental detection of HH during therapy and in the responsiveness to treatment.

Androgen Antagonists↗

[Comparative study with a closed sequential design between iopronic and iocetamic acid in oral cholecystocholangiography with radiograms in short and standard times. Laboratory evaluation of hepatic function (author's transl)].

In a comparative study with a closed sequential design iopronic acid has shown to have an opacification power in short times (3 to 4 hours after administration) much higher than iocetamic acid. The opacification of gall bladder and choledochus at 10 to 12 hours after administration has always resulted higher for iopronic acid. Laboratory examinations (total bilirubinaemia, SGOT, SGPT) have not shown any liver damaging effect due to the administered oral cholecystographic agent. Both contrast media, finally, have not caused side effects worth a particular remark at the dosage of 4.5 g.

Administration, Oral↗