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T Zaramboukas

Publications and source records attributed to T Zaramboukas.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1999

Clinical application of immunological markers as monitoring tests in celiac disease.

The aim of this study was to investigate anti-gliadin (IgA-AGA and IgG-AGA), endomysial (IgA-EmA), and anti-reticulin (Ig-ARA) antibodies for monitoring celiac disease (CD) patients while on gluten-free and gluten-containing diets. Sera from 30 confirmed CD patients (13 boys, 17 girls), 1-24 years old, were examined for antibodies using ELISA (AGA) and Immunofluorescence (EmA, ARA) at 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months following institution of gluten-free diet and also at 3 and 6 months after challenge with gluten. One month following the exclusion of gluten from the diet, most antibodies are still positive. Twenty-three to 43% of antibodies remained positive by the end of the third month. At 6 and 9 months, 17% and 10% were positive, respectively. At 12 months no positive antibodies were detected. After gluten challenge, positive IgA-AGA and IgA-EmA titers were already demonstrated at 3 months (90% and 86%, respectively), while Ig-ARA titers showed a slow increase. Finally IgG-AGA responded with a slow decrease of titers to gluten-free diet levels and a fast increase upon provocation. The morphology of the intestine at diagnosis and during the periods of gluten-free diet and gluten challenge corresponds with the antibody titers. On the basis of these results, immunological markers may be applied to follow-up CD patients. IgA-AGA and IgA-EMA appear to be the most sensitive to dietary changes in gluten and correlate best with intestinal mucosal morphology.

Celiac Disease↗
PubMed1996

Primary angiosarcoma of the brain: case report.

A 41-year-old patient with a primary angiosarcoma of the brain is reported. The tumor was located in the left parietal lobe and was radically removed. The diagnosis of angiosarcoma was established by immunohistochemistry. The patient was postoperatively treated with adjuvant chemotherapy and then radiation therapy. After 41 months, she was in excellent clinical and neurological condition without any sign of recurrence.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Cisplatin and continuous infusion of fluorouracil followed by radiation and weekly carboplatin in the treatment of locally advanced head and neck cancer: a Hellenic Cooperative Oncology Group study.

Induction chemotherapy followed by radiation has been extensively studied in an effort to improve local control and possibly overall survival of patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer. From June 1989 until May 1991, 39 patients with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) were treated with 3 cycles of induction chemotherapy, consisting of cisplatin (100 mg/m2 d 1) and fluorouracil (1000 mg/m2 d 2-6) followed by radiation potentiated by weekly administration of carboplatin (60 mg/m2). Surgery was performed in selected patients with residual disease after the combined modality approach. Four cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy with carboplatin (325 mg/m2) and bleomycin (15 u) were administered in those patients who demonstrated a partial response after locoregional treatment. There were 36 men and 3 women with a median age of 56 (range 39-74) years and Karnofsky performance status of 70 (range 60-100). The primary site of the tumor was nasopharynx (8), oropharynx (8), hypopharynx (3), oral cavity (4), larynx (13), paranasal sinus (2), and salivary glands (1). Thirty-two (82%) patients presented with stage IV disease. After the completion of induction chemotherapy, 14 (36%, 95% CI 21-53%) patients achieved a complete response (CR). This CR rate was increased to 56% (95% CI, 42-74%) after locoregional treatment. Main toxicities included nausea/vomiting (56%), leukopenia (40%), anemia (30%), thrombocytopenia (10%), stomatitis (28%), diarrhea (17%), and alopecia (12%). Median relapse-free survival was 18 (1-50) months, median time to progression was 13 (0.3-58.5) months, and median survival 19 (0.3-59) months. Induction chemotherapy with cisplatin and fluorouracil followed by radiation potentiated with carboplatin is feasible. However, this combined modality approach, as applied in the present study, does not appear to yield superior results than those reported with chemotherapy followed by radiation alone.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Migraine of gastrointestinal origin.

UNLABELLED: A consecutive series of 31 children (median age 12 years) suffering from migraine with (n = 21) or without (n = 10) aura underwent endoscopic oesophageal, gastric and duodenal biopsy in order to determine whether the complaints were of gastro-intestinal origin. Of these 31 children, 13 (41.9%) showed oesophagitis, 16 (51.6%) gastritis of corpus, 12 (38.7%) antral gastritis and 27 (87.1%) duodenitis. Thus, 29 of the 31 children studied had an underlying inflammatory lesion explaining their complaints. Helicobacter pylori colonization was found in 7 of the children: one had H. pylori associated antral and corporal gastritis and 6 H. pylori associated antral gastritis only. Gastritis of corpus without H. pylori was present in all these 6 children. Our data do not support that H. pylori is a primary pathogen of inflammatory changes seen in children studied, neither do they establish an association between H. pylori, antral gastritis and migraine. However, our data strongly suggest that there is a gastro-intestinal origin of these patients' complaints. CONCLUSION: Our findings provide further evidence that recurrent abdominal pain is an early expression of migraine and strongly support a causal link between recurrent abdominal pain and migraine.

Abdominal Pain↗
PubMed1994

Extragonadal choriocarcinoma in a patient with Down syndrome.

There are several reports suggesting that there is a higher incidence of leukemia and testicular cancer in patients with Down syndrome. Fifteen patients with Down syndrome and testicular cancer were previously reported. The median age at diagnosis of testicular cancer was 18 years, (range: 3-45). The histologic subtypes were seminoma in 9 patients, not specified in 2 patients, and 1 patient each of adenocarcinoma, yolk sac, embryonal, and teratocarcinoma. In this article we describe a case of extragonadal choriocarcinoma in a patient with Down syndrome. To our knowledge, this is the first case ever reported. The patient had a complete remission following chemotherapy with cisplatin, etoposide, and bleomycin and is disease-free with a follow-up of 32 months. Patients with Down syndrome and advanced testicular cancer should be treated with potentially curative chemotherapy.

Abdominal Neoplasms↗
PubMed1992

Recurrent abdominal pain of gastro-intestinal origin.

A consecutive series of 71 children (mean age 8.6 years) with recurrent abdominal pain underwent endoscopic oesophageal, gastric and duodenal biopsy in order to determine whether the pain was of gastro-intestinal origin. Of these 71 children, 27 (38%) showed oesophagitis, 14 (20%) cardiac gastritis, 29 (41%) body gastritis, 38 (54%) antral gastritis, and 29 (41%) duodenitis. Thus, 66 of the 71 children studied had an inflammatory lesion explaining their complaints. One of the patients had a gastric ulcer. Helicobacter pylori colonisation was found in 5 of the children: One had H. pylori associated antral and body gastritis and 4 H. pylori associated antral gastritis only. Body gastritis without H. pylori was present in three of these four children. Our data do not support the widespread assumption that recurrent abdominal pain for which no medical cause can be found, is psychogenic; neither do they establish an association between H. pylori antral gastritis and recurrent abdominal pain. However, our data provide strong evidence that there is a gastro-intestinal origin of these patients' complaints.

Abdominal Pain↗
PubMed1991

Platinum-based induction chemotherapy followed by radiation as definitive treatment for patients with locally advanced cancer of the oral cavity, oropharynx and hypopharynx. A retrospective analysis of 32 cases.

Thirty-two patients with locally advanced cancer of oral cavity, oropharynx and hypopharynx were treated with three cycles of platinum-based induction chemotherapy followed by radiation therapy. After completion of the combined treatment 50% of the patients were in complete response (CR) and 28% in partial response (PR). So far, 24 patients have died. Local progression occurred in 20 patients. Survival is 29% at 24 months. Seven (22%) patients remain alive and have been disease-free for 22-59 months. In conclusion, induction chemotherapy followed by radiation therapy may omit radical surgery, without compromising survival, in some patients with locally advanced cancer of the oral cavity, oropharynx and hypopharynx.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Induction chemotherapy with a new regimen alternating cisplatin, fluorouracil with mitomycin, hydroxyurea and bleomycin in carcinomas of nasopharynx or other sites of the head and neck region.

Sixty-six patients with locally advanced (Stages III and IV) carcinoma of the head and neck were treated with three cycles of induction chemotherapy, consisting of cisplatin, fluorouracil (FU) infusion, bleomycin, mitomycin, and hydroxyurea, followed by radiotherapy and/or surgery. There were 48 men and 18 women with a median age of 55 years (range, 18 to 75 years) and Karnofsky performance status of 80 (range, 40 to 90). Primary site was nasopharynx (28 patients), followed by larynx (12) and others (26). Forty-one (62%) patients were presented with Stage IV disease. The response rate to induction chemotherapy was 27% complete response, 50% partial response, 20% stable disease, and 3% progressive disease. There was no significant difference in response rate between patients with cancer of nasopharynx or other sites (P greater than 0.1). Survival was 61% at 24 months. Patients with cancer of nasopharynx had a better survival than those with other primaries (P = 0.033). Toxicities from chemotherapy included alopecia (73%), nausea/vomiting (66%), leukopenia (54%), stomatitis (36%), anemia (32%), thrombocytopenia (16%), and diarrhea (9%). Grade IV toxicity was not observed. Induction chemotherapy with this new regimen resulted in a high response rate but may not be superior to cisplatin and FU alone. It can be safely combined with radiotherapy as a potentially curative therapy in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Chemotherapy followed by radiation therapy may yield survival similar to radical surgery in laryngeal and other head and neck cancers.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

p53 and bcl-2 expression in locally advanced squamous cell head-neck cancer treated with platinum based chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

BACKGROUND: The role of apoptosis regulating oncoproteins in defining response to cytotoxic therapy remains poorly understood. Loss of wild type p53 function and bcl-2 protein overexpression are well known to inhibit the apoptotic pathway in in vitro studies. METHODS: We immunohistochemically examined the nuclear accumulation of mutant p53 and the cytoplasmic overexpression of bcl-2 proteins in 76 patients with locally advanced inoperable squamous cell cancer of the head and neck area. Patients were treated with platinum based chemotherapy and radiotherapy (37 with induction and 39 with concurrent chemotherapy). The median follow up period was 72 months. RESULTS: Thirty five (46%) cases were positive for p53 and 41 (54%) negative, whilst 19 (25%) and 57 (75%) cases were positive and negative for bcl-2 respectively. A high percentage of bcl-2 positive cells was associated with a low incidence of nodal involvement. A statistically significant higher percentage of p53 positive cells was observed in the group of patients with complete disappearance of the disease as compared to the group with residual disease after treatment (p = 0.01). High percentage of p53 positive cells and concurrent chemoradiotherapy was associated with better local progression free survival (p = 0.05 and 0.02). In multivariate analysis, the type of chemotherapy (concurrent vs. induction) was the only significant prognostic variable for local relapse (p = 0.02) and overall survival (p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: The present study provides evidence that p53 nuclear accumulation may be associated with better response to DNA damaging cytotoxic agents. The association of wild type p53 loss with decreased DNA repair enzyme activity is a possible explanation. Induction platinum based chemotherapy may contribute to the selection of clonogenic cells with a radioresistant phenotype.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗