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Effective Chemotherapy (effective + chemotherapy)
Selected AbstractsAcquired pure red cell aplasia associated with malignant lymphomas: A nationwide cohort study in Japan for the PRCA Collaborative Study GroupAMERICAN JOURNAL OF HEMATOLOGY, Issue 3 2009Makoto Hirokawa Pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) has been reported in association with lymphoma as one of the autoimmune diseases seen during the course of lymphoid malignancies. However, the relation of PRCA with the underlying lymphomas remains unclear. The aim of this study was to clarify the histologic subtypes of lymphomas, the chronological sequence of anemia and lymphoma, and the response to treatment. We conducted a nationwide survey in Japan. From a cohort of 185 PRCA patients, 8 patients with lymphoma were evaluated. Histologic subtypes varied and the lymphoma was of the B-cell type in four cases and of the T-cell type in four. Four patients simultaneously developed PRCA and lymphoma. Three patients developed PRCA following lymphoma, two of whom developed anemia during remission of lymphoma. PRCA preceded lymphoma in one patient. Effective chemotherapy was associated with remission of anemia in concurrent lymphoma and PRCA. Overall, anemia responded to chemotherapy and/or immunosuppressive therapy in seven patients. In four responding patients, PRCA remained in durable remission without maintenance immunosuppressive therapy, which is different from a recurrent feature of idiopathic PRCA. We suggest that the mechanism of lymphoma-associated PRCA is heterogeneous and that durable maintenance-free remission of anemia can be obtained in some patients. Am. J. Hematol., 2009. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Involved field radiotherapy for limited stage Hodgkin lymphoma: balancing treatment efficacy against long-term toxicitiesHEMATOLOGICAL ONCOLOGY, Issue 3 2009Jayant S. Goda Abstract Limited stage Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) refers to patients with stage IA or IIA disease in the absence of any bulky mass or unfavourable prognostic factors. In this group, the long-term disease control with treatment can be expected in more than 90%, and management has now been directed to make strategies to reduce late morbidities related to therapy. With the advent of very effective chemotherapy, the role of radiation therapy has evolved from a first line single modality treatment, to an adjuvant therapy following brief cycles of chemotherapy. Optimal radiation volume and dose parameters have been refined in the combined modality setting. Furthermore, with the progress in diagnostic functional imaging and advances in radiotherapy, it is possible to accurately deliver low to moderate doses of radiation to defined regions resulting in durable control of disease. This review will evaluate the literature that shapes the current standard of care in limited stage Hodgkin lymphoma with special emphasis on the use of limited field radiotherapy. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The role of the histopathologist in the management of testicular germ cell tumour in adultsHISTOPATHOLOGY, Issue 3 2001M C Parkinson In the last 20,30 years the availability of effective chemotherapy and more accurate clinical staging has greatly improved the prognosis for patients with testicular germ cell tumours. Initially, such treatment appeared to diminish the role of histopathology to the distinction between seminoma and nonseminomatous germ cell tumour (NSGCT) in the primary specimen. However, histopathology has evolved as a prognostic tool indicating the risk of relapse in various defined clinical contexts thereby facilitating therapeutic decisions. The clinical emphasis has been on quality of life and reduction of therapy both in terms of the number of patients treated and the number of chemotherapy courses given to each patient. The treatment of adult testicular germ cell tumours may differ between countries but protocols are established. Therefore it is appropriate to discuss the role of histopathology during this era of relative therapeutic stability. [source] Treatment of late-stage Sézary syndrome with 2-ChlorodeoxyadenosineINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 6 2002Saskia A. Bouwhuis MD Background, 2-Chlorodeoxyadenosine (2-CdA), a purine adenosine analog, is safe and effective chemotherapy for patients with hairy cell leukemia and low-grade lymphomas. Adverse effects include neutropenia, lymphocytopenia, and infectious complications. Our objective was to evaluate the efficacy of 2-CdA (2,6 seven-day cycles) in the treatment of late-stage, recalcitrant Sézary syndrome. Methods, Retrospective review of medical records of six patients with Sézary syndrome who had received 2-CdA cycles at Mayo Clinic, Rochester between March 1995 and March 2000. Variables assessed from the records included improvement in global appearance, extent of erythroderma, size of lymph nodes, pruritus, and leukocyte, lymphocyte, and absolute Sézary cell counts. Results, Two patients, both with stage III Sézary syndrome, whose previous treatment consisted of only two modalities, responded well to the treatment, with moderate to total clearing of erythroderma and pruritus associated with a significant decrease in Sézary cell counts. The other four patients had only a partial response (one patient) or no response (three patients) to 2-CdA. The mortality rate was 50%. All three patients died of Staphylococcus aureus sepsis. However, only one patient was receiving 2-CdA treatment when he died. The other two patients died 8 and 9 weeks after the last 2-CdA cycle. This high mortality rate is attributed to infectious complications after 2-CdA treatment in patients with recalcitrant disease. Conclusion, 2-Chlorodeoxyadenosine shows efficacy in stage III Sézary syndrome, but it also carries a substantial risk of septic complications and mortality. It can be used if no other suitable alternatives are available. Caution should be exercised in all these patients regarding skin care and avoidance of infections or sepsis. [source] Liver tumors: Pediatric population,LIVER TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 11 2008Milton J. Finegold Liver tumors in childhood are rare and are typically not detected clinically until they reach a large size and often spread within the organ or metastasize. This can make surgical resection problematic, and almost all of them require extirpation for cure. With very effective chemotherapy for hepatoblastoma and to some extent for sarcomas, many cancers can be shrunk to permit partial hepatectomy, but for most hepatocarcinomas, some of the other malignancies, and even some benign proliferations, their location at the hilum and multiplicity of masses in multiple lobes make transplantation the treatment of choice. Major advances in diagnostic imaging, especially enhanced computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, permit a preoperative choice of resection versus transplantation to be achieved in almost all instances, and for the remainder, intraoperative ultrasonography can further help to determine the most desirable approach. The outcome is very much better in the case of hepatoblastoma when transplantation is a primary modality rather than following unsuccessful attempts at resection. In this review, transplantation for liver tumors in children is considered from all aspects, including the importance of screening for tumors whenever possible to avoid the need for transplantation. Liver Transpl 14:1545,1556, 2008. © 2008 AASLD. [source] Tuberculosis and leprosy in perspectiveAMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue S49 2009Anne C. Stone Abstract Two of humankind's most socially and psychologically devastating diseases, tuberculosis and leprosy, have been the subject of intensive paleopathological research due to their antiquity, a presumed association with human settlement and subsistence patterns, and their propensity to leave characteristic lesions on skeletal and mummified remains. Despite a long history of medical research and the development of effective chemotherapy, these diseases remain global health threats even in the 21st century, and as such, their causative agents Mycobacterium tuberculosis and M. leprae, respectively, have recently been the subject of molecular genetics research. The new genome-level data for several mycobacterial species have informed extensive phylogenetic analyses that call into question previously accepted theories concerning the origins and antiquity of these diseases. Of special note is the fact that all new models are in broad agreement that human TB predated that in other animals, including cattle and other domesticates, and that this disease originated at least 35,000 years ago and probably closer to 2.6 million years ago. In this work, we review current phylogenetic and biogeographic models derived from molecular biology and explore their implications for the global development of TB and leprosy, past and present. In so doing, we also briefly review the skeletal evidence for TB and leprosy, explore the current status of these pathogens, critically consider current methods for identifying ancient mycobacterial DNA, and evaluate coevolutionary models. Yrbk Phys Anthropol 52:66,94, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Methylthioadenosine phosphorylase and activated insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor/insulin receptor: potential therapeutic targets in chordoma,THE JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY, Issue 5 2010Josh Sommer Abstract Currently there is no effective chemotherapy for chordoma. Recent studies report co-expression of insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF1R) and its cognate ligand in chordoma, but it is unknown whether this receptor tyrosine kinase is activated in these tumours. Additionally, genetic studies have confirmed frequent deletions of chromosome 9p in chordomas, which encompasses the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A (CDKN2A) locus. Another gene in this region, methylthioadenosine phosphorylase (MTAP), is an essential enzyme of the purine salvage pathway and has therapeutic relevance because MTAP-deficient cells are particularly sensitive to inhibitors of de novo purine synthesis. We investigated whether these pathways might be potential therapeutic targets for chordoma. Paraffin-embedded tissue samples from 30 chordomas were analysed by immunohistochemistry for expression of the phosphorylated isoforms of IGF1R or the insulin receptor (pIGF1R/pIR) and selected downstream signalling molecules, including BCL2-associated agonist of cell death protein (BAD). Expression of CDKN2A and MTAP proteins was also assessed. Skeletal chondrosarcomas, benign notochordal cell tumours, and fetal notochord were studied for comparison. Phosphorylated IGF1R/IR was detected in 41% of chordomas, together with activated downstream signalling molecules, and pIGF1R/pIR was absent in benign notochordal cell tumours and fetal notochord. Thirty-nine per cent of chordomas were negative for MTAP immunoreactivity. Patients with pIGF1R/pIR-positive tumours showed significantly decreased median disease-free survival in multivariate survival analysis (p = 0.036), whereas phosphorylation of BAD at serine-99 was found to be associated with a favourable prognosis (p = 0.002). Approximately 40% of chordomas demonstrate evidence of activation of the IGF1R/IR signalling pathway or loss of a key enzyme in the purine salvage pathway. Aberrant signalling cascades and disrupted metabolic pathways such as these may represent opportunities for novel targeted therapeutic approaches for the treatment of chordoma. Copyright © 2009 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Analysis of risk factors for persistent gestational trophoblastic diseaseAUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNAECOLOGY, Issue 6 2009Soo-Keat KHOO Setting:, Persistent disease is a serious consequence of molar pregnancies. Its early detection is critical to effective chemotherapy. Therefore, determination of risk becomes an important clinical decision. Objectives:, To determine the relative risk of persistent disease in a cohort of patients with partial and complete molar pregnancies by analysis of five factors derived from a database using multivariate analysis. Results:, Of 686 patients, 78 developed persistent disease which required treatment (rate of 11.3%). Risk was markedly increased when serum human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) failed to reach negative by 12 weeks after evacuation [hazard ratio (HR) = 120.78, P < 0.001]. Risk was markedly decreased when the interval from last pregnancy exceeded 12 months (HR = 0.24, P = 0.005). Other factors such as patient's age, stage of gestation and serum HCG level at presentation were not found to be strongly associated with risk of persistent disease. Conclusion:, These findings support the application of the following two factors in risk prediction for molar pregnancies: > 12 weeks to become HCG negative and interval from last pregnancy < 12 months. They will contribute to a greater awareness of persistent disease and assist in early detection and effective chemotherapy. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||