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Cytotoxic Treatment (cytotoxic + treatment)
Selected AbstractsGonadal dysfunction in male cancer patients before cytotoxic treatmentINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ANDROLOGY, Issue 1 2010Niels J. Van Casteren Summary Male patients diagnosed with cancer are often referred for semen cryopreservation before gonadotoxic treatment but often have low semen quality. The aim of this study was to evaluate which type of cancer affects gonadal function and proposes a risk factor for low pre-treatment semen quality. Between January 1983 and August 2006, 764 male cancer patients were referred for semen cryopreservation prior to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. We compared semen characteristics and reproductive hormones between different groups of cancer patients. In addition, we evaluated the role of tumour markers in patients with testicular germ-cell tumours (TGCT) on fertility. Abnormal semen parameters were found in 489 men (64%) before cancer treatment. Patients with TGCT and extragonadal germ-cell tumours had significantly lower sperm concentrations and inhibin B levels than all other patient groups. No semen could be banked in 93 patients (12.2%). Eight hundred and thirty-nine of 927 (90%) produced semen samples were adequate for cryopreservation. Inhibin B in all groups showed to be the best predictor of semen quality. Although pre-treatment raised tumour markers were associated with a decrease in inhibin B and increased follicle stimulating hormone, both predictive for low semen quality; no direct linear association could be found between raised beta-HCG, alfa-fetoprotein and semen quality. Only 1/3 of cancer patients had normal semen parameters prior to cancer treatment. Patients with TGCT and extragonadal GCT have the highest risk for impaired semen quality and gonadal dysfunction at the time of semen cryopreservation. [source] Monitoring cytotoxic tumour treatment response by diffusion magnetic resonance imaging and proton spectroscopyNMR IN BIOMEDICINE, Issue 1 2002Risto A. Kauppinen Abstract Exposure of tumours to anti-cancer drugs, gene or radiation therapy consistently leads to an increase in water diffusion in the cases expressing favourable treatment response. The diffusion change coincides cytotoxic cell eradication and precedes volume reduction in drug or gene therapy-treated experimental tumours. Interestingly, the recent studies from human brain tumour patients undergoing chemotherapy show similar behaviour of diffusion, suggesting important application for MRI in patient management. In this review observations from diffusion MRI and MRS in the tumours during cytotoxic treatment are summarized and the cellular mechanisms affecting molecular mobility are discussed in the light of tissue microenvironmental and microdynamic changes. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Biocompatibility and Calcification of Bovine Pericardium Employed for the Construction of Cardiac Bioprostheses Treated With Different Chemical Crosslink MethodsARTIFICIAL ORGANS, Issue 5 2010Eduardo Jorge-Herrero Abstract The use of biological materials in the construction of bioprostheses requires the application of different chemical procedures to improve the durability of the material without producing any undesirable effects. A number of crosslinking methods have been tested in biological tissues composed mainly of collagen. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro biocompatibility, the mechanical properties, and in vivo calcification of chemically modified bovine pericardium using glutaraldehyde acetals (GAAs) in comparison with glutaraldehyde (GA) treatment. Homsy's tests showed that the most cytotoxic treatment is GA whereas GAA treatments showed lower cytotoxicity. Regarding the mechanical properties of the modified materials, no significant differences in stress at rupture were detected among the different treatments. Zeta-Potential showed higher negative values for GA treatment (,4.9 ± 0.6 mV) compared with GAA-0.625% (,2.2 ± 0.5 mV) and GAA-1% (,2.2 ± 0.4 mV), which presented values similar to native tissue. Similar results were obtained for calcium permeability coefficients which showed the highest values for GA treatment (0.12 ± 0.02 mm2/min), being significantly lower for GAA treatments or non-crosslinked pericardium. These results confirmed the higher propensity of the GA-treated tissues for attraction of calcium cations and were in good agreement with the calcification degree obtained after 60 days implantation into young rats, which was significantly higher for the GA group (22.70 ± 20.80 mg/g dry tissue) compared with GAA-0.625% and GAA-1% groups (0.49 ± 0.28 mg/g dry tissue and 3.51 ± 3.27 mg/g dry tissue, respectively; P < 0.001). In conclusion, GAA treatments can be considered a promising alternative to GA treatment. [source] Assessment of tumor oxygenation by electron paramagnetic resonance: principles and applicationsNMR IN BIOMEDICINE, Issue 5 2004Bernard Gallez Abstract This review paper attempts to provide an overview of the principles and techniques that are often termed electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) oximetry. The paper discusses the potential of such methods and illustrates they have been successfully applied to measure oxygen tension, an essential parameter of the tumor microenvironment. To help the reader understand the motivation for carrying out these measurements, the importance of tumor hypoxia is first discussed: the basic issues of why a tumor is hypoxic, why these hypoxic microenvironments promote processes driving malignant progression and why hypoxia dramatically influences the response of tumors to cytotoxic treatments will be explained. The different methods that have been used to estimate the oxygenation in tumors will be reviewed. To introduce the basics of EPR oximetry, the specificity of in vivo EPR will be discussed by comparing this technique with NMR and MRI. The different types of paramagnetic oxygen sensors will be presented, as well as the methods for recording the information (EPR spectroscopy, EPR imaging, dynamic nuclear polarization). Several applications of EPR for characterizing tumor oxygenation will be illustrated, with a special emphasis on pharmacological interventions that modulate the tumor microenvironment. Finally, the challenges for transposing the method into the clinic will also be discussed. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Optimizing the frequency of outpatient short-contact dithranol treatment used in combination with broadband ultraviolet B for psoriasis: a randomized, within-patient controlled trialBRITISH JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 6 2003S.R. Mcbride Summary Background Recent concerns over the side-effects of psoralen plus ultraviolet (UV) A, immunosuppressive and cytotoxic treatments have led to increased interest in dithranol for treatment of psoriasis. Few studies have investigated how frequently dithranol should be applied. Dithranol-induced inflammation is maximal at 48,72 h, suggesting that daily application of dithranol may not be optimal. Objectives To investigate the effectiveness of five times weekly application of short-contact dithranol (SCD) compared with three times weekly application in a dedicated hospital outpatient treatment unit. Methods A randomized, within-patient, controlled study was performed. Patients had SCD applied five times weekly to one half of the body, and three times weekly to the other side. Whole-body UVB irradiation was given 5 days a week. Patients were assessed weekly for 8 weeks. Principal outcome measures were percentage reduction in modified Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (mPASI) at the end of study and time to 50% improvement in mPASI score. Results Twenty-nine patients were recruited; four were excluded from analysis. Mean percentage reduction in mPASI score at the end of study for five times weekly application was 57·3% (95% confidence interval, CI 39·6,75·0%) and for three times weekly application was 55·4% (95% CI 37·8,73·1%; P = 0·34). Mean time to 50% improvement in mPASI for five times weekly treatment was 4·1 weeks and for three times weekly treatment was 4·0 weeks (P = 0·50). There was no difference in the frequency or severity of burning episodes for each side. Conclusions This study suggests that three times weekly application of SCD may be as effective as five times weekly when used in conjunction with UVB administered five times weekly. Large studies of whole-body comparisons are warranted to assess further the optimal frequency of SCD and UVB therapy for psoriasis. [source] | ||||||||||