Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0018681 (headache)
 56,091 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The role of combination chemotherapy in the treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer is controversial. At best, a small survival benefit can be achieved. Therefore, other treatment modalities are needed. On the basis of the promising treatment results with interleukin-2 (IL-2) -containing immunotherapy in renal cell cancer and melanoma, we performed a phase I-II study with IL-2 and interferon alpha (IFN-alpha). Eligible patients were treated with IL-2 18 x 10(6) IU/m2/day by continuous intravenous infusion (c.i.v.) for 3 days. On the same days, 5 x 10(6) U/m2/day IFN-alpha was given intramuscularly. After a rest period of 4 days, patients at the first dose level received IL-2 2.4 x 10(6) IU/m2/day c.i.v. for a period of 28 days, followed by 14 days' rest, 14 days' treatment, 7 days' rest, and a final treatment for 14 days. Patients at the second dose level were treated according to the same schedule, in which the dose of IL-2 was increased to 3.6 x 10(6) IU/m2/day. During low-dose IL-2 treatment, patients received IFN-alpha 5 x 10(6) U/m2/day on days 1 and 4 of each week. Eleven patients were admitted to the study, six at the first and five at the second dose level. Median age was 54 years; all patients had a performance status of 0 or 1. The most important adverse effects included anorexia, fatigue, nausea, and headache, which were not dose limiting. In the 11 patients treated, no responses were seen. Nine patients developed progressive disease during the first 5 weeks of treatment. We concluded that this regimen of IL-2 and IFN-alpha is ineffective.
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PMID:Interleukin-2 and interferon-alpha in the treatment of patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. 132 67

The chemistry, biological activity, and pharmacokinetics of gamma-interferon and recombinant interferon gamma are reviewed, and the agent's clinical efficacy, adverse effects, and dosage and administration for the treatment of chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) and other disorders are described. Endogenous gamma-interferon is a 166-amino-acid protein encoded by a single gene on chromosome 12. Recombinant human interferon gamma is purified from Escherichia coli as a monomer containing 139 amino acids. Gamma-interferon has antiviral, immunomodulatory, and antiproliferative activity. Serum concentrations of recombinant interferon gamma increase in proportion to the dose. Clearance after i.m. or s.c. administration fits a two-compartment model. The half-life is 3.5-7.5 hours, and bioavailability is 89%. Evidence that recombinant interferon gamma can enhance phagocytic oxidative metabolism led to its evaluation for use in the treatment of CGD. Clinical studies showed that the agent decreases the frequency of serious infections in patients with CGD. Recombinant interferon gamma has shown only limited success in the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC), both as a single agent and in combination with recombinant interferon alfa. Similarly, although interferons appear to be able to change cytogenetic abnormalities in some patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myelogenous leukemia, therapy with recombinant interferon gamma has led to minimal success. However, the agent has produced some encouraging results in atopic dermatitis. The adverse effects of recombinant interferon gamma in patients with CGD usually consist only of fever, chills, headache, and erythema. The recommended dosage in CGD-afflicted children whose body surface area is greater than 0.5 sq m is 50 micrograms/sq m given by s.c. injection three times a week for life. Recombinant interferon gamma has given new hope to patients with CGD. Although the drug is very expensive, the cost may be offset by fewer hospitalizations to treat infection.
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PMID:Recombinant interferon gamma for treatment of chronic granulomatous disease and other disorders. 134 90

Fifteen patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) were treated by administration of autologous lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells given together with systemic administration of interleukin-2 (IL-2). Pulmonary metastases alone were found in 10 cases, pulmonary and mediastinal nodal metastases in 3, and pulmonary and bone metastases in 2. LAK cells, generated by incubation in 700 units/ml of IL-2 for 3-4 days, were intravenously administered once a week. In addition, beginning on the day of the first LAK cell infusion, 3.5 x 10(5) units of IL-2 were intravenously infused once or twice a day with occasional supplementation of 3.5 x 10(5) units of IL-2 on each day of LAK cell infusion. The total number of LAK cells and total amount of IL-2 administered per patient in this study ranged from 0.8 x 10(10) to 6.9 x 10(10) cells and from 10.2 x 10(6) to 74.9 x 10(6) units, respectively. As toxic effects caused by the infusion of LAK cells, headache, shaking chills, fever and leukocytosis were found in all cases. Side effects possibly induced by IL-2 infusion were tolerable fever, fluid retention (body weight gain of 2-3 kg) and eosinophilia. Out of 15 patients, a partial response was observed in 4 patients who had pulmonary metastases alone. One of the 4 patients with a partial response was clinically free of disease after undergoing a thoracotomy for resection of residual lesions, but a brain metastasis was detected 10 months after the thoracotomy. The remaining 3 patients are being closely followed up at present.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:[Lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) therapy for metastatic renal cell carcinoma]. 148 86

A rare case of renal cell carcinoma metastasizing to the choroid plexus of the lateral ventricle is reported. A 59-year-old woman was admitted to our institution on November 26, 1987 complaining of left-half headache for one month. She had a past history of right nephrectomy due to renal cell carcinoma 4 years before admission, and of right radical mastectomy due to breast cancer 10 years before admission. She had no abnormal neurological findings and laboratory results were normal. CT scan revealed a well-circumscribed, apparently homogeneously enhancing mass in the left lateral ventricle with mild ventricular dilatation. Left vertebral angiogram showed a tumor stain fed by the left posterior choroidal artery. The most likely diagnosis was thought to be metastasis of renal cell carcinoma. The patient underwent the operation for tumor removal via the posterior interhemispheric transcallosal approach 14 days after admission. A histological examination of the tumor determined the diagnosis of clear-cell type renal cell carcinoma. The operation was uneventful and the patient was discharged 20 days after operation without neurological deficit. But she had recent-memory disturbance, low activity, and gait disturbance in May 1989. CT scan revealed ventricular dilatation and tumor recurrence at the same site. She also suffered from diabetes due to the regrowth and invasion of primary tumor to the pancreas. She was discharged free of neurological defects after ventriculo-peritoneal shunt. In December 1989, she gradually deteriorated due to the regrowth of the intraventricular metastatic lesion, and now she is bedridden. Choroid plexus metastasis is quite rare, and, to our knowledge, only three cases have been described.
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PMID:[Renal cell carcinoma metastasizing to choroid plexus of lateral ventricle; a case report]. 157 73

Colony-stimulating factors (CSFs) are hematopoietic growth hormones that stimulate the production, maturation, and function of white blood cells. The best studied are granulocyte-macrophage CSF (GM-CSF) and granulocyte CSF (G-CSF), both of which can be produced by recombinant DNA technology. Clinical indications for these agents include bone marrow failure secondary to administration of chemotherapeutic drugs or radiation, bone marrow transplantation, and a variety of congenital or iatrogenic neutropenias. Toxicity in usual clinical doses is mild, and consists mainly of bone pain and constitutional symptoms such as fever, headache, and myalgias. Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is a lymphokine that stimulates that multiplication of several types of killer cells. These cells can recognize and destroy foreign substances, such as tumors, without destroying normal cells. Major applications of IL-2 include treatment of patients with renal cell carcinoma, in whom the overall objective response rate is 15-30 percent, and malignant melanoma with response rates of about 18 percent. Combination therapy with other biologics and conventional cytotoxic drugs may increase IL-2's efficacy against these tumors. Toxicity is generally severe, but reversible. Hemodynamic toxicity, consisting of hypotension, edema, weight gain, and decreased renal function, is most characteristic. Suggestions are given for pharmacologic management of these and other IL-2 toxicities.
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PMID:Clinical use of biologic response modifiers in cancer treatment: an overview. Part II. Colony-stimulating factors and interleukin-2. 171 21

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) Canada Clinical Trials Group conducted a phase II study of recombinant tumor necrosis factor (rTNF) given intravenously daily for 5 days every other week, in measurable metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Two of 26 patients responded with responses lasting greater than 200 days. Toxicity was severe including rigors, fever, headache, fatigue, hypotension, and localized pain. We conclude that rTNF, given as described, has only modest antitumor activity in renal cell carcinoma and produces considerable toxicity. We plan no further studies of rTNF in this disease.
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PMID:A phase II study of recombinant tumor necrosis factor in renal cell carcinoma: a study of the National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical Trials Group. 173 50

Fourteen patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) were treated by systemic administration of autologous lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells and interleukin-2 (IL-2). Pulmonary metastases alone were found in 9 cases, pulmonary and mediastinal nodal metastases in 3, and pulmonary and bone metastases in 2. LAK cells, generated by incubation in 2 units/ml of IL 2 for 3-4 days, were intravenously administered once or twice a week. In addition, beginning on the day of the first LAK cell infusion, 1000 units of IL 2 diluted in normal saline were intravenously infused once or twice a day with occasional supplementation of 1000 units of IL-2 on each day of LAK cell infusion. The total number of LAK cells and total amount of IL-2 administered per patient in this study ranged from 0.8 x 10(10) to 6.9 x 10(10) cells and from 3.3 x 10(4) to 21.4 x 10(4) units, respectively. As toxic effects caused by the infusion of LAK cells, headache, shaking chills, fever and leukocytosis were found in all 14 cases. Side effects possibly induced by IL-2 infusion were tolerable fever, fluid retention (body weight gain of 2-3 kg) and eosinophilia. No objective regression of mediastinal nodal or bone metastases was observed. In regard to lung metastases, however, partial and minor responses were observed in 3 and 2 cases, respectively. One of the 3 patients with a partial response was clinically free of disease after undergoing a thoracotomy for resection of residual lesions, but a brain metastasis was detected 10 months after the thoracotomy. The remaining 2 patients are being closely followed up at present. In 3 of 11 patients who showed a minor response, no change or progressive disease, brain metastases were observed during or after the immunotherapy. Furthermore, we examined the possibility of selection of suitable candidates for this therapy on the basis of the degree of in vitro LAK activity against autologous cultured tumor cells in 6 patients, but there was no significant correlation between in vitro autologous tumor cell lysis by LAK cells and the clinical response to immunotherapy. In conclusion, although a complete response could not be obtained, it can be said that this immunotherapy may be effective against RCC, in particular lung metastases, since a partial response was achieved in 3 of 14 patients. However, it should be taken into consideration that this immunotherapeutic approach may have a risk of increasing the frequency of brain metastases.
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PMID:[Usefulness and limitation of immunotherapy of metastatic renal cell carcinoma with autologous lymphokine-activated killer cells and interleukin 2]. 207 2

We report a case of solitary brain metastasis from renal cell carcinoma (RCC) 14 years after nephrectomy. A 46-year-old female had sudden onset of headaches, aphasia, gait disturbance and right hemiparesis. A brain CT revealed a cystic tumor in the left parietal area, which was surgically removed completely. Microscopic appearances of the brain tumor were similar to those of the primary RCC. Positive immunoreaction for epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) and keratin confirmed the diagnosis of metastatic RCC. This is the second case of solitary brain metastasis from RCC occurring more than 10 years after nephrectomy.
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PMID:Solitary brain metastasis from renal cell carcinoma 14 years after nephrectomy: a case report. 207 81

Brain metastases from renal cell carcinoma are uncommon. The present study was undertaken to determine the value of routine computerized tomographic (CT) scanning of the brain in patients with renal cell carcinoma. A review of 106 patients with renal cell carcinoma who had undergone CT scan of the brain revealed brain metastases in only 13.2 percent. Brain metastases were accompanied by central nervous system (CNS) symptoms in 78.6 percent of patients, with headaches constituting the most common presenting symptom (64.3%). Brain metastases were detected in only 3.3 percent of patients who had no CNS symptoms at the time of evaluation. It is concluded that CT scanning of the brain should be performed routinely only for those patients who report CNS symptoms at the time of evaluation.
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PMID:Low incidence of asymptomatic brain metastases in patients with renal cell carcinoma. 221 5

Prognostic factors for survival were analyzed retrospectively in 214 patients with brain metastases of the solid tumour type. The most frequent neurological signs and symptoms at diagnosis of cerebral involvement were headache-nausea-vomiting and focal weakness. Similar numbers of patients were found to have solitary metastasis and multiple lesions. Non-small cell lung cancer, small cell lung cancer, breast cancer, melanoma, and renal cell cancer comprised the majority of the primaries. Most patients received high-dose corticosteroids, while in a third, anticonvulsant agents were administered. Of 157 patients treated with radiation alone, or surgery with or without radiation, 110 experienced alleviation of symptoms or stabilisation of the disease. In 38 patients with a solitary lesion, craniotomy was carried out, either with or without postoperative radiation; the latter group showed the longest survival with a median of 37 wk. The remaining group of 73 patients with one brain metastasis had a median survival of only 15 wk. The 69 patients with multiple lesions who had been irradiated had a median survival of 15 wk, while that for 34 untreated patients was 7 wk. A short median survival of 11 and 13 wk, respectively, was observed in patients with concurrent progressive extracerebral disease and in those with progressive neurological symptoms regardless of treatment. It is concluded that in patients with a solitary brain metastasis without progressive extracerebral disease surgery should be considered the treatment of first choice aiming at a long-term survival with a good quality of life.
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PMID:Palliative care for brain metastases of solid tumour types. 246 70


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