Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0027627 (metastases)
 103,950 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

There are nine prospective randomized trials comparing induction chemotherapy with standard therapy published in either final form or as preliminary abstract reports. Only one of the six randomized trials critiqued was designed to account for all known prognostic factors, utilized an effective chemotherapy regimen, and had excellent compliance such that the numbers of patients completing the protocol were adequate to provide a valid statistical interpretation of the data. This was the VA cooperative group trial to preserve the larynx. Although this trial did not show a difference in survival between surgically treated patients and those who received induction chemotherapy, the larynx was preserved in two thirds of patients. The results of the other published trials cannot be considered conclusive owing to the flaws in design and interpretation noted in this review. These trials do confirm the feasibility of administering chemotherapy prior to surgery and RT and do confirm the prognostic importance of various factors suggested by the results of single institution trials. Induction chemotherapy has been tested for almost two decades. During this time we have learned the importance of treating intensively to obtain a high complete response rate. At one primary site, the larynx, it has been shown that 64% of patients can be rendered histologically disease-free after three courses of cisplatin and 5-FU. The results of three randomized trials indicate that induction chemotherapy can change the expected pattern of recurrence by decreasing the rate of distant metastases. This early systemic treatment of micrometastases may also reduce the mutation rate theorized for the development of drug resistance. The goals of future randomized trials should include the use of dose-intensive multidrug regimens to increase complete response rates, improve locoregional control, and decrease distant metastases. Induction chemotherapy trials with cisplatin and 5-FU should explore organ preservation at sites other than the larynx where significant functional impairment results from standard surgical approaches. Randomized trials must be carefully designed and rigorously conducted to ensure that the results and conclusions are valid. New regimens, perhaps incorporating growth factors, need to be identified and tested in this group of patients. Finally, improvement in survival must remain a primary goal of multimodality therapy for advanced head and neck cancer.
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PMID:Randomized trials of induction chemotherapy. A critical review. 189 63

The existing hypothesis of a viral etiology of penile cancer has been further supported. Exposure to ultraviolet radiation might be another etiologic factor. Controversies still exist as to whether immediate or delayed inguinal lymphadenectomy should be performed in all patients or only in those who are at high risk for developing metastases (histologic dedifferentiation, vascular invasion). 5-Fluorouracil, cisplatin, bleomycin, and methotrexate are active cytostatic drugs in penile cancer and may have a role in the multimodality treatment of this condition. The sensitivity of abdominal computed tomography in detecting adrenal tumors is reported to be 20% to 41%, and the specificity, 85% to 99%. Immunohistopathology may facilitate the differential diagnosis between malignant and benign adrenal cortical tumors. In a retrospective analysis of 105 patients with adrenal cortical cancer, the overall 5-year survival was 22%. Seventy-nine percent of the tumors were hormone producing. Mitotane yielded biochemical and objective responses without impact on survival.
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PMID:Penile and adrenal cancer. 189 24

From 1973 to 1986, 160 patients with adenocarcinoma localized to the prostate were treated with radical prostatectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy. In 78 (49%) patients more advanced stage of disease was found at surgery and they received local pelvic irradiation (RT). This consisted of 45 Gy for microscopic and 55 Gy for macroscopic residual disease. RT was given at 1.8 Gy a day, using the four-field "box" technique with the 23 MV X ray beam. Pelvic lymph node metastases were found in 28 (36%) patients who, in addition to RT, received systemic therapy: 20 with cyclophosphamide alone, 4 combined with 5-Fluorouracil, and 4 patients received DES. The 5- and 10-year overall actuarial survival was 95 and 77%, respectively, and the 5- and 10-year disease-free survival was 58 and 43%, respectively. Recurrent tumor was found in 34 (44%) patients. Of these 34 patients, 32 (94%) had distant metastatic tumor and 2 (6%) had local recurrence in the pelvis. The presence of metastatic disease in pelvic lymph nodes had clinical significance since it influenced disease-free survival and the incidence of tumor recurrence. The 10-year disease-free survival for the 50 patients with no lymph node metastases was 51%, as compared to 28% for the 28 patients with such metastases, p = 0.001. Similarly, recurrent tumor was found in 28% of the former and 68% of the latter patients, p = 0.002. Other important parameters predicting recurrence were: clinical stage, p = 0.018, histological grade, p = 0.013, and Gleason's grade, p = 0.002. This treatment program was very well tolerated and of low toxicity. There was no surgical mortality. Surgical complications were seen in 10 (13%) patients including: minor in 5 and major in 5. At 1 year, 77% of the patients remained continent, while 10% had mild stress incontinence. Of the remaining 13% only 3 (4%) patients had severe incontinence (greater than 5 pads daily). RT toxicity was mild with 38% experiencing diarrhea. Severe toxicity was seen in 2 (3%) patients who, early in the study, developed scrotal and lower extremity edema. Severe chemotherapy complications were seen in 1 (4%) patient who had severe neutropenic sepsis. Postoperative radiotherapy is a well tolerated, safe and effective treatment in patients who have microscopic or macroscopic residual tumor following radical prostatectomy.
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PMID:Radiotherapy following radical prostatectomy in patients with adenocarcinoma of the prostate. 191 24

There are reported preliminary results of a pilot-study in the postoperative adjuvant treatment of cervical carcinoma with involvement of the iliac lymph nodes. It was done a prospective randomized study. There were 3 groups of treatment: adjuvant chemotherapy with a combination of Cisplatin and 5-Fluorouracil over 6 cycles; adjuvant chemotherapy like in the first group over 3 cycles plus Telecobalt-irradiation till the doses of 50 Gy in the small pelvis; and postoperative irradiation with Telecobalt till the doses of 50 Gy in the small pelvis. The fate of 41 patients could be evaluated. There were no statistical differences between the 3 groups in age, histology, staging and follow-up. Also the survival rate and the rate of the disease-free time didn't show a significant difference, but it seems, that the chemotherapy with Cisplatin and 5-Fluorouracil could be able to improve the poor prognosis of the cervical carcinoma with metastases.
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PMID:[Efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy in metastasizing cervix carcinoma. A pilot study]. 192 29

One hundred ninety-two patients with primary epidermoid cancer of the anal canal were treated by a series of prospectively designed, sequential non-randomized protocols of radiation alone (RT), radiation with concurrent 5-Fluorouracil and Mitomycin C (FUMIR), or radiation with concurrent 5-Fluorouracil only (FUR). The 5-year cause-specific survival rates were 69% overall, 68% RT, 76% FUMIR, 64% FUR. The primary tumor was controlled by radiation with or without chemotherapy in 68% (130/191) overall, 56% (32/57) by RT, 86% (59/69) by FUMIR, 60% (39/65) by FUR. The results with FUMIR were significantly better than with either RT alone or FUR, and except in tumors up to 2 cm in size, this superiority was found in all T stages. Regional lymph node metastases were controlled in 33 of 38 (87%) overall. The finding of clinically detectable regional lymph node metastases at presentation did not affect survival significantly in any treatment group. Anorectal function was preserved in 88% of the patients in whom the primary tumor was controlled, and in 64% overall. The delivery of 5FU and MMC concurrently with uninterrupted radical irradiation, 50 Gy in 20 fractions in 4 weeks, produced severe acute and late normal tissue morbidity. Split course treatment, and reduction of the daily fractional dose to 2 Gy, diminished the severity of normal tissue damage. Omission of Mitomycin C reduced acute hematological toxicity, but was associated with a decreased primary tumor control rate. The most effective treatment protocols as measured by survival rates, primary anal tumor control rates, and the likelihood of conservation of anorectal function included the administration of both Mitomycin C and 5-Fluorouracil concurrently with radiation therapy.
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PMID:Epidermoid anal cancer: treatment by radiation alone or by radiation and 5-fluorouracil with and without mitomycin C. 193 40

Fluorouracil (5-FU) is still the mainstay of adjuvant treatment for colorectal cancer. Two trials have shown a disease-free and overall survival benefit for 5-FU combined with levamisole in patients with node-positive colon cancer. This regimen is fairly well tolerated and devoid of long-term sequelae, and is now considered standard treatment for node-positive colon cancer. One trial showed a modest improvement in disease-free survival for the semustine/vincristine/5-FU combination; the leukemogenicity and renal toxicity caused by semustine have prevented this regimen from being adopted. Although administering 5-FU directly into the portal vein may improve disease-free survival, most trials have failed to demonstrate a reduction in the incidence of hepatic metastases. This technique, therefore, remains investigational. Several trials in rectal cancer show an advantage for 5-FU combined with semustine and radiation therapy in terms of disease-free survival, overall survival, or both; the contribution of semustine has been questioned and is currently being investigated. In patients with metastatic disease, hepatic arterial infusion of floxuridine produces a higher objective response rate than intravenous administration, but has not resulted in a survival benefit; hepatobiliary toxicity limits the duration of therapy. Biochemical modulation of 5-FU with leucovorin increases the response rate produced by 5-FU alone; a survival benefit has also been observed. N-(phosphonacetyl)-L-aspartate has shown initial promise in combination with high-dose 5-FU infusions. Among the many new drugs tested, only tauromustine seems worthy of further study.
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PMID:Current treatment approaches in colorectal cancer. 199 27

Thirty patients with advanced metastatic and chemotherapy-refractory urothelial tumors received a combination of fluorouracil (5-FU) and recombinant human interferon alfa-2a. Thirty-six sites of metastases were present in the 30 study patients, and the median Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status was 3 (range, 1 to 4). All patients had failed to respond to primary combined methotrexate/cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Nine (30%; confidence interval, 15% to 47%) of the patients achieved a partial response. The mean duration of response was more than 5.2 months (median, 6 months; range, 3 to 8 months). Two patients who achieved a partial response of 5 and 7 months' duration, respectively, had control of residual disease (one with radiation and one with surgical excision) and have remained disease-free for an additional period of more than 7 and 13 months, respectively. These data suggest that the combination of 5-FU and recombinant human interferon alfa-2a is synergistic, with clinical significance for the treatment of urothelial tumors. The response rate for this combination of drugs is higher than that anticipated for either of these agents used alone. Additional confirmatory trials are needed to evaluate the significance of these findings.
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PMID:Fluorouracil and recombinant human interferon alfa-2a in the treatment of metastatic chemotherapy-refractory urothelial tumors. 199 58

The importance of the interval between methotrexate (MTX) and fluorouracil (5-FU) was studied in 168 patients with previously untreated, measurable, advanced colorectal cancer. They were randomized to receive MTX 200 mg/m2, followed by 5-FU 600 mg/m2 either 24 hours (arm A) or 1 hour (arm B) after MTX. All patients received leucovorin (LV) 24 hours after MTX, 10 mg/m2 orally every 6 hours for six doses. The regimen was repeated every 2 weeks, with 5-FU escalation as tolerated. Arm A was significantly better than arm B with respect to overall response rate (29% v 14.5%, P = .026), time to progression (TTP; median, 9.9 months v 5.9 months, P = .009), and survival (median, 15.3 months v 11.4 months, P = .003). Significant differences between arms were not found in response rate, median TTP, or median survival for the subgroup of patients with rectal primaries who comprised 20% of the patients in each arm. Significant factors prognostic for survival were performance status and number of metastases, as well as treatment. Age did not influence survival. Toxicity was similar in both arms and was primarily gastrointestinal. More mucositis was seen in arm A. There were four toxic deaths secondary to neutropenia and infection (one from arm A and three from arm B) and three other deaths (two from arm A and one from arm B) that were possibly drug-related. The combination of MTX with LV rescue and 5-FU is an active regimen in advanced colorectal cancer; its efficacy is increased in colon, but not rectal cancer, when the interval between MTX and 5-FU is long (24 hours) rather than short (1 hour).
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PMID:The influence of drug interval on the effect of methotrexate and fluorouracil in the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer. 204 74

Twenty-four patients with advanced metastatic cancer were treated with continuous intravenous 5-fluorouracil infusion 200-300 mg/m2/day and alpha interferon 3 million units subcutaneously 3 times per week. The average duration of treatment was 87 days (range 22-204 days). 5-fluorouracil could be infused 66% of the planned time on treatment, and patients received an average of 60% of the planned interferon injections. Objective tumor responses were seen in 6 of 17 previously untreated patients (35%). Twenty-two of the 24 patients (92%) experienced toxicity (greater than or equal to ECOG grade II) that required treatment interruption and subsequent dose reduction predominantly for the following reasons: mucositis (67%), hand-foot syndrome (21%), and leukopenia (25%). The incidence of treatment limiting toxicity is higher than previously observed with 5-fluorouracil infusion alone. This suggests true augmentation of 5-fluorouracil effect by interferon. 5-Fluorouracil infusion and alpha interferon is a potentially useful combination that needs further evaluation in future phase II and phase III trials.
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PMID:Continuous 5-fluorouracil infusion and alpha interferon in advanced cancers: a report of initial treatment results. 201 9

According to current literature, the main cause of death in patients with gallbladder (GB) and extrahepatic biliary ducts (EHBD) neoplasms is related to local and locoregional tumor spread rather than to distant metastases. Surgery, even when radical, is followed by a high number of relapses. That is why postoperative radiation therapy (RT) is usually combined with surgery. Alone, however, RT is not effective enough to markedly improve loco-regional control, considering that the adjacent organs would be damaged by higher doses. Referring to experimental studies published in the 1960s and relative to the biological effect of ionizing radiation with 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) in slowing the pace of tumor growth, the Department of Radiotherapy, together with the Department of Medical Oncology in Padua General Hospital, began administering a combined surgical-chemo-radiotherapeutic protocol in January 1982, to January 1989. The protocol included 5-FU administration both 3 days before and during RT, after a surgical intervention as radical as possible. Eighteen patients were given this treatment. By the end of December 1989, 7 patients were alive--6 of them disease-free with a 26-month mean survival. Eleven patients died--7 due to local/loco-regional relapse, 1 from a distant metastasis, 1 from gastric hemorrhage, with no disease, and 2 from unknown causes. Overall mean survival in the two groups was 16 months. The combined treatment proved to be tolerable and feasible, even though severe complications were observed in 2 patients, 1 case of toxic death (gastric hemorrhage) and another with complete duodenal stenosis which required further surgery.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:[Neoplasms of the gallbladder and the extrahepatic bile ducts: radio-chemotherapeutic combined treatment. Results in 18 treated cases]. 205 4


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