The role of radiation therapy in the treatment of soft tissue sarcomas of childhood.

The treatment of soft tissue sarcomas in children at the Joint Center for Radiation Therapy, Children's Hospital Medical Center, and the Sidney Farber Cancer Institute from 1970 to 1976 has been reviewed. Twenty-seven patients were diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, and twenty patients were diagnosed with soft tissue sarcomas of other histologies. An aggressive, combined modality therapeutic approach was applied in the treatment of all patients with emphasis placed on conservation of function.

Improved outlook for Ewing's sarcoma with combination chemotherapy (vincristine, actinomycin D and cyclophosphamide) and radiation therapy.

Vincristine, actinomycin D, and cyclophosphamide (VAC) were administered to 14 patients with Ewing's sarcoma. The primary tumors were treated with radiation therapy and concurrent chemotherapy. Nine patients had no visible metastases at diagnosis: two died following the development of pulmonary metastases and the rest have been free of disease for periods varying from 4 months to 4 1/2 years following completion of treatment.

Kerosene intoxication: an experimental approach to the etiology of the CNS manifestations in primates.

Baboons were utilized to investigate the clinicopathologic effects of kerosene, given via various routes, on the primate brain. The animals were divided into five groups: Group 1 - normal controls; Group II - kerosene administered intratracheally; Group III - kersoene injected into the left cardiac ventricle; Group IV - kerosene injected into right carotid artery; Group V - kerosene injected into portal vein. Results indicate that the primate brain is resistent to the direct toxic effects of kerosene.

Age-dependent dose response to gentamicin.

Serum gentamicin concentrations were measured 30 minutes after 140 intravenous doses in 60 children and nine adults with normal renal function. Distinct interpatient variation was observed but individual patients tended to have similar pharmacokinetics with repeated doses. Age had a significant effect in that mean peak serum concentrations were 1.