Phase II study on combined intravenous and intra-arterial chemotherapy with gemcitabine and mitomycin C in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.

Background/aims: This prospective phase II study on a combination of intraarterial (i.a.) and systemic chemotherapy was performed to test whether regional chemotherapy may overcome the chemoresistance of pancreatic cancer.

Prospective pilot study of neoadjuvant chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil, folinic acid and oxaliplatin in resectable liver metastases of colorectal cancer. Analysis of 42 neoadjuvant chemotherapies.

Purpose: Since there are currently no data available from a prospective trial, the primary objective of this prospective study was to investigate whether the rate of R0-liver resections without morbidity would be at least 50 % in patients with neoadjuvant chemotherapy for colorectal liver metastases.

Patients And Methods: 42 patients were treated with a biweekly FOLFOX regimen. Chemotherapy consisted of a 2-hour infusion of folinic acid (FOL) 500 mg/m2, followed by a 24-hour infusion of 5- fluorouracil (F) 2000 mg/m2 daily for two days.

Technical complications of continuous intra-arterial chemotherapy with 5-fluorodeoxyuridine and 5-fluorouracil for colorectal liver metastases.

Background: Intra-arterial chemotherapy is an effective modality to treat unresectable hepatic metastases from colorectal primaries if systemic chemotherapy has failed. Response rates of more than 40% and a median survival of 15 to 25 months have been reported from randomized trials. In this retrospective study, we analyzed specific technical complications associated with continuous intra-arterial chemotherapy for colorectal liver metastases.

Bethesda guidelines: relation to microsatellite instability and MLH1 promoter methylation in patients with colorectal cancer.

Background: Microsatellite instability is a hallmark of mismatch repair deficiency in hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer and results from mutations in the mismatch repair genes MLH1 or MSH2 or from gene inactivation associated with DNA methylation. The Bethesda guidelines were established to identify patients with colorectal cancer who should be tested for microsatellite instability.

Objective: To assess the Bethesda guidelines for detection of microsatellite instability and to determine the role of MLH1 promoter methylation in colorectal cancer.

Radioisotope-guided surgery in patients with pheochromocytoma and recurrent medullary thyroid carcinoma: a comparison of preoperative and intraoperative tumor localization with histopathologic findings.

Background: The objective of this study was to appraise the detection of metastases of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) and pheochromocytoma using radioguided surgery (RGS) and to compare the results with external imaging modalities, surgical palpation, and histopathologic findings.

Methods: Twenty-five patients with recurrent MTC underwent preoperative scintigraphic imaging with 500 megabecquerels (MBq) of technetium 99m(V)-dimercaptosuccinic acid [(99m)Tc(V)-DMSA] and 222 MBq of indium 111 ((111)In)-pentetreotide. The radiopharmaceutical that showed the greatest preoperative tumor uptake was selected for intraoperative RGS.