Combination chemotherapy for soft-tissue sarcomas: a phase III study.

A total of 144 patients with advanced sarcomas were entered into a randomized prospective protocol with four treatment arms utilizing different combinations of chemotherapeutic agents. Of these, 120 patients (83%) were judged acceptable. Treatment 1: actinomycin-D (Act-D), 0.

5-FU versus combination therapy with tubercidin, streptozotocin, and 5-FU in the treatment of pancreatic carcinomas: COG protocol 7230.

From May 1972 until May 1976, 105 patients were entered on Central Oncology Group protocol 7230 to compare the combination of streptozotocin, tubercidin, and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) versus 5-FU alone in the treatment of adenocarcinoma and islet cell carcinoma of the pancreas. Twenty-nine were not evaluable. Thirty-six evaluable cases received 5-FU, and 40 received the combination, with no significant difference in time to progression or survival.

Anterior resection and primary anastomosis following high dose preoperative irradiation for adenocarcinoma of the recto-sigmoid.

Preoperative irradiation for adenocarcinoma of the rectum and sigmoid does not always limit the surgery to an abdominoperineal resection. From 1960 to 1976 anterior resection and primary anastomosis of the bowel has been performed in 13 patients with adenocarcinoma of the rectum and sigmoid whose tumor had been irradiated with 5000 rads with small pelvic fields. The inferior surgical resection line was within or very near the edge of the radiation field in 10 patients.

The use of antiestrogens tamoxifen and nafoxidine in the treatment of human breast cancer in correlation with estrogen receptor values. A phase II study.

Twenty-five patients with measurable metastatic breast cancer and assays for estrogen receptor (ER) were studied. Of the 16 ER positive patients on anti-estrogen therapy, one had complete disappearance of all tumor for seven months and seven patients had more than 50% reduction in their measurable tumor for an average duration of 8.8 months.

Yoshi 864 (1-propanol, 3,3'-iminodi-, dimethanesulfonate [ester], hydrochloride): a phase II study in solid tumors.

Two hundred and eight acceptable patients were treated with Yoshi 864 (2 mg/kg/day by iv push X 5 days repeated once every 6 weeks). Toxicity was minimal. There was an overall response rate of 11%.

Adriamycin, bleomycin, and CCNU as effective induction chemotherapeutic agents in advanced squamous cell carcinoma (COG Protocol 7333).

Twenty-six member institutions of the Central Oncology Group entered 154 patients in this two-armed, phase III study comparing the effects of adriamycin, bleomycin, and CCNU against a variety of squamous cell carcinomas. The combination of adriamycin and bleomycin produced a 43% overall response rate in primary tumors of the head and neck, which included two complete responses. This compares favorably to the results obtained with methotrexate and other agents previously reported.

A ten-year study of carcinoma of the pancreas.

During the 10 years from 1965 through 1974, 86 patients with adenocarcinoma of the pancreas were diagnosed or referred for treatment at the University of Oregon Health Sciences Center. The average age and survival in these patients is not significantly different from other published series. Only four patients had resectable tumors, and of these two survived over twelve months.

Regional intra-arterial infusion of adriamycin in the treatment of cancer.

Forty patients with otherwise untreatable advanced carcinomas received arterial infusions of adriamycin. Significant responses were seen in five of nine tumors of the bladder, two of five hypernephromas, two of two islet cell tumors, three of five sarcomas and one of two metastatic tumors of the breast. One patient with advanced transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder had no tumor at the time of a subsequent resection.

Phase II study of 5-azacytidine in solid tumors.

One hundred and seventy-seven patients were evaluated after therapy with 5-azacytidine using a dose of 1.6 mg/kg/day X 10 days followed by a maintenance regimen. One hundred and forty-eight of the patients received the drug by rapid iv infusion and 29 received the drug daily by and infusion that lasted between 18 and 24 hours.

Treatment of advanced malignancy with CCNU (NSC 79037): a phase II cooperative study with long-term follow up.

CCNU (1-[2-chloroethyl]-3-cyclohexyl-1-nitrosourea, NSC-79037) was used to treat advanced malignancies in 329 evaluable patients. The treatment dosage was 130 mg/m2 for patients with adequate bone marrow reserve and 100 mg/m2 for those with compromised bone marrow. Oral treatment was repeated at 6-week intervals unless hematologic toxicity intervened.

Measurement of heterophil antibody and antibodies to EB viral capsid antigen IgG and IgM in suspected cases of infectious mononucleosis.

The EBV IgG titres in acute and convalescent specimens from 97 cases of infectious mononucleosis were compared with titres from acute and convalescent sera from 96 students with illnesses resembling infectious mononucleosis but without heterophil antibody, EB IgM or EB IgG seroconversion; and also with titres from 91 healthy students known to have had EB IgG antibody for at least six months. These titres were related to the titre of the Research Standard A.66/235 for infectious mononucleosis serum prepared by the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control.

Studies on adriamycin using a weekly regimen demonstrating its clinical effectiveness and lack of cardiac toxicity.

Adriamycin has been given to 442 patients using the weekly regimen as initially described by Bonadonna et al. Hematologic toxicity and clinical effectiveness have been similar to those described with regimens in which the drug is given every 3 weeks. Stomatitis is more frequent with the weekly regimen than with the usual triweekly regimen.

Vaccination in the control of influenza.

Although killed influenza vaccine given by injection is protective, able to reduce sickness absence in industry and to control influenza in the armed forces, it has not so far been possible to demonstrate more than a small effect on the disease in otherwise healthy adults in industry and offices in the United Kingdom. The reasons are probably the poor rate of acceptance of vaccine, the relatively low incidence of clinical influenza in most years, and the incomplete protection given by the vaccine. Until major epidemics can be accurately forecast it is suggested that influenza vaccination may most usefully be used on a selective basis, namely for protecting those with illness predisposing to a severe effect from influenza; persons in institutions such as schools and homes for the elderly; key workers in the general population; and persons over the age of 65 years among whom considerable mortality occurs in winters when influenza is prevalent.

Preoperative radiotherapy for adenocarcinoma of the rectosigmoid.

Ninety-seven patients with adenocarcinoma of the rectosigmoid have been treated with high dose (5000-6000 rad) preoperative irradiation from 1960 through 1972 at the University of Oregon Health Sciences Center. Fifty-seven were initially clinically resectable and 40 were initially inoperable. Forty of the 57 initially clinically resectable patients had "curative" resections and are at risk for more than 5 years.

Multimodal surgical adjuvant therapy for a broad spectrum of tumors in humans.?

Co-operative investigation of clinical therapy for cancer is used to test hypotheses developed in single institutions and in animal research laboratories. The present studies in a large co-operative organization, the Central Oncology Group, are being conducted in seven major solid tumors in adults; in these studies patients with a poor surgical prognosis are being treated with preoperative or postoperative chemotherapy, preoperative radiotion therapy of these modalities. Results of studies currently underway or recently completed in 1,278 patients are summarized.

DTIC (nsc-45388) and combination therapy for melanoma. I. Studies with DTIC, BCNU (NSC-409962), CCNU (NSC-79037), vincristine (NSC-67574), and hydroxyurea (NSC-32065).

A total of 270 patients with metastatic malignant melanoma were entered into a randomized chemotherapy study conducted by the Central Oncology Group (COG) over a period of 2 years (COG protocol No. 7130). The study utilized DTIC, CCNU, BCNU, vincristine, and hydroxyurea.

Therapeutic value of nafoxidine hydrochloride in the treatment of advanced carcinoma of the human breast.

Nafoxidine hydrochloride can provide additional palliation to patients who responded to previous endocrine ablation and had tumors containing an estrogen receptor. In the present study, 24 patients were evaluated for their response to nafoxidine therapy, 180 to 240 milligrams given orally per day. When tumor response was obtained, doses were reduced to 60 to 120 milligrams every other day or longer without loss of control.