Gamma Knife surgery for trigeminal neuralgia: a review of 450 consecutive cases.

Object: The success rates and side effects of Gamma Knife surgery (GKS) in patients with trigeminal neuralgia (TN) are not fully clear. A comparison of data across previous reports is hampered by differences in treatment protocols, lengths of follow-up, and outcome criteria. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to knowledge of the efficacy of GKS in TN by reviewing data in a large group of patients with this disorder, who were treated with a uniform treatment protocol and evaluated using a well-established pain scale and Kaplan-Meier analysis.

Accurate dosimetry with GafChromic EBT film of a 6 MV photon beam in water: what level is achievable?

This paper focuses on the accuracy, in absolute dose measurements, with GafChromicTM EBT film achievable in water for a 6 MV photon beam up to a dose of 2.3 Gy. Motivation is to get an absolute dose detection system to measure up dose distributions in a (water) phantom, to check dose calculations.

Extensive hepatic replacement due to liver metastases has no effect on 5-fluorouracil pharmacokinetics.

Purpose: The influence of liver metastases on the pharmacokinetics of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and its metabolite 5,6-dihydrofluorouracil (DHFU) was studied in patients with liver metastases from gastrointestinal cancer ( n=16) and compared with a control group of patients with nonmetastatic gastrointestinal cancer ( n=18).

Methods: Patients were assigned to two different groups based on the presence of liver metastases. The percentage of hepatic replacement was determined with CT and ultrasonography and classified as <25%, 25-50% or >50% of the total liver volume.

Reduced 5-FU clearance in a patient with low DPD activity due to heterozygosity for a mutant allele of the DPYD gene.

5-fluorouracil pharmacokinetics, dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase-activity and DNA sequence analysis were compared between a patient with extreme 5-fluorouracil induced toxicity and six control patients with normal 5-fluorouracil related symptoms. Patients were treated for colorectal cancer and received chemotherapy consisting of leucovorin 20 mg m(-2) plus 5-fluorouracil 425 mg m(-2). Blood sampling was carried out on day 1 of the first cycle.

Feasibility of a dose-intensive CMF regimen with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor as adjuvant therapy in premenopausal patients with node-positive breast cancer.

Our aim was to study the feasibility of an intensified intravenous CMF (cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil) schedule with the aim to escalate dose intensity (DI). Twenty-three premenopausal breast cancer patients received 6 cycles of adjuvant CMF intravenously on days 1 and 8 every 3 weeks and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor days 9-18. Endpoints were DI and toxicity.