Homocysteine, a risk factor for coronary artery disease or not? A meta-analysis.

This meta-analysis suggests that homocysteine may not be as harmful for the heart as it seems. At the same time, however, homocysteine may be an indicator for unhealthy lifestyles, and therefore, an important variable for cardiologists to take into account when assessing coronary artery disease.

Randomized comparison of cisplatin plus epirubicin or doxorubicin for advanced epithelial ovarian carcinoma. A multicenter trial.

Stage III and IV epithelial ovarian cancer patients were prospectively randomized to receive eight courses of 60 mg/m2 of cisplatin plus either 75 mg/m2 of epirubicin (62 patients) or 60 mg/m2 of doxorubicin (54 patients). Clinical response rates for cisplatin/epirubicin of 42% [15% complete response (CR) and 27% partial response (PR)] and for cisplatin/doxorubicin of 55% (24% CR and 31% PR) were not statistically different (p = 0.14).

Continuous infusion of interleukin-2 and cyclophosphamide as treatment of advanced cancers: a National Biotherapy Study Group Trial.

We have evaluated the effect of Interleukin-2 [IL-2] after Cyclophosphamide (C) chemotherapy in 41 patients with metastatic cancer. IL-2 was given as a continuous infusion priming cycle 36 hours after C at 1 gm/m2 intravenously. In 39 evaluable patients, there were no complete remissions [CR], 2 partial remissions [PR], and 1 had a minor response [MR].

Adjuvant CMFVP versus melphalan for operable breast cancer with positive axillary nodes: 10-year results of a Southwest Oncology Group Study.

Four hundred forty-one women with operable breast cancer with histologically positive axillary nodes were randomized to receive either combination cyclophosphamide (60 mg/m2 orally everyday for 1 year); fluorouracil (300 mg/m2 intravenously [IV] weekly for 1 year); methotrexate (15 mg/m2 IV weekly for 1 year); vincristine (0.625 mg/m2 IV for 10 weeks); prednisone (30 mg/m2 orally days 1 to 14, 20 mg/m2 days 15 to 28, 10 mg/m2 days 29 to 42) (CMFVP) or single-agent melphalan (L-PAM) (5 mg/m2 orally every day for 5 days every 6 weeks for 2 years) chemotherapy after a modified or radical mastectomy between January 1975 and February 1978. Patients were stratified according to menopausal status and number of positive nodes (one to three, more than three nodes) before randomization.

Phase I evaluation of chlorozotocin (NSC-178248): weekly schedule.

A phase I trial of chlorozotocin was completed for a weekly times four dose schedule repeated every 8 weeks. Thrombocytopenia was the acute dose limiting toxicity. Nausea and vomiting were moderate to severe and dose related.

Combined modality therapy for first recurrence of breast cancer. A Southwest Oncology Group study.

The Southwest Oncology Group has completed a study of 213 women with the first recurrence of breast cancer. Eligibility included a radical or modified radical mastectomy for cure and recurrence which had received no other form of therapy. Patients were started on tamoxifen (TAM) 20 mg daily (Phase I).

Phase I evaluation of AT-125 single dose every three weeks.

A Phase I trial of AT-125 was completed for the bolus dose every three week schedule. Dose limiting toxicity was primarily central nervous system (CNS) in the form of ataxia, confusion, hallucinations and dysarthria. Although this was most severe at doses of 150 mg/m2, lesser symptoms were reported at all dose levels.

Phase I trial of Indicine-N-Oxide on two dose schedules.

Indicine-N-Oxide is the water soluble N-oxide of the pyrolizidine alkaloid indicine recently evaluated in Phase I trials. Initially in a weekly times four schedule, twenty-nine patients were treated with a dose range of 1.0 to 7.

Effect of mannitol and plasma on the cytotoxicity of cisplatin.

A soft agar cell culture for human granulocyte precursor cells (CFU-c) was used to assess the cytotoxic effect of cisplatin before and after preincubating the drug with either mannitol and/or fresh human plasma. Consistent growth inhibition of CFU-c was found with survival of 87, 64 and 34% at cisplatin concentrations of 10(-7) M, 10(-6) M and 10(-5) M respectively. Dose-related survival was not changed by preincubating cisplatin with mannitol in molar ratios of 1:100 and 1:1000 for 4 and 24 hr.

Tamoxifen and oophorectomy in the treatment of recurrent breast cancer: a Southwest Oncology Group Study.

The relatively short survival following chemotherapy in patients with metastatic carcinoma of the breast and the introduction of antiestrogens has led to renewed interest in the hormonal therapy of breast cancer. Pritchard et al. (Cancer Treat.

Combination chemotherapy (CMFVP) versus L-phenylalanine mustard (L-PAM) for operable breast cancer with positive axillary nodes: a Southwest Oncology Group Study.

The Southwest Oncology Group in a prospective randomized study compared one year of adjuvant combination chemotherapy with continuous CMFVP to two years of intermittent L-PAM in women with operable breast cancer with histologically positive axillary lymph nodes. In fully evaluable patients with a 42-month median and 30-month minimum follow-up, treatment failures have occurred in 26% of 145 receiving CMFVP and 47% of 167 women given L-PAM (P = 0.002).

Multiple myeloma: a therapeutic enigma.

Multiple myeloma is one of the few malignancies with a distinct tumor marker, the myeloma protein. This marker, as well as other disease manifestations, can be used to follow the progress of the tumor. Myeloma was also one of the first cancers to respond to chemotherapy and well known are the reports in the early 1960s of good results with melphalan and with cyclophosphamide.

Breast cancer in Arabic women.

A case-control study of breast cancer was conducted in Cairo, Egypt and in Kuwait. This is the first such report from Arabic countries and the most significant finding is the animal incidence rate of 7.67 per 100,000 in Kuwaiti women, which ranks amongst the lowest thus far reported in the world.

Phase I study on bruceantin administered on a weekly schedule.

Fifteen adult patients with advanced solid tumors received bruceantin at doses of 1.6-6.0 mg/m2 iv for 30 minutes/week X 4, followed by a 2-week rest.

Phase I evaluation of IMPY in a twice weekly schedule.

IMPY was given to 25 patients with advanced cancer on a twice weekly schedule in escalating doses from 165 to 3000 mg/m2. Nausea, vomiting, fatigue, generalized weakness, and decreases in performance status were dose-limiting. In one patient treated at a dose of 3000 mg/m2 for three doses, hemolytic anemia resulted, with a 6-g/dl decrease in hemoglobin.

Phase I evaluation of ICRF-187 (NSC-169780) in patients with advanced malignancy.

ICRF-187 (NSC-169780), the (+) enantiomer of the racemic antineoplastic agent ICRF-159 (NSc-129943), was administered intravenously for five days every three weeks to 18 patients in a phase I study. Leukopenia was the dose-limiting toxicity. Mild reversible elevations in SGOT and bilirubin were common.

Reporting results of cancer treatment.

On the initiative of the World Health Organization, two meetings on the Standardization of Reporting Results of Cancer Treatment have been held with representatives and members of several organizations. Recommendations have been developed for standardized approaches to the recording of baseline data relating to the patient, the tumor, laboratory and radiologic data, the reporting of treatment, grading of acute and subacute toxicity, reporting of response, recurrence and disease-free interval, and reporting results of therapy. These recommendations, already endorsed by a number of organizations, are proposed for international acceptance and use to make it possible for investigators to compare validly their results with those of others.

Phase I evaluation of chlorozotocin: single dose every six weeks.

A phase I trial of chlorozotocin was completed for the single dose every six week schedule. At 250 mg/m2 i.v.

Analysis of the growth enhancing effect of L-ascorbic acid on human leukemic cells in culture.

The effect of L-ascorbic acid (LAA) on the in vitro colony growth of leukemic cells from the marrows of patients with acute nonlymphocytic leukemia was studied using a modified agar culture method featuring daily feeding. In 10 of 31 patients (32%) the growth was enhanced with supplementation of LAA in culture. The average number of colonies was reduced to 26% if LAA was deleted from culture.

Prediction of chemotherapy response in human leukemia using an in vitro chemotherapy sensitivity test on the leukemic colony-forming cells.

An in vitro test system to quantitatively assess the chemotherapy sensitivity of human acute leukemic colony-forming cells (L-CFU) in relation to normal granulocytic precursor cells (CFU-C) has been developed. After simultaneous exposure of leukemic and normal bone marrow cells to individual drugs in vitro, cells were grown using an improved agar culture method with daily feeding. A sensitivity index (SI) was determined as the ratio of survival fraction of CFU-C to that of L-CFU, L-CFU being more (or less) sensitive than CFU-C if the SI were higher (or lower) than unity.