Bleomycin-mitomycin C in advanced carcinoma of the cervix. A third look.

Thirty-three patients with advanced cervical cancer (31 squamous cancer, two adenosquamous cancer) previously untreated with cytotoxic drugs, were treated with bleomycin, 5 mg daily, for seven days and mitomycin C, 10 mg, on day 8. This regimen was repeated four times at two-week intervals. All but one patient had previously been treated with radiotherapy; 36% of the patients had an objective response (five complete remission (CR), median duration 12 months; seven partial remission (PR), median duration six months).

Age and prognosis in stage Ib squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix.

Two materials consisting of patients with early invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix have been studied in regard to the influence of age and treatment technique on prognosis. In the first material, consisting of 254 Stage Ib patients treated only with radiation therapy, a poorer prognosis was found in the women under 35 years of age. The second material consisted of 274 Stage Ib patients who had been preoperatively irradiated and had undergone radical hysterectomy.

CO2 laser for the treatment of invasive vulvar and vaginal cancer.

In a material of 21 patients including 7 primary and 6 recurrent vulvar carcinomas, 5 vaginal carcinomas, 1 urethral carcinoma and 2 preinvasive vulvar carcinomas operation was performed with a CO2-laser scalpel. In 9 radical and 3 partial vulvectomies no primary closing of the wounds was performed. In the remaining primary closing was performed.

Treatment of ovarian cancer in the Southern Swedish Health Care Region during the five-year period 1974-1978.

A total of 555 cases of malignant epithelial ovarian tumour diagnosed in vivo was reported to the Regional Tumour Registry for Southern Sweden, Lund during 1974-1978. Of these 428 (77%) were referred to the Department of Oncology, Lund, which serves the Southern Swedish Health Care Region. Patients not being referred were mostly elderly with advanced tumours.

Tranexamic acid for the treatment of advanced ovarian carcinoma.

In the present phase II trial, 26 heavily pretreated patients with advanced recurrent ovarian carcinoma were treated with tranexamic acid, 4-6 g per os daily for at least 3 months. Of these 26 patients, 3 had stage IIb, 21 stage III and 2 stage IV. Histologic examination revealed serous adenocarcinoma in 13, mucinous in 3, endometroid in 4, 1 anaplastic and 5 unspecified adenocancer.

Correlation between estradiol-17 beta and progesterone cytosol receptor concentration, histologic differentiation and 3H-thymidine incorporation in endometrial carcinoma.

Women treated with estrogen exhibit a higher risk of developing endometrial cancer. steroid hormones exert their effects on target tissue through specific cytosol receptor protein. Knowledge of this steroid receptor concentration in endometrial carcinoma might facilitate the treatment of recurrences.

The recovery pattern of patients with vulvar melanoma treated by combined surgery and radiation therapy.

Twenty-five patients with malignant vulvar melanoma have been treated with radical vulvectomy using the warm knife-open wound technique. Following preoperative radiation therapy, dissection of the groin and, in some cases, pelvic lymphadenectomy, were performed as a second procedure. Crude five-year survival was 9/21 (approximately 43%).

Carcinoma of the ovary, stages I and II. A prospective randomized study of the effects of postoperative chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

A prospective randomized trial for comparing the effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy on survival in malignant epithelial ovarian tumours was carried out during the years 1975-1978 in 142 (90%) of a total material of 157 patients in Stage I and Stage II of this disease. Stratification was done according to the state of the tumour capsule and the type of histology found in Stages Ia and Ib. Two types of randomized treatment were given: A.

Carcinoma of the ovary in stage III. Effects of postoperative chemotherapy, radiation therapy and repeat laparotomy.

A prospective randomized trial was carried out in 153 patients with stage III malignant epithelial tumours for comparing the effects of irradiation or combination of chemotherapy and irradiation on prognosis and operability. No significant differences between these two treatment modalities were found. Of the patients primarily considered inoperable were 41 per cent operated upon after preoperative treatment.

Human malignant melanoma heterotransplanted to nude mice.

Five different human malignant melanoma were heterotransplanted subcutaneously to nude mice. When small tissue pieces were used 3 out of 5 tumors grew. Subcutaneous injections of suspended tumor cells were also made, but all failed to take.

Some aspects of prophylactic oophorectomy and ovarian carcinoma.

The early diagnosis of ovarian carcinoma is as difficult and rare as ever before. Despite the appearance of sophisticated drugs and combinations of these with surgery and radiotherapy the prognosis still remains the same as during the last 30 years, i.e.

Phase II study of spirogermanium in advanced ovarian malignancy.

In the present phase II trial 18 heavily pretreated patients with advanced ovarian malignancy were treated with spirogermanium, 11 im and seven iv. Objective responses (partial remission) were obtained in two (11%) of the 18 patients, with a remission duration of 5 and 23 + months, respectively. An additional four (22%) patients had stable disease.

Adriamycin-methotrexate combination chemotherapy of advanced carcinoma of the cervix: a third look.

Twenty-four consecutive women with recurrence and/or metastasizing carcinoma of the cervix were treated with adriamycin and methotrexate. All patients had previously been treated with external irradiation and 2 intracavitary radium applications. The median recurrence-free interval was 22 months.

Bleomycin alone or combined with mitomycin C in treatment of advanced or recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva.

Twenty patients with advanced and/or recurrent vulvar carcinoma were treated with bleomycin alone or combined with mitomycin C. Five of 11 patients in the bleomycin-treated group showed objective response (two complete and three partial) and five of nine patients in the bleomycin-mitomycin C-treated group showed objective response (one complete and four partial). No severe side effects were seen.

The impact of cytological screening on the incidence of invasive cervical cancer.

A cytological screening program for the early detection and prevention of cervical cancer was started in the county of Malmöhus, southern Sweden in 1967. The incidence of invasive cervical cancer among women properly attending the screening program has been reduced over the 10 years to about one quarter of the incidence before the initiation of the program. Figures calculated from the whole female population, however, did not indicate a significant decrease in incidence.