Combination chemotherapy followed by radiation therapy in patients with regional stage III unresectable non-small cell lung cancer.

A chemotherapy combination of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and cisplatin (CAP) was administered to 30 patients with stage III M0 or M1 (supraclavicular nodes) unresectable non-small cell lung cancer before and after radiotherapy. All patients had mediastinal metastases and most had T2 or T3 primary lesions. The response rate (complete plus partial) after two cycles of CAP was 47%, which increased to 66% (24% complete response rate) following radiotherapy.

Stage IA to IIB supradiaphragmatic Hodgkin's disease. Long-term survival and relapse frequency.

Long-term survival and prognostic factors were analyzed in 307 patients with pathologically staged IA to IIB supradiaphragmatic Hodgkin's disease (HD). Treatment with radiation therapy (RT) alone resulted in a 10-year actuarial freedom from first relapse (FFR) of 88% and 10-year survival of 95% for Stage IA patients and a FFR and survival of 76% and 93%, respectively, for Stage IIA patients. Stage IB to IIB patients had similar survivals when treated with combined-modality therapy (CMT) (85%) or RT alone (77%).

Fetal-perinatal catecholamine secretion: role in perinatal glucose homeostasis.

Secretion of catecholamines may play an important role in several of the adaptations that characterize the transition from intra- to extrauterine life including cardiovascular, respiratory, and metabolic events, specifically the initiation of endogenous glucose production following curtailment of the transplancental maternal supply of glucose. Maturation of neural and enzymatic pathways involved in catecholamine secretion occurs late in gestation; fetal hypoxia can produce a 20- and 125-fold increase in plasma epinephrine (E) and norepinephrine (NE), respectively. Estimates of turnover (approximately 2,000 pg X kg-1 X min-1) and metabolic clearance rates (20-40 ml X kg-1 X min-1) indicate active secretion and metabolism of E from fetal sources with negligible transfer from the mother.

The current status of primary radiation therapy in the treatment of early breast cancer.

Primary radiation therapy, usually with limited surgery, is being used increasingly as an alternative to mastectomy in patients with early breast cancer. Results so far appear similar in terms of local control and overall survival. Current questions on patient selection, extent of surgery, radiation therapy technique, possible long-term complications, and the role of axillary dissection and of adjuvant therapy are reviewed.