| 11. |
- Adell, Gunnar C. E., 1953-, et al.
(författare)
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Apoptosis in rectal carcinoma : Prognosis and recurrence after preoperative radiotherapy
- 2001
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Ingår i: Cancer. - 0008-543X .- 1097-0142. ; 91:10, s. 1870-1875
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Rectal carcinoma is common, with considerable local recurrence and death rates. Preoperative radiotherapy and refined surgical techniques can improve local control. The aim of this study was to investigate the interaction between apoptosis and the outcome of rectal carcinoma, with and without short-term preoperative radiotherapy.METHODS: Specimens were from 162 patients from the Southeast Swedish Health Care region included in the Swedish Rectal Cancer Trial between 1987-1990. New sections from the paraffin blocks of the preoperative biopsies and the surgical specimens were examined for apoptosis using the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated digoxigenin nick end labeling (TUNEL) method.RESULTS: The mean percentage of apoptotic cells was 0.3% (0-4%) and 1.1% (0-14.5%) for the preoperative biopsy and the surgical specimen, respectively. The authors analyzed the surgical specimens from nonirradiated patients and divided them into three groups by apoptotic index (AI) as follows: 0%, 0-1%, and > 1%. A high AI was associated with a decreased local recurrence rate compared with an intermediate or a low AI (P = 0.024). There was no significant relation between AI and survival. There was a significant reduction in the local recurrence rate for irradiated patients compared with the nonirradiated in the low (P = 0.015) and intermediate (P = 0.038) AI groups. In the high AI group, there were few recurrences and no significant difference was observed between irradiated and nonirradiated patients. The relative risk of death from rectal carcinoma in Dukes A-C patients was not significantly decreased by radiotherapy, but, in the intermediate AI group, there was a trend (P = 0.08) in favor of the irradiated patients.CONCLUSION: A high AI in rectal carcinoma indicated a decreased local recurrence rate.
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| 12. |
- Eriksson, Barbro, et al.
(författare)
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Medical treatment and long-term survival in a prospective study of 84 patients with endocrine pancreatic tumors
- 1990
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Ingår i: Cancer. - 0008-543X .- 1097-0142. ; 65:9, s. 1883-1890
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A prospective study was performed on 84 patients with neuroendocrine pancreatic tumors. Fifty-nine (70%) had malignant tumors and received causal medical treatment. Streptozotocin in combination with 5-fluorouracil or doxorubicin was used as first-line treatment and produced overall objective responses in 20 of 44 (45%) patients with a median duration of response of 27.5 months. Thirty-two patients who failed on chemotherapy subsequently received interferon treatment and 20 (63%) responded objectively with a median duration of 20.5 months. Octreotide, third-line treatment in 14 patients, produced objective responses in four patients (28%) (median duration of response, 16 months). The median survival from diagnosis in malignant cases was 6.7 years. Even if none of the current medical therapies are curative for patients with malignant endocrine pancreatic tumors, a prolonged survival would be observed during the last decade. Since the age at diagnosis has not been dramatically reduced despite improvements in diagnostic methods, the prolonged survival might be attributed to causal medical treatment.
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| 13. |
- Fransson, Per, et al.
(författare)
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Quality of life and symptoms in a randomized trial of radiotherapy versus deferred treatment of localized prostate carcinoma
- 2001
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Ingår i: Cancer. - : American Cancer Society. - 0008-543X .- 1097-0142. ; 92:12, s. 3111-3119
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Treatment of localized prostate carcinoma (LPC) using radiotherapy (RT) can induce disturbances in a patient's quality of life (QOL) and urinary and intestinal function. Late symptoms and QOL were evaluated in a randomized trial between RT and deferred treatment (DT).METHODS: Quality of life was evaluated with European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer's QLQ-C30 (+3) formula. Urinary and intestinal problems were evaluated with a validated symptom specific self-assessment questionnaire, QUFW94. The questionnaires were sent to 108 randomized patients with LPC and to an age-matched control group (n = 68). Mean age was 72 years. Mean total dose was 65 grays (Gy; 62.3-70 Gy). The median follow-up time from randomization was 40.6 months for the RT group and 30.4 months for the DT group.RESULTS: Social functioning was the only QOL scale in which a significant difference was found between the two patient groups and compared with the control group. Multivariate regression analysis showed that hematuria, incontinence, mucus, and planning of daily activities in response to intestinal problems caused this decrease in QOL in the RT group. A significant increase of intestinal problems was observed in the RT versus DT groups regarding mucus, stool leakage, intestinal blood, and planning of daily activity in response to intestinal problems.CONCLUSIONS: The RT patients showed increased levels of minor intestinal side effects compared with the DT patients and the controls, but the RT patients reported no decreased QOL except for decreased social functioning. This could be because this group developed coping skills or because of a low magnitude of side effects to influence the QOL.
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| 14. |
- Hillerdal, Gunnar, et al.
(författare)
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Hyaluronan in pleural effusions and in serum
- 1991
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Ingår i: Cancer. - 0008-543X .- 1097-0142. ; 67:9, s. 2410-2414
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- It has been suggested that a high level of hyaluronan (hyaluronic acid, HYA) in pleural fluid is an indicator of malignant mesothelioma. In 78 consecutive patients with pleural effusion of various causes the HYA concentration was measured in pleural fluid samples and in serum. Nine patients had malignant pleural mesothelioma, and in three of them the HYA level in pleural fluid was 100 mg/l or more. In 42 patients with effusions due to metastatic malignancy, the mean HYA in the pleural fluid was 75 mg/l, and in five the HYA level was above 100 mg/l. Cardiac insufficiency caused the effusion in 11 patients, of whom two had a level above 100 mg/l in pleural fluid. Four patients had a serologically confirmed viral infection and had HYA levels in pleural fluid of 8, 157, 335, and 554 mg/l, respectively. One patient had postinfectious effusion with an HYA level in pleural exudate of 748 mg/l, the highest in this investigation. Two patients had benign asbestos pleural effusions, and both had high pleural HYA levels (256 and 490 mg/l, respectively). The serum HYA values were much lower than in the pleural fluid, namely from 15 to 480 micrograms/l; the levels were independent of the levels in the pleural fluid. Thus, a high level of HYA in pleural fluid is not specific for mesothelioma but can occur in other malignant or benign diseases, and a low level does not exclude mesothelioma.
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| 15. |
- Jahnson, Staffan, et al.
(författare)
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Tumor mapping of regional immunostaining for p21, p53, and mdm2 in locally advanced bladder carcinoma
- 2000
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Ingår i: Cancer. - New York, USA : John Wiley & Sons. - 0008-543X .- 1097-0142. ; 89:3, s. 619-629
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The aim of this study was to elucidate the associations among immunostaining for p53, p21, and mdm2; their respective expression within each tumor; and the value of these variables for predicting treatment outcome after cystectomy for patients with locally advanced bladder carcinoma.Methods: The hospital records from all 173 patients treated with cystectomy for locally advanced urothelial bladder carcinoma between 1967 and 1992 were retrospectively reviewed. Three consecutive sections from biopsies taken before any treatment were stained using the standard immunohistochemical technique for p53, p21, and mdm2, respectively. The cutoff limit was 20% or more for positive p53 expression and 10% or more for positive p21 and mdm2 expression.Results: Positive immunostaining was observed for p53 in 98 tumors (57%), for p21 in 89 tumors (51%), and for mdm2 in only 16 tumors (9%). The only association found between immunostaining for the three antibodies was that most mdm2-positive tumors had positive p21 expression. Tumor mapping of regional immunostaining showed no association between immunostaining for p53 and p21. In a proportional hazards analysis, no association was found between the results of immunostaining for the three antibodies and treatment outcome.Conclusions: Positive or negative expression of p53, p21, or mdm2, or combinations of these, was not associated with cancer specific mortality after cystectomy for bladder carcinoma. There was no association between immunostaining for p21 and p53, whereas positive immunostaining for mdm2 was observed in a minority of the tumors. These results indicate that, in addition to p21, p53, and mdm2, there are other oncoproteins and tumor suppressor proteins along the p53 pathway that are involved in tumor development and progression.
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| 16. |
- Mårtensson, Gunnar, et al.
(författare)
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The sensitivity of hyaluronan analysis of pleural fluid from patients with malignant mesothelioma and a comparison of different methods
- 1994
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Ingår i: Cancer. - 0008-543X .- 1097-0142. ; 73:5, s. 1406-1410
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Hyaluronan may be used as a marker for malignant mesothelioma, thus indicating its mesodermal origin. METHODS: The sensitivity as a diagnostic test of three different methods for hyaluronan analyses of pleural fluid was examined in patients with biopsy-verified malignant pleural mesothelioma. RESULTS: A quantitative high-performance liquid-chromatography (HPLC) method was performed on fluids from 43 patients. Using a cutoff level of 100 mg/l, higher levels were noted in 30 (70%) patients, with a median value of 220 mg/l (mean, 560 mg/l; range, 20-6600 mg/l). An identical median value (220 mg/l) was obtained with a radioassay method when simultaneously performed on paired samples from 21 patients (correlation coefficient, 0.91). A qualitative precipitation test using 0.5% cetylpyridinium chloride combined with a quantitative viscosimetric method was significantly less sensitive (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Hyaluronan analyses is beneficial in distinguishing malignant mesothelioma if methods such as the evaluated HPLC or radioassay with a sensitivity of 70% toward mesothelioma are used and other known causes of elevated content are considered.
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| 17. |
- Ribom, Dan, et al.
(författare)
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Positron emission tomography 11C-methionine and survival in patients with low-grade gliomas
- 2001
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Ingår i: Cancer. - 0008-543X .- 1097-0142. ; 92:6, s. 1541-1549
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUNDConsiderable numbers of patients with low-grade gliomas experience an early malignant course and may benefit from aggressive treatment. These patients are difficult to identify using established prognostic factors. A retrospective study was performed to determine whether the 11C-methionine uptake in tumor is a survival factor in adult patients with supratentorial gliomas classified as World Health Organization Grade 2.METHODSThe authors identified 89 patients with histologically confirmed low-grade gliomas in whom an 11C-methionine positron emission tomography (PET) scan had been performed as part of the diagnostic tumor investigation from 1983 to 1998. Clinical data were collected, and the PET scans were re-evaluated according to a fixed protocol. The 11C-methionine uptake in the tumor and relevant clinical parameters were entered into univariate and multivariate survival analyses.RESULTSAt the end of the study, 49 patients (55.1%) had died. The median overall survival was 5.7 years. Low methionine uptake was significantly favorable in the multivariate survival analysis (P = 0.04) along with oligodendroglioma (P = 0.003). In the histologic subgroups, 11C-methionine uptake was an important survival factor among patients with astrocytomas (P = 0.05) and oligodendrogliomas (P = 0.03). Tumor resection was a favorable prognostic factor in patients with high methionine uptake (P = 0.01) but not in patients with low uptake.CONCLUSIONSBaseline 11C-methionine PET is a prognostic indicator in patients with low-grade gliomas. The results imply that PET is a valuable tool in the clinical management of these patients and may assist in the selection of patients for therapy.
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| 18. |
- Widmark, Anders, 1951-, et al.
(författare)
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Self-assessment questionnaire for evaluating urinary and intestinal late side effects after pelvic radiotherapy in patients with prostate cancer compared with an age-matched control population
- 1994
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Ingår i: Cancer. - 1097-0142. ; 74:9, s. 2520-2532
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Pelvic irradiation to patients with prostate cancer is accompanied by urinary and intestinal reactions. In men older than 60 years, treatment-induced problems should be evaluated in relation to problems in an age-matched nonirradiated population.METHODS: In the present study, problems in the urinary tract and intestine were evaluated with a self-assessment questionnaire using the linear-analogue scale. The questionnaire was mailed out to 200 patients and to an age-matched population 24-56 months after irradiation.RESULTS: Twenty-five percent of the control group and 50% of the patient group reported some kind of problem in the urinary tract. The most common urinary problems in the control group and in the patient group, respectively, were urgency (19 and 42%), starting problems (22 and 33%), and leakage (11 and 32%). In the control and patient groups, 14 and 59%, respectively, reported some kind of gastrointestinal problems. The most common intestinal problems in the control and patient groups were respectively, mucus (4 and 38%), cramp (5 and 14%), leakage (2 and 27%), and blood (2 and 36%). Ninety percent of the patients' problems were minor.CONCLUSION: Pelvic irradiation induced a relatively large number of minor problems, evaluated with a self-assessment questionnaire and compared with an age-matched population of men, of approximately similar magnitude as with a physician's systematic evaluation. The most important urinary factors were urgency and leakage. The most important intestinal factors were blood, mucus, and leakage. The results support the ongoing efforts to use 3-D computed tomography-based conformal therapy to decrease irradiation dose to the rectum and bladder.
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| 19. |
- Eriksson, B. K., et al.
(författare)
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Liver embolizations of patients with malignant neuroendocrine gastrointestinal tumors
- 1998
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Ingår i: Cancer. - 0008-543X .- 1097-0142. ; 83:11, s. 2293-2301
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND Patients with neuroendocrine gastrointestinal tumors usually present with inoperable metastatic disease and severe hormonal symptoms. Specific chemotherapy, interferon-alpha (IFN), and somatostatin analogs are established therapies for these patients, but all of them eventually fail. Hepatic arterial embolization can provide reduction of both hormonal symptoms and tumor burden in these patients. METHODS Between 1981 and 1995, a total of 55 liver embolizations with gel foam powder were performed on 41 patients with histopathologically verified neuroendocrine tumors; 29 had carcinoid tumors and 12 had endocrine pancreatic tumors (EPTs). All patients had received medical treatment, including chemotherapy (n = 18), IFN (n = 31), and octreotide (n = 19), and were experiencing treatment failure when liver embolization was performed at a median of 37 months after diagnosis of liver metastases. Medical treatment was continued after embolization. RESULTS An overall objective response was noted in 15 of 29 patients with carcinoid tumors (52%). The median duration of effect was 12 months in patients with midgut carcinoid tumors. An overall objective response was observed in 6 of 12 patients with EPTs (50%), with a median duration of effect of 10 months. Adverse events were observed, and, in agreement with earlier reports, the rate of serious complications was 10%. Survival analyses showed a median survival of 80 months and a 5-year survival rate of 60% from the performance of embolization on patients with midgut carcinoid tumors, whereas for patients with EPTs the median survival from embolization was only 20 months. CONCLUSIONS Liver embolizations performed relatively late in the clinical course in our series appeared to be as effective as "early" embolizations in other series of patients with carcinoid tumors. The results for those with EPTs were poorer, and earlier embolizations may result in better outcomes for these patients. Considering the morbidity associated with the procedure, it is imperative to select patients according to extent of liver involvement, severity of carcinoid heart disease, and somatostatin receptor status.
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| 20. |
- Fransson, Per, et al.
(författare)
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Late side effects unchanged 4-8 years after radiotherapy for prostate carcinoma : A comparison with age-matched controls
- 1999
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Ingår i: Cancer. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0008-543X .- 1097-0142. ; 85:3, s. 678-688
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND. The authors of this study previously evaluated pelvic irradiation-induced late side effects in patients with localized prostatic carcinoma 4 years after external irradiation by administering a validated self-assessment questionnaire (QUFW94), and compared the results with those of age-matched controls. The current study was designed to evaluate prospectively the patients' problems 8 years after radiotherapy and to compare them with those reported by the same controls. METHODS. The questionnaire was sent out at a mean of 8 years (range, 72-104 months) after irradiation to 120 patients and 125 controls. For analysis of sexual function, the patient group was divided into two subgroups, one treated with radiotherapy only (RT) and one group treated with radiotherapy plus castration (RT+A). A value of >1 on a 0-10 scale indicated that the patient was having a problem. RESULTS, The mean age was 73 years for both patients and controls. No changes in urinary problems were seen between the 4-year and the 8-year follow-up in the 2 groups. Sixty percent and 54% of the patients (P = 0.096) and 24% and 31% of the controls (P = 0.988) reported urinary problems at the 4-year and 8-year follow-ups, respectively. No changes in gastrointestinal late side effects in the patient group were seen between the 4-year (65%) and the 8-year (62%) follow-ups (P = 0.490). However, there was a decrease in intestinal problems in the control group between the 4-year (12%) and the 8-year (9%) follow-ups (P = 0.001). The sexual problems did not change during the two periods, in the patient groups or in the control groups. Fifty-six percent and 65% of the RT group (P = 0.052), 67% and 54% of the RT + A group (P = 0.555), and 27% and 33% of the control group (P = 0.243) indicated some kind of sexual problem at the 4-year and 8-year follow-ups, respectively. CONCLUSIONS. The amount of pelvic irradiation-induced urinary late side effects, intestinal late side effects, and sexual function, evaluated with a self-assessment questionnaire, did not change between 4 and 8 years after RT. The age-matched controls reported no change in urinary or sexual problems despite advanced age, but there was a reported decrease in intestinal problems, Cancer 1999;85:678-88. (C) 1999 American Cancer Society.
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