melphalan and Endometriosis

The therapeutic effects of adriamycin and of melphalan in patients with advanced carcinoma of the ovary were tested in a prospective randomized study. Complete and partial remission occurred in eight of 19 patients treated with adriamycin and in four of 20 patients given melphalan. The difference, however, is not statistically significant. The median duration of complete and partial remissions was slightly longer after treatment with melphalan than with adriamycin. The number of cycles required to produce the initial regression state was less in the patients in the group given adriamycin as compared with those in the group treated with melphalan. No cross resistance was observed between the two drugs. These data indicate that, in patients with carcinoma of the ovary, the therapeutic efficacy of adriamycin is competitive with that of the most effective conventional agents, such as melphalan.

Topics: Adenocarcinoma; Carcinoma; Clinical Trials as Topic; Doxorubicin; Drug Evaluation; Endometriosis; Female; Humans; Liver Neoplasms; Lung Neoplasms; Lymphatic Metastasis; Melphalan; Neoplasm Metastasis; Ovarian Neoplasms; Remission, Spontaneous

The clinical and pathologic findings in a 53-year-old woman who developed a uterine adenosarcoma following an adenomyoma are described. During the interval between the diagnosis of adenomyoma and the subsequent diagnosis of adenosarcoma, the patient developed breast carcinoma and received adjuvant chemotherapy that included tamoxifen. The possible stimulatory effects of this drug upon the patient's pre-existing adenomyoma are discussed in view of reports of tamoxifen-associated endometrial carcinoma and uterine sarcomas developing in the setting of estrogen excess.

Topics: Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Breast Neoplasms; Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; Combined Modality Therapy; Doxorubicin; Endometriosis; Female; Fluorouracil; Humans; Melphalan; Menopause; Middle Aged; Tamoxifen; Uterine Neoplasms; Wilms Tumor

From 1980 to 1984 fifty-four patients with advanced ovarian carcinoma after operation and concluding chemotherapy with alkeran (n = 7) or cis-platin/alkeran +/- hexamethylmelamine (n = 47) as well as second-look laparotomy received follow-up radiotherapy either with the moving-strip technique (n = 35) or later the open-field technique (n = 19). 32 patients in CR received radiation therapy. 15 patients in CR are without relapse after undergoing open-field radiation therapy and a mean observation period of 25 months. At this point of time 5 of 17 patients had relapses under the moving-strip radiation treatment. The frequency of the relapses is apparently due to the very long periods of radiation and numerous interruptions in treatment. If residual tumors were present at the begin of ray therapy, a CR could only be achieved in cases where the previous monotherapy was with alkeran.

Topics: Adenocarcinoma; Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Carcinoma; Cisplatin; Combined Modality Therapy; Endometriosis; Female; Humans; Melphalan; Middle Aged; Ovarian Neoplasms; Prognosis; Reoperation

The paper presents the results of intratumoral chemotherapy of 32 cases of single metastases of stage III-IV ovarian cancer into the Douglas pouch. The metastases were detected at different stages after primary treatment. Thiotepa, cyclophosphamide, sarcolysin and methotrexate were administered in 81.2, 9.4, 6.2 and 3.1% of cases, respectively. A clinically-significant effect was recorded in 14 out of 32 cases (43.7%); tumor process was arrested in 15 cases (46.9%); treatment failed in 3 cases (9.4%). Toxic side-effects were less frequent and pronounced than in patients given standard systemic monochemotherapy.

Topics: Adenocarcinoma; Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous; Adult; Aged; Antineoplastic Agents; Cyclophosphamide; Cystadenocarcinoma; Douglas' Pouch; Endometriosis; Female; Humans; Melphalan; Methotrexate; Middle Aged; Ovarian Neoplasms; Peritoneal Neoplasms; Thiotepa

The data on 41 patients with epithelial malignant tumors of the ovaries, who received sarcolysin at different stages of combined treatment, were analyzed. The following factors of therapeutic effect of sarcolysin were established: age of 41-50 years, presence of ascites, administration by two routes--intravenously and intracavitarily and a total dose in excess of 160 mg. Still another factor is contributed by the extent of surgical procedure carried out as primary treatment.

Topics: Adenocarcinoma; Adult; Cystadenocarcinoma; Endometriosis; Female; Humans; Melphalan; Middle Aged; Ovarian Neoplasms

Between 1958 and 1973, 2412 women with epithelial ovarian carcinoma were treated at Radiumhemmet. Of these tumors, 14.5 per cent were of borderline malignancy. The 5-year relative survival rate was 34 per cent among the patients with true malignant tumor and 93 per cent in the borderline cases. Even in advanced stages (IIb-IV) the 5-year survival rate was 78 per cent in the borderline cases. Advanced stage and high age at diagnosis, true malignancy and tumors of serous, clear cell or anaplastic type were associated with poor prognosis. The 5-year relative survival rate of patients with epithelial ovarian carcinoma in an early stage improved during the period, from 67 to 81 per cent.

Topics: Adenocarcinoma; Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous; Carcinoma; Endometriosis; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Melphalan; Middle Aged; Ovarian Neoplasms; Prognosis; Radiotherapy Dosage; Statistics as Topic; Time Factors

The present work uses an in vitro test model to measure the sensitivity of human ovarian cancer cells to Melphalan and Melphalan combined with Adriamycin. With this model we studied the possible correlation between the in vitro results and the response to these cytostatic drugs in vivo. Cancer cells from 20 patients with advanced ovarian cancer were tested. The in vitro effects of the drugs were measured as differences in incorporation of labeled 3H-thymidine in drug containing tubes and in control tubes. The effects of the drugs on the different cancer cells varied greatly from strong sensitivity to resistance. In vitro and in vivo results were compared one year after start of patient treatment. The overall agreement was 16/20, 80%. The in vitro method thus estimates a tumor cell characteristic which has a biological meaning also in in vivo conditions.

Topics: Adenocarcinoma; Carcinoma; Cells, Cultured; Doxorubicin; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; Drug Therapy, Combination; Endometriosis; Female; Humans; In Vitro Techniques; Melphalan; Ovarian Neoplasms; Retrospective Studies

We report the serum levels of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in 109 patients with ovarian cancer. Histology, degree of differentiation, and clinical stage influenced the incidence of positive CEA. Although CEA was significantly raised in patients with a variety of tumours, the highest incidence (77 per cent) was found in those with serious cystadenocarcinoma. Nearly all (94 per cent) of the poorly differentiated tumours were associated with a positive CEA result. Serial CEA levels provided a useful guide to management during cytotoxic chemotherapy, rapidly falling levels indicating a favourable tumour response which was reflected clinically. However, only two-thirds of tumours were associated with detectable CEA levels in serum, day-to-day variations in individual serum levels occurred, and CEA levels tended to fall paradoxically during terminal illness. The significance of persistently low levels in the apparent absence of disease was uncertain.

Topics: Adenocarcinoma; Carcinoembryonic Antigen; Cystadenocarcinoma; Cystadenoma; Dysgerminoma; Endometriosis; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Granulosa Cell Tumor; Humans; Melphalan; Mesonephroma; Ovarian Neoplasms; Pregnancy

Topics: Antibody Formation; Antineoplastic Agents; Body Weight; Cyclophosphamide; Cystadenocarcinoma; Endometriosis; Erythrocyte Count; Female; Humans; Leukocyte Count; Melphalan; Mesonephroma; Middle Aged; Ovarian Neoplasms; Time Factors

Topics: Adenocarcinoma; Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous; Ascites; Chlorambucil; Cobalt Isotopes; Cyclophosphamide; Cystadenocarcinoma; Dactinomycin; Endometriosis; Female; Fluorouracil; Humans; Melphalan; Ovarian Neoplasms; Radiotherapy, High-Energy; Thiotepa; Vinblastine; Vincristine

Topics: Adenocarcinoma; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Antineoplastic Agents; Carcinoma; Cystadenocarcinoma; Cystadenoma; Endometriosis; Female; Humans; Melphalan; Middle Aged; Ovarian Neoplasms