[Typical forms of choriocarcinoma in clinical practice--diagnosis and therapeutic course in four patients]. / Typische Erscheinungsformen des Chorionkarzinoms in der klinischen Praxis--Diagnosestellung und therapeutischer Verlauf bei vier Patientinnen.

The paper reports on four patients with choriocarcinoma. In two of them, the choriocarcinoma was found after abortion, in one of them following termination of pregnancy, and in the last patient a hydatidiform mole was present. In all patients increased beta-HCG was found. One patient had lung metastasis at the time of diagnosis. In another patient, choriocarcinoma was suspected owing to ultrasonographic vaginal examination. According to the Bagshawe Score, 3 patients were low-risk and were subjected to methotrexate. One patient was medium-risk and received PEB chemotherapy. All four patients are regarded as cured.

[Superselective intra-arterial chemotherapy in breast cancer]. / Superselektive intraarterielle Chemotherapie bei Mammakarzinomen.

Forty-two patients with locally advanced breast cancer (n = 8) or recurrent breast cancer (n = 34) received regional chemotherapy (mitoxantrone 25 mg/m2 per 24 h) via the internal mammary artery or other vessels of the subclavian artery. To prevent artery thrombosis 500-1000 U heparin per hour were administered i.v. Tumour perfusion was monitored by intra-arterial angio-CT. Remission rates (CR + PR) were 100% (primary breast cancer) and 89% (recurrent tumours), respectively. Intra-arterial chemotherapy was well tolerated. No complications were noted.

Cytokine efficiency in the treatment of high-grade malignant non-Hodgkin's lymphomas: results of a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study with intensified COP-BLAM +/- rhGM-CSF.

In high-grade malignant non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (hNHL) recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (rhGM-CSF) was evaluated as support to chemotherapy. In a phase III trial, 172 patients (age 18-73 years, stage II-IV) were risk-stratified according to LDH levels and lymphoma size and randomized to receive rhGM-CSF (400 micrograms) (87 patients) or placebo (85 patients) subcutaneously days 8-14 of each cycle of an intensified COP-BLAM regimen. RhGM-CSF significantly reduced the length and nadir of neutropenia, the length of fever episodes, the frequency of all and of severe infections, and of hospitalization and antibiotic requirements. Complete response rates were 63% for all patients and 64% vs. 61% (n.s.) in the rhGM-CSF vs. the control group. Deviations from protocol in applied dosages of myelotoxic drugs and in cycle intervals maintained differed slightly in favor of the rhGM-CSF arm. However, there were no significant differences in overall survival between the GM-CSF treatment and control groups (21 vs. 23 months). Early relapse rates were markedly lower than in the standard-dose COP-BLAM/IMVP-16 regimen. Thus, GM-CSF abates toxic side effects of chemotherapy and may help to maintain dose intensity in high-risk hNHL.