6-Day continuous infusion of high-dose ifosfamide with bone marrow growth factors in advanced refractory malignancies.

Ifosfamide is an analogue of cyclophosphamide active in the treatment of numerous tumours. Although its use by continuous infusion seems to be responsible for less toxicity, differences of efficacy and toxicity, observed according to its doses and schedules of administration, still remain debated. The objective of this study was to assess the toxicity of high-dose ifosfamide given by continuous infusion over 6 days and its therapeutic activity in various advanced tumours. Twenty-six patients were treated with 14 g/m2 ifosfamide, an equal dose of MESNA, and routine granulocyte- or granulocyte/macrophage-colony-stimulating factor during the intercycle. Courses were repeated every 3 weeks until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity occurred; 75 cycles were administered. The mean number of cycles per patient was 3 (range 1-11). Extrahaematological toxicity was manageable in most patients, WHO grade II or more neurological (5 patients) and renal (5 patients) toxicities occurring in those heavily pretreated with platinum compounds and presenting peritoneal disease. WHO grade III or more neutropenia occurred in 60% of cycles, while grade III-IV thrombocytopenia and anaemia were observed in 19% of them. Three partial responses (germ-cell tumour, chondrosarcoma, soft-tissue sarcoma) and one complete response (metastatic osteosarcoma) were assessed, all in patients with tumours refractory or resistant to standard-dose ifosfamide, which underlines the possibility of circumventing the resistance to ifosfamide given in conventional schedules. The present results confirm previous reports of changes in the therapeutic index of ifosfamide according to its dose and administration schedule.

[Initial medical treatment for breast cancer]. / Traitement médical d'induction et cancer du sein.

Rationale for primary medical treatment of breast cancer relies on experimental data showing that the incidence of metastatic disease is dependent on the primary tumour mass and tumoral angiogenesis. Although this concept may be applied to both chemotherapy and hormonotherapy, only the first was extensively explored for patients with locally advanced breast cancer, and more recently in smaller tumours. Despite high clinical +/- radiological response rates, only pathologic information, carefully assessed in both the primary and axillae lymph nodes, stands out as the major source of prognostic information on patients' outcome. Recent developments in chemotherapy (dose-intensity, new drugs) do not seem to influence these results, indicating the possible limitations of conventional chemotherapy. Of 6 published randomized trials comparing neo versus adjuvant strategy, none showed any significant impact of primary chemotherapy on survival, with in some a trend towards delayed and/or distant recurrences if neoadjuvant treatment given. That some recent reports suggest that local relapse rate might be increased after conservative treatment following induction chemotherapy in subgroups analyses should cause oncologists to revise the role for post neoadjuvant treatment conservative surgery without calling into question the global strategy. Through sequential samplings, neoadjuvant medical treatment provides indeed the opportunity (a) to identify molecular mechanisms associated with pathologic response and (b) to study the possibility to guide the choices for induction treatment and patients' populations submitted to primary medical treatment.

[Adamantinoma of the proximal end of the tibia. A case]. / Adamantinome de l'extrémité supérieure du tibia. Une observation.

Adamantinoma is a rare primary tumour of long bones containing mesenchymatous and epithelial cells. There has been some controversy over the pathogenesis. We observed a localization in the right tibia. A 22-year-old patient from Algeria was seen for spontaneous progressively increasing pain in the upper part of the right tibia. The patient's general health had deteriorated somewhat, with fever. On examination there was ulceration of the skin, costal and pelvic pain and inflammatory right inguinal lymph nodes. Radiography revealed lateral metaphyseal lytic image with interruption of the cortex also seen on magnetic resonance imaging which revealed invasion of the soft tissue and multiple bilateral pulmonary nodules. Bone scintigraphy showed several zones of hyperfixation. The diagnosis of adamantinoma was confirmed by pathology examination of the biopsy specimen. On surgical exeresis, the capsule of the knee joint was found to be involved without invasion of the knee joint. Node dissection showed inguinal and popliteal invasion. Macroscopically, the surgical specimen was a red-whitish osteolytic tumour. Microscopically, the tumour was composed of hyperchromatic epithelial cells in an abondant fibrous stroma. Immunohistochemical studies were negative for vimentine, cytokeratin and factor VIII. Adjuvant chemotherapy was based on a sarcoma protocol. Unfortunately, after two cycles, white cell counts fell sharply and multiple skin nodules appeared together with progression of the bone metastases. The chemotherapy was modified without any therapeutic effect and the patient died in February 1993. An epithelial origin would appear most probable, but at least two groups of adamantinoma can be described: one with typical epithelial differenciation and one overlapping to the differential diagnosis of osteofibrous dysplasia. Although considered as a low grade malignant tumour, we emphasize the aggressive forms with local relapse or metastatic resistance to chemotherapy. Treatment relies on wide surgery and prognosis is generally good. Neither chemotherapy nor radiotherapy has stood the test of time in cases with metastasis.