Gemcitabine-oxaliplatin combination for ovarian cancer resistant to taxane-platinum treatment: a phase II study from the GINECO group.

Advanced ovarian carcinoma in early progression (<6 months) (AOCEP) is considered resistant to most cytotoxic drugs. Gemcitabine (GE) and oxaliplatin (OXA) have shown single-agent activity in relapsed ovarian cancer. Their combination was tested in patients with AOCEP in phase II study. Fifty patients pre-treated with platinum-taxane received q3w administration of OXA (100 mg m(-2), d1) and GE (1000 mg m(-2), d1, d8, 100-min infusion). Patient characteristics were a : median age 64 years (range 46-79),and 1 (84%) or 2 (16%) earlier lines of treatment. Haematological toxicity included grade 3-4 neutropaenia (33%), anaemia (8%), and thrombocytopaenia (19%). Febrile neutropaenia occurred in 3%. Non-haematological toxicity included grade 2-3 nausea or vomiting (34%), grade 3 fatigue (25%),and grade 2 alopecia (24%). Eighteen (37%) patients experienced response. Median progression-free (PF) and overall survivals (OS) were 4.6 and 11.4 months, respectively. The OXA-GE combination has high activity and acceptable toxicity in AOCEP patients. A comparison of the doublet OXA-GE with single-agent treatment is warranted.

Any clinical benefit from the use of oncofoetal markers in the management of chemotherapy for patients with metastatic colorectal carcinomas?

AIMS: Computed tomography (CT) is the reference technique for evaluating response to chemotherapy. The potential helpfulness of tumour markers is debated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From March 1997 to January 1999, 91 consecutive patients receiving chemotherapy for metastatic colorectal carcinoma underwent whole-body spiral CT, estimates of anti-carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and CA19-9 every 8 weeks. RESULTS: CEA and CA19-9 levels were above normal in 78 (85.7%) and 61 (67.5%) patients, respectively. Tumour response evaluation according to the RECIST criteria was obtained at 8-week evaluation in 83 (91%) patients. The positive predictive values (PPV) for response of a decrease of the marker levels were 53.8 for CEA and 41.7 for CA19-9 using a 30% decrease threshold, and 60/52.2, respectively, using a 50% decrease threshold. Meaningful PPV values (> 90%) for progression of an increase of the marker levels were only obtained using the 200% increase threshold for CEA alone or a combination of CEA and CA 19-9. A 100% CEA increase between baseline and the 8-week evaluation was correlated to overall survival (P = 0.0023). The need for a radiological confirmation of tumour progression could be avoided by the systematic dosage of tumour markers at baseline and after 8 weeks of treatment only in a sub-population of 13% of the patients with a 200% increase of CEA or CA 19-9 at 8 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: CEA, CA 19-9, or both should be used with caution for tumour response evaluation to chemotherapy in addition to CT in metastatic colorectal carcinoma.

Assessment of tumour response to chemotherapy for metastatic colorectal cancer: accuracy of the RECIST criteria.

Evaluation of tumour size modifications in response to treatment is a critical issue in the management of advanced malignancies. In 1981, the World Health Organization (WHO) established guidelines for tumour response assessment. These WHO1981 criteria were recently simplified in a revised version, named RECIST (Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumours), which uses unidimensional instead of bidimensional measurements, a reduced number of measured lesions, withdrawal of the progression criteria based on isolated increase of a single lesion, and different shrinkage threshold for definitions of tumour response and progression. In order to validate these new guidelines, we have compared results obtained with both classifications in a prospective series of 91 patients receiving chemotherapy for metastatic colorectal cancer. Data from iterative tomographic measurements were fully recorded and reviewed by an expert panel. The overall response and progression rates according to the WHO1981 criteria were 19% and 58%, respectively. Using RECIST criteria, 16 patients were reclassified in a more favourable subgroup, the overall response rate being 28% and the progression rate 45% (non-weighted kappa concordance test 0.72). When isolated increase of a single measurable lesion is not taken into account for progression with the WHO1981 criteria, only 7 patients were reclassified and the kappa test was satisfying, i.e. > or =0.75, for the whole population as well as for each of the responding and progressive subgroups. Since it provides concordant results with a simplified method, the use of RECIST criteria is recommended for evaluation of treatment efficacy in clinical trials and routine practice.

[Serum marker of the functional hepatic mass after extensive hepatectomy. The branched/aromatic amino acid ratio. Experimental and clinical studies]. / Un marqueur sérique de la masse hépatique fonctionelle après hépatectomie élargie. Le rapport des acides aminés ramifiés (AAR) sur les aromatiques (AAA). Etudes expérimentales et cliniques.

During severe hepatic insufficiency, serum amino acid profile is modified with an increase of aromatic amino acids (AAA) (Tyrosine and Phenylalanine) and methionine concentrations and a decreased value of 3 branched chain amino acids (BCAA) (leucine, isoleucine and valine). These observations have been confirmed after hepatic surgery in experimental and clinical studies. In experimental models, after 10, 32, 68, 77 or 90% hepatectomy in Wistar rats, the BCAA/AAA ratio (R) is correlated with the extent of hepatectomy: r = 0.74, p < 0.001; with the post-operative interval time (8, 24, 32, 48, 168 or 240 hours): r = 0.60, p < 0.001 and with the liver weight when animals are sacrificed: r = 0.64, p < 0.001. In clinical studies, 26 patients have undergone 60 to 80% hepatectomy for primary or secondary tumors of the liver and R is determined on the immediate post-operative day and every day during the first post-operative week. Liver regeneration is followed by single photon emission computerized tomoscintigraphy on days 0, 7 and 30 with assessment of hepatic growth index (HGI) estimated by the ratio: liver mass on day 7 or 30/remnant liver mass on day 0. On post-operative day 7, R is 1.61 +/- 0.3 (normal: 3.5 +/- 0.51). Mean liver volume is 60 +/- 11% and HGI is 1.9 +/- 0.3. On this day, a correlation is found between R and HGI (r = 0.76). On post-operative day 30, HGI is 2.34 +/- 0.50, mean liver volume is 89.6 +/- 0.9% and R is 2.02 +/- 0.65.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Therapeutic strategy in 46 cases of radiation injury of the intestine]. / Stratégie thérapeutique dans 46 cas d'intestin radique.

Our expérience in the treatment of 46 cases with radiation enteritis (RE) permitted to summarize 5 key points in the Surgical Strategy: laparotomy incision, enterolysis technique, small bowel and colon preservation, anastomosis technic and parenteral nutritional support. Surgery is imposed most of the time in digestive and nutritional Insufficiencies due to radiation enteritis. 46 patients aged to 33-81 years (mean age = 59) were included for possible surgery. The first clinical digestive symptoms were occlusion (n = 39) and/or digestive fistula (n = 7) and/or perforation (n = 3). These abnormalities were often associated with severe malnutrition (weight loss > or = 20% of usual weight) inducing surgery preparation with pre-operative parenteral nutrition (8 to 350 days). 3 patients were not operated because of general problems and lived 1 to 7 months after the beginning of parenteral nutrition. For operated patients (n = 43), 12 underwent 2 operations (resection and/or enteral liberation) and one patient underwent 4 surgical interventions because of digestive fistula. In 35 cases, small bowel resection was performed leaving 135.4 +/- 62.6 cm of intestine (0 to 225 cm of jejunum and/or ileum) and in 13 cases, complete enterolysis was achieved. All the patients received a post-operative parenteral nutrition during 1 to 23 months (median = 6.2 +/- 5.3 months). 31 patients received home parenteral nutrition during the pre and/or post-operative phase for a median duration of 6.3 +/- 3.2 months (range: 1-23 months). 4 patients died during the immediate post-operative phase and among them, 3 died after the second surgery. 12 deaths were observed due to the primary cancer and 6 due to the evolution of radiation lesions. Median survival of patients without cancer evolution reach 180 months with a 5-year survival rate of 94% (Kaplan-Meier method). In patients with radiation enteritis, the pre and post-operative nutritional support associated with radical surgery allows to obtain prolonged survival in non cancer patients.

Treatment of fistulas of the gastrointestinal tract with total parenteral nutrition and octreotide in patients with carcinoma.

The development of a fistula is a serious postoperative complication. Conservative medical treatment with total parenteral nutrition, skin care and intensive infection control usually succeeds in closing fistulas (60 to 75 percent), but the treatment is of long duration (two to three months), high cost and high morbidity related to prolonged hospitalization. We have used octreotide, a long half-life stomatostatin analog, in 40 patients from two European university centers with postoperative enterocutaneous fistulas. Twenty-two patients had low fistula output and 28 patients had high fistula output. Spontaneous closure was achieved in 77.5 percent of the patients after a mean of 13.6 days. One patient died. Glucose intolerance, which has been reported with stomatostatin treatment of fistulas, was not observed. Previous chemotherapy or radiotherapy or low albumin level (23 grams per deciliter) negatively influenced fistula closure. As an adjunct treatment to primary care (total parenteral nutrition, skin care and infection control), octreotide is efficient in reducing fistula output and accelerating spontaneous fistulas closure.

Influence of N-acetylglutamine or glutamine infusion on plasma amino acid concentrations during the early phase of small-bowel adaptation in the dog.

Glutamine is a nonessential neutral amino acid that is widely consumed by the intestinal tract in catabolic states. We have followed up the plasma amino acid profile after extensive small-bowel resection in dogs receiving total parenteral nutrition (TPN) with or without glutamine (GLN) or N-acetylglutamine (aGLN) supplementation. Animals were divided into four groups according to the type of surgery (enterectomy or transection) and nutrition (TPN, TPN with aGLN, or TPN with GLN). Plasma GLN levels decreased in group I (enterectomy and TPN) on day 2 (p = .03) and significantly increased on postoperative days in groups III (enterectomy and TPN with aGLN) and IV (enterectomy and TPN with GLN). A significant increase of plasma GLN was observed in groups III and IV compared with group I on days 6 and 8 (p = .03 and p = .01). Plasma alanine decreased in groups with bowel resection, whereas no change was observed in the control group (transection) and the decrease of plasma alanine was significantly less pronounced in groups III and IV compared with group I. The increase of crypt depth and villous height was more pronounced in groups III and IV. These results suggest that GLN is a required substrate for mucosal growth and function, which could improve the intestinal adaptation encountered after enterectomy.

Plasma and jejunal glutamine levels after extensive small bowel resection in dogs.

Recent studies have demonstrated that glutamine may be required for mucosal growth and that it is widely utilised by the intestinal tract after surgery. This study has evaluated the effect of massive small bowel resection on plasma and jejunal glutamine and related amino-acids level evolution after surgery. Transection was performed in 6 dogs (control group) and enterectomy in 10 dogs leaving 25cm of jejunum, associated with colectomy (group 1). Plasma glutamine levels decreased on D2 (p = 0.03) in the resected group while a significant decrease of plasma alanine levels was observed on D2 (p = 0.002), D4, D6 and D8 (p < 0.001). Intestinal mucosa glutamic acid content was increased on D8 in this group (p < 0.001). No changes were observed in the control group. These results suggest that glutamine is a required substrate after massive small bowel resection which could improve the intestinal adaptation encountered after enterectomy.

Clinical, biological, and histological follow-up during intestinal adaptation after small-bowel resection in the dog.

Massive resections of the intestine including the ileocecal valve are associated with a high mortality. This model of short bowel in the dog consists of an extensive small-bowel resection (remaining jejunum 25 cm) associated with colectomy. Small-bowel adaptation is evidenced by increases of crypt depth (p = 0.02) and villus height (p = 0.001) in animals fed per os. Plasma glutamine levels decrease after surgery, while there is a significant decrease of plasma alanine levels (p less than 0.001). This model should allow to pursue investigations on the importance of glutamine as an essential fuel for intestinal mucosa regeneration.

Intestinal adaptation in patients with short bowel syndrome. Measurement by calcium absorption.

Functional adaptation of remaining intestine was evaluated in 30 patients with extensive small bowel resection. Calcium and xylose absorption tests were compared. Calcium absorption was measured by a double-radiotracer technique. Serum xylosemia was measured 2 hr after D-xylose ingestion. Patients were divided into two groups according to the time interval between surgery and evaluation: less (group I) or more (group II) than two years. A statistically significant correlation was found between xylosemia and remaining small bowel length (r = 0.71; P less than 0.001) and between calcium absorption and remaining small bowel length (r = 0.75; P less than 0.001) in group I. A significant correlation was also observed between calcium absorption and time after surgery (r = 0.65; P = 0.001) but not for xylose absorption. Calcium absorption value was significantly increased in group II patients compared with group I patients matched for remaining small bowel length (36.2 +/- 12.5% vs 14.5 +/- 9.1%; P less than 0.001) while no difference was observed between the two groups concerning xylose absorption. These data indicate that intestinal calcium absorption continues to increase for more than two years after a major bowel resection in man. The intestine does not seem to recover all its functions at the same time.

Ambulatory home total parenteral nutrition.

Ambulatory total parenteral nutrition (TPN) at home was used in 85 patients within a 6-yr period. Indications include severe malabsorption, fistulas, anorexia nervosa, and malignancies. The median duration of home TPN (HPN) was 67 days (range: 30-4,155 days). HPN duration for patients with benign diseases was longer [357.12 days (range: 30-4,155 days)] than for cancer patients [93.54 days (range: 30-421 days)]. Under HPN, patients gained a good nutritional status with an increase of total protein (p less than 0.001) and serum albumin levels (p less than 0.001). Weight gain was also significant (p less than 0.001). The rehospitalization rate was low (7.8%), but it was higher when HPN lasted for more than 3 months (10.87% +/- 1.58%) compared with short-term HPN (5.69% +/- 1.25%). Metabolic complications were unusual, and rehospitalization was related to the oncological treatment and/or infectious complications. Therefore, ambulatory HPN is a nutritional support that can significantly improve the life of patients with alimentary failure. Moreover, HPN allows significant cost savings compared to the alternative of prolonged hospitalization.

[Parenteral feeding at home. 100 cases]. / L'assistance nutritive parentérale à domicile. Cent observations.

Between 1979 and 1986, 100 patients underwent parenteral nutrition at home on account of malnutrition consecutive to digestive insufficiency or heavy anti-cancer chemotherapy. Parenteral feeding was performed through a buried catheter for a mean period of 74 days (range 30 to 430 days). The patients' nutritional status was improved, with a significant increase in weight, total plasma proteins and serum albumin (P less than 0.001). The principal complication observed was infection, and few patients (10.61%) were rehospitalized. Home parenteral nutrition may be regarded as "the artificial bowel" for chronic malnutrition patients. It increases the duration and quality of life without prolonging the time spent in hospital, and it reduces health expenses by 50 to 70%.

[Treatment of epithelial cancer of the ovary. In favor of primary radical and regional surgery before chemotherapy and radiotherapy]. / Traitement du cancer épithélial de l'ovaire. Pour une chirurgie radicale et régionale premiére avant chimiothérapie et radiothérapie

The treatment of epithelial carcinoma of the ovary (90% of malignant ovarian tumours) has largely benefited from chemotherapy, notably since the advent of cisplatinum. Radiotherapy may be an important adjuvant treatment to sterilize the pelvis. Both chemo- and radiotherapy are effective mainly on small residual diseases, hence the importance of initial surgery with maximal cell reduction, notably in carcinomas classified as stage III according to the International Gynaecology and Obstetrics Federation system. Regional surgery of the ovary must be pelvic and abdominal: from Douglas' pouch to the diaphragmatic domes. This therapeutic approach requires the resolution of two problems: intensive care and post-operative feeding. It has 2 major advantages: it avoids second-look operations or reduces their number, and it increases the survival rate at 5 years.

Experimental model of extended repeated partial hepatectomy in the dog.

The model of extended repeated partial hepatectomy without vascular shunt in dogs is presented. It consisted of 65% initial hepatectomy and after liver regeneration (6-10 weeks) repeated hepatectomy. Finally, only the papillary process of the caudate lobe (PPC), which constitutes 5% of the initial hepatic mass, was left intact. The most important finding was an ability of PPC to reconstitute the liver mass which enabled survival without the vascular shunt. After repeated hepatectomy the need for artificial hepatic assistance (parenteral nutritional support with frozen plasma) was imperative to offset the effects of acute hepatic failure and to support PPC regeneration.

Single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) for monitoring regeneration of the human liver after partial hepatectomy for secondary tumours.

In 18 patients, the liver volume during regeneration after partial hepatectomy for secondary tumours was estimated by single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT). Hepatic weight index (HWI) was subsequently calculated to follow evolution of the regeneration as a function of postoperative complications over a 30-day period. In patients with postoperative complications the HWI curves initially rose progressively and either reached a plateau or declined thereafter. The same pattern of HWI evolution was observed in patients with tumour recurrence, which was diagnosed later. On the other hand, in patients without postoperative complications the HWI curves rose continuously. These findings showed that a regenerative response was not the same in patients with or without postoperative complications; whereas in patients with tumour recurrence it could additionally provide prognostic information.

Calcium absorption following small bowel resection in man. Evidence for an adaptive response.

Seventeen patients who had undergone extensive small bowel resection were studied for calcium absorption (FACa) and plasma vitamin D metabolites. FACa was measured by a double radio-tracer technique and expressed as percentage of total oral dose. FACa was decreased compared with controls (34%, range: 3-46 v 65%, range: 57-73, P less than 0.01). A positive correlation (r = 0.49, P = 0.05) was found between FACa and the remaining length of small bowel (SBL). As wide variations in both SBL and duration after surgery were observed among the seventeen investigated patients, we were led to individualize less heterogeneous subgroups of patients. Better correlations were found when the patients were divided into two subgroups according to whether the time interval between the resection and the investigation was shorter (r = 0.75, n = 11, P less than 0.02) or longer (r = 0.89, n = 6, P = 0.05) than 2 years. In thirteen patients who had a SBL shorter than 100 cm, a positive correlation was observed between FACa and the time interval after surgery (months): r = 0.65, P less than 0.05. Plasma 1,25 (OH)2D was markedly reduced in the whole group (31 pmol l-1, range: 8-108) compared with controls (103 pmol-1, range: 59-134, P less than 0.01). The present study shows that in extensively small bowel resected patients, calcium absorption is reduced, the alteration being dependent both on the length of the remnant small bowel and on the time after surgery.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)