Detection of blood-borne cells in colorectal cancer patients by nested reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction for carcinoembryonic antigen messenger RNA: longitudinal analyses and demonstration of its potential importance as an adjunct to multiple serum markers.

The use of reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) to analyze cells in the blood of cancer patients for the detection of mRNA expressed in tumor cells has implications for both the prognosis and the monitoring of cancer patients for the efficacy of established or experimental therapies. Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is expressed on approximately 95% of colorectal, gastric, and pancreatic tumors, and on the majority of breast, non-small cell lung, and head and neck carcinomas. CEA shed in serum is useful as a marker in only approximately 50% of colorectal cancer patients and rarely is shed by some other carcinoma types. RT-PCR has been used previously to detect CEA mRNA in cells in the blood and lymph nodes of cancer patients. Under the assay conditions validated in the studies reported here, 34 of 51 (67%) patients with different stages of colorectal cancer had blood cells that were positive by RT-PCR for CEA mRNA, whereas none of 18 patients with colonic polyps were positive; 2 of 60 apparently healthy individuals (who were age and sex matched with the carcinoma patients and were part of a colon cancer screening program as controls) were marginally positive. The results of CEA PCR in the blood of the carcinoma patients and the other groups showed strong statistical correlation with the disease (P2 < 0.0001). Analyses were carried out to detect both serum CEA protein levels and CEA mRNA in blood cells of colorectal carcinoma patients by RT-PCR. For all stages of disease, 18 of 51 patients (35%) were positive for serum CEA, whereas 35 of 51 (69%) were positive by RT-PCR. More importantly, only 5 of 23 (20%) of stage B and C colorectal cancer patients were positive for serum CEA, whereas 16 of 23 (70%) were positive by RT-PCR. The use of two other serum markers (CA19.9 and CA72-4) for colorectal cancer in combination with serum CEA scored two additional patients as positive; both were positive by RT-PCR for CEA mRNA. Pilot long-term longitudinal studies conducted before and after surgery identified some patients with CEA mRNA in blood cells that were negative for all serum markers, who eventually developed clinical metastatic disease. The studies reported here are the first to correlate RT-PCR results for CEA mRNA in blood cells with one or more serum markers for patients with different stages of colorectal cancer, and are the first long-term longitudinal studies to use RT-PCR to detect CEA mRNA in blood cells of cancer patients. Larger cohorts will be required in future studies to define the impact, if any, of this technology on prognosis and/or disease monitoring.

A re-evaluation of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) as a serum marker for breast cancer: a prospective longitudinal study.

PURPOSE: Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is still a widely used test for monitoring breast cancer, although recent reports discourage its routine use because of low sensitivity. This is a prospective study evaluating the efficacy of CEA and CA 15.3 in monitoring breast cancer. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Serum CEA and CA 15.3 were measured in 2191 patients with either benign (n = 738) or malignant (n = 1453) breast diseases. Five hundred and forty-nine patients were monitored during postsurgical follow-up for either a minimum of 5 years or until time of recurrence. Fifty-three patients with metastases were also monitored during chemotherapy. RESULTS: Elevated CEA and CA 15.3 levels were found in 16.7% and 33.0% of patients, respectively. CEA sensitivity rose to 41.3% and CA 15.3 sensitivity rose to 80.8% in metastatic patients. The adjunct of CEA increased the CA 15.3 sensitivity by 6% in the overall population and by only 2.1% for patients with metastases. During postsurgical follow-up, CEA was elevated in 38.0% and CA 15.3 in 70.2% of patients with recurrence. The combination of CEA and CA 15.3 increased the overall sensitivity by only 1.4%. Longitudinal monitoring of 53 metastatic patients undergoing chemotherapy demonstrated that, when positive, both CEA and CA 15.3 paralleled response to treatment, although CA 15.3 was a significantly more powerful marker for determining response to treatment. The cost effectiveness ratio of CEA was clearly less favorable than that of CA 15.3. CONCLUSIONS: CEA monitoring should be considered an expensive and inefficient method of follow-up evaluation for breast cancer patients, and it provides no additional value when used in combination with CA 15.3.

Levels of plasma factor VII and factor VII activated forms as a function of plasma triglyceride levels.

It has been shown that triglyceride levels are one of the determinants of factor VII levels. In this study we have simultaneously evaluated, in a group of 102 healthy individuals, the different forms of factor VII, namely factor VII mass, factor VII coagulant activity, activated factor VII double-chain form and factor VII-phospholipid complex, in relation to triglyceridaemia. The data showed a highly significant correlation of factor VII mass, factor VII coagulant activity and factor VII-phospholipid complex with triglycerides. No correlation was observed between the activated factor VII double-chain form and triglycerides. These data, together with analysis of the linear and orthogonal regression slopes, suggest that increase of plasma factor VII coagulant activity as a function of plasma triglyceride levels is attributable to an increase in both mass and activity of factor VII and that the increase in activity is dependent on an increase of factor VII-phospholipid complex rather than activated factor VII double-chain form. The ratio between the slopes of the regression straight line of factor VII mass and factor VII-phospholipid complex in relation to triglycerides was 2.23 (95% confidence limits 1.74-2.50), thus indicating that the contribution of factor VII mass is prevalent over that of the factor VII-phospholipid complex.

Interrelation between angiographic severity of coronary artery disease and plasma levels of insulin, C-peptide and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1.

Plasma insulin, C-peptide and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) levels were measured in 64 men with coronary artery disease (CAD) documented by angiography. Coronary arteriograms were analyzed, and the severity and diffusion of coronary lesions were quantified by score systems. C-peptide and PAI-1 levels in patients with CAD were significantly higher than in 30 control subjects. Insulin, C-peptide and PAI-1 showed a highly significant correlation with the severity scores for coronary lesions (C-peptide more than insulin), but only a weak correlation with diffusion scores. Highly significant correlations were found between insulin and PAI-1, and even greater ones between C-peptide and PAI-1. It has been proposed that hyperinsulinemia may be involved in the etiology of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease by dysregulating lipoprotein metabolism and blood pressure. These findings support that hypothesis and suggest that insulin secretion may be an index of the severity of CAD. Because a direct effect of insulin on the cells that synthesize PAI-1 has been shown, the present data further indicate that the effect of insulin on fibrinolysis may be another way by which hyperinsulinemia accelerates atherogenesis.

Correlation between tumor necrosis factor-alpha and D-dimer levels in non-small cell lung cancer patients.

The present study was designed to investigate whether a correlation exists between IL-6, TNF-alpha and coagulation (Thrombin-antithrombin, TATc) or fibrinolysis (D-dimer) activation in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. One hundred thirty patients with NSCLC (n=65, 53 males, mean age 65 +/- 8, adenocarcinoma n=32, squamous cancer n=33) or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (n=65, 51 males, mean age 67 +/- 9) were studied. As control group 65 healthy donors (51 males, mean age 61 +/- 14) were also evaluated. The results obtained showed that median D-dimer levels were higher in NSCLC patients (3.0 microg/ml) compared either to COPD patients (1.1 microg/ml, P<0.05) or controls (0.3 microg/ml, P<0.0001). Positive TNF-alpha levels (>10 pg/ml) were found in 26% of NSCLC compared to 3% of COPD (P<0.002) and 5% of controls (P<0.0005). On the other hand, positive (>8.5 pg/ml) IL-6 levels were found in 53% of NSCLC and 21% of COPD patients, compared to 5% of control subjects (P<0.001). Median TATc levels were elevated in either NSCLC (6.9 microg/l) or COPD (5.7 microg/l) patients compared to controls (1.8 microg/l, P<0.0001). Elevated D-dimer levels were significantly associated to positive TNF-alpha levels in patients without distant metastasis (F=4.3, P<0.05). Moreover, TNF-alpha levels (P<0.01) were independently related to the presence of positive D-dimer levels in patients with non-metastatic NSCLC. These results suggest that increased levels of TNF-alpha might be responsible for an activation of fibrinolysis in patients with NSCLC.

Evaluation of the CA 242 tumor antigen as a potential serum marker for colorectal cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The present study was designed to define the performance of serum CA 242 as a marker in colorectal cancer patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Serum samples from 1,013 subjects (440 healthy volunteers, 384 patients with primary or recurrent colorectal carcinoma and 189 with benign colorectal diseases) were evaluated. RESULTS: The measurement of serum CA 242 levels in the population of healthy subjects demonstrated the presence of positive levels in approximately 5% of the cases. Interestingly, similar results (5.8%) were obtained in patients with benign colorectal disease, demonstrating the high specificity of CA 242. When serum samples from colorectal cancer patients were analyzed, a sensitivity of 34.9% was observed. Moreover, 18.6% Stage A and B patients had positive CA 242 levels, compared to 33.3% and 58.8% of Stage C and D patients, respectively, indicating a correlation with the stage of disease. A comparison between preoperative and immediate postoperative CA 242 levels showed a consistent relationship between the efficacy of surgery and the reduction in serum CA 242 levels; further, elevated CA 242 levels were present in the immediate postsurgical follow-up of patients undergoing palliative surgery. A longitudinal evaluation of serum CA 242 levels demonstrated that this marker was indicative of the status of disease. CONCLUSIONS: The results obtained suggest the possible utility of CA 242 in monitoring the disease status, providing a rationale for future studies focusing on the longitudinal monitoring of colorectal cancer patients.

TAG-72 expression and its role in the biological evaluation of human colorectal cancer.

Immunohistochemical studies showed that TAG-72 is expressed in more than 80% of colorectal carcinomas, but is rarely expressed in normal epithelium and benign diseases. TAG-72 can also be found in the body fluids of patients with adenocarcinomas, and its direct measurement can be used in conjunction with immunocytochemical analysis to help in discriminating benign from malignant effusions. The evaluation of TAG-72 in serum of colorectal carcinoma patients showed a sensitivity of approximately 40%, comparable to that of the widely used CEA. TAG-72 serum levels correlate with the stage of disease, suggesting its utility in discriminating between early-stage versus late-stage colon carcinoma. Longitudinal studies demonstrated that TAG-72 serum levels may be used as a predictive marker of recurrences. Moreover, the simultaneous measurement of TAG-72 and CEA serum markers improves the monitoring of recurrent disease. Therefore, these data suggest that TAG-72 is a well suitable marker for colorectal cancer.

Clinical utility of CA 72-4 serum marker in the staging and immediate post-surgical management of gastric cancer patients.

CA 72-4 is a high molecular weight, pancarcinoma human tumor mucin which may play an important role in the identification (i.e., staging) and clinical management of patients with gastric carcinoma. In the present study of 242 patients with primary or recurrent gastric cancer, a higher percentage of these patients had measurable serum CA 72-4 levels when compared with either CA 19.9 or CEA. Moreover, the presence of positive serum CA 72-4 levels correlated with the presence of lymph node involvement and with the identification of patients with a poor prognosis due to the presence of an advanced stage of gastric cancer. Post-operative monitoring of serum CA 72-4 revealed that the disappearance of CA 72-4 often indicated curative surgery which correlated with a longer disease-free interval. Additional clinical studies are needed to better evaluate the role of CA 72-4 as a serum marker for human gastric carcinoma. Concomitant studies should also focus on what role CA 72-4 may play in the initiation and/or progression of the gastric carcinoma phenotype.

Role of surgery in the treatment of recurrent esophageal cancer.

Neoplastic recurrence is the most common cause of death after surgery for esophageal cancer. The Authors review the therapeutic options evaluating in terms of palliation of dysphagia and complication and mortality rates. Prognostic factors and mechanisms determining the recurrence are also reviewed. A strategy for a rational approach in the management of recurrent esophageal cancer emerges from both the literature and their own experience. Notwithstanding the small life span of these patients, the treatment of esophageal obstruction is mandatory. The therapeutic options that be considered are: palliative resection, surgical bypass, laser therapy, intubation, radiotherapy. The site of obstruction, the presence of metastasis, the general status can lead to the optimal choice. In terms of palliation of dysphagia the surgical approach seems to obtain the best results, even if high complication and mortality rates have been reported. Bypass is the second surgical choice when applicable. The other non-surgical modalities have been administered in large series of patients with good results. Combination therapies can obtain better results.

[Papillary carcinoma of the thyroid arising on thyroglossal duct cysts: report of a case and review of the literature]. / Carcinoma papillare della tiroide insorto su cisti del dotto tireoglosso: a proposito di un caso e revisione della letteratura.

Thyroglossal duct cysts are the most common congenital disorder of the neck. One percent of cases may degenerate and give rise to a cancer, mainly arising in the pericystic thyroid tissue. Some 250 cases have been reported in the literature to date. We report here on a 39-year-old man with a midline mass in the neck measuring 4 cm max. The patient was examined preoperatively by ultrasonography of the neck and assay of thyroid hormones, which yielded a diagnosis of a thyroglossal duct cyst. On the basis of these findings, the patient underwent surgery to remove the mass and, after an extempore histopathological examination, was submitted to total thyroidectomy owing to the presence of papillary carcinoma of the thyroid arising on the thyroglossal duct cyst with multiple foci in the context of the thyroid gland. Most thyroid cancers at the time of surgery are confined to the thyroid gland, infiltrating the adjacent structures in approximately 20% of cases and the local-regional lymph nodes in 8 to 11.5%. Thyroid papillary adenocarcinoma is multifocal in 21% of cases. The multifocal nature of the cancer makes total thyroidectomy mandatory at the same time as surgery is performed to remove the cyst.

Hyperthermic antiblastic perfusion in the treatment of local recurrence or "in-transit" metastases of limb melanoma.

On the basis of personal experience and a review of the literature, the authors have evaluated the results obtained with hyperthermic antiblastic perfusion (HAP) for the treatment of stage II, III and IIIAB limb melanoma. The evaluation showed that today HAP may be considered a safe and effective treatment, with a major complication rate ranging between 1% and 4%. In terms of tumor response, locoregional control and survival, this treatment has provided better results than other regional chemotherapeutic modalities and undoubtedly better results than those obtained with conventional, even radical, surgery. The multiparametric analysis showed that, of the treatment-related prognostic factors, the minimum tumor temperature influenced the percentage of complete response (CR) to the greatest extent (P < 0.03), with a positive trend also with regard to the dosage of the antiblastic drug employed (P < 0.08). In turn, the complete response rate was a determinant as far as locoregional control (75.3%; P < 0.0009) and disease-free (51.4%; P < 0.009) and overall survival (63.2%; P < 0.009) rates were concerned. Of the tumor-related prognostic factors, the number of lesions (P < 0.0014), sex (P < 0.04), and the number of disease recurrences (P < 0.01) appear to influence overall survival.

Adenylate kinase activity in the cerebrospinal fluid of children with tuberculous meningitis and its relationship to neurological outcome.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) adenylate kinase activity was determined in 88 children (mean age 32.6 months) at stage II (n = 40) and stage III (n = 48) tuberculous meningitis (TBM) at, or shortly after, the initiation of treatment, and at weekly intervals thereafter for the first month of treatment, and in 60 children (mean age 40 months) investigated for, but later considered not to have meningitis. CSF adenylate kinase activity in this latter group ranged from 0 to 1.27 u/l (mean 0.59 u/l). Mean CSF adenylate kinase activity during the first week of therapy in children at stage II TBM (2.95 u/l; range 0-9.22 u/l) differed significantly (p = 0.03) from that in children at stage III TBM (5.62 u/l; range 0-18.93 u/l). CSF adenylate kinase activity did not differ between children at stage II and stage III TBM during any of the 3 subsequent weeks. CSF adenylate kinase activity was not related to CSF cell count, total protein or glucose concentration or intracranial pressure at any point during the first month of treatment, but was related to CSF lactate during the first week of therapy (p = 0.001). Consecutive determinations of CSF adenylate kinase activity were available in 34 children. Although CSF adenylate kinase activity tended to increase or decrease in keeping with changes in clinical condition this was not always the case. The close relationship of CSF adenylate kinase activity and lactate concentrations suggests that adenylate kinase activity reflects hypoxic cerebral metabolism and it was unusual for children with increased CSF adenylate kinase activity at the time of diagnosis to be clinically normal on completion of 6 months of antituberculosis treatment. Any treatment modality which significantly reduced CSF adenylate kinase activity in children early in the course of TBM would probably be of clinical benefit to the patients.

Lonidamine and hyperthermia: clinical experience in melanoma. Preliminary results.

Lonidamine alone or in combination with hyperthermic perfusion, with or without melphalan, was investigated in 12 patients with stage II, III, and IV malignant melanoma. The authors evaluated the most effective methods and sequence of Lonidamine administration. Preliminary results suggest that the highest effectiveness is obtained with the simultaneous administration of Lonidamine and hyperthermia.

Prognostic variables in recurrent limb melanoma treated with hyperthermic antiblastic perfusion.

Between October 1969 and December 1986, 136 patients with recurrent limb melanoma were treated with hyperthermic antiblastic perfusion (HAP). This retrospective analysis is aimed at identifying tumor-related and treatment-related variables likely to influence tumor response, locoregional control, disease-free survival, and overall survival. Independent factors predicting a complete response (CR) were the number of lesions (P less than 0.0001) and the minimum tumor temperature (minT) (P = 0.03). Only a positive trend was observed for the drug dose (P = 0.08). However, the proportion of CR was significantly higher (57.7%; P = 0.02) in patients who had a minT of 41.5 degrees C or greater and who were given a dose equal to or greater than the standard dose than in patients treated with lower temperatures and/or lower drug doses. The occurrence of a CR significantly increased the rates of locoregional control (77%; P = 0.007), disease-free survival (55.6%; P = 0.006), and overall survival (68.6%; P = 0.03). Treatment optimization may provide further therapeutic improvements by increasing the incidence of CR. However, the overall survival rates also were influenced by the number of lesions (P = 0.0014), sex (P = 0.04), and the number of previous relapses (P = 0.01). Therefore, tumor aggressiveness also is crucial in determining the outcome of the disease, and only early treatment with HAP can reduce the risk of distant metastases.

Serum levels of soluble interleukin-2 receptor in Hodgkin disease. Relationship with clinical stage, tumor burden, and treatment outcome.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies suggested a possible role for the detection of soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) in Hodgkin disease (HD). In this study, the authors investigated, in a large series of patients, sIL-2R serum levels in relation to disease features at presentation and prognosis. Their usefulness as markers in the management of individual cases was evaluated. METHODS: The sIL-2R serum levels were measured in 195 patients at diagnosis. In 72 of these patients, sIL-2R serum levels were also monitored after diagnosis. An additional 87 cases were tested only in complete remission (CR), and 25 were tested only at relapse. RESULTS: The sIL-2R levels at diagnosis were increased (mean +/- 1222 +/- 1012 versus 331 +/- 145 U/ml in controls, P < 0.0001) and correlated with the stage and tumor burden (Stages I and II = 1058 +/- 1007, Stages III and IV = 1502 +/- 942 U/ml, P = 0.003; Stage A = 954 +/- 705, Stage B = 1880 +/- 1238 U/ml, P < 0.0001; bulky presentation = 1958 +/- 1430, nonbulky presentation = 1043 +/- 791 U/ml, P < 0.0001). Response to treatment was associated with progressive reduction of sIL-2R levels, which were normal in virtually all cases 1 year after CR. Significantly greater levels at diagnosis were found in 11 patients who experienced a poor response or progression after treatment (P = 0.004). Overall, abnormal data in CR were found in 59 of 159 patients and 9 of them subsequently experienced a relapse. CONCLUSIONS: The sIL-2R serum levels in HD correlate with features at presentation and subsequent clinical courses. Higher levels at diagnosis entail a significantly higher risk of treatment failure.

Ceftazidime and amikacin as empiric antibiotic therapy of febrile granulocytopenic patients with hematological malignancies. Report of 171 consecutive episodes.

One hundred and seventy-one consecutive febrile episodes occurring in 130 neutropenic adult patients with hematological malignancies (mainly acute leukemia) were empirically treated with a combination antibiotic therapy consisting of ceftazidime (100 mg/kg/day) + amikacin (15 mg/kg/day). Of these, 161 were evaluable. In the majority of episodes (75 per cent) documented infections were identified as a cause of fever. There were 73 bacteremias (34 Gram-negative, 29 Gram-positive, 10 polymicrobial). One third of patients had pneumonia. Cure without change of the initial regimen was achieved in 45/73 (62 per cent) bacteremic episodes and in 12/13 episodes of microbiologically documented infections without bacteremia. There were 35 clinically documented infections and 26 (74 per cent) of these were cured. Of the 40 patients presenting with possible infections 26 (65 per cent) were cured. Overall, cure without modification of the initial antibiotic combination was achieved in 109/161 episodes (68 per cent). In spite of the frequent occurrence of persistent neutropenia (82 per cent), the infectious mortality was low (8.6 per cent), and often due to superinfection. The deaths due to primary infections were 6/161 (3.7 per cent). Side effects were mild and rare. In our experience ceftazidime + amikacin was an effective and safe empirical regimen for this population of hematologic patients with persistent neutropenia and severe documented infections.