Phase I study of paclitaxel, cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil combination chemotherapy for unresectable / recurrent gastric cancer.

PURPOSE: We investigated the safety of triple combination therapy by addition of Paclitaxel (PTX) to Cisplatin (CDDP) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) combination therapy, which was considered the conventional standard therapy for patients with unresectable / recurrent gastric cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The doses of PTX and CDDP were fixed at 80 and 50 mg/m2. They were administered on days 1 and 8, followed by a resting period of 20 days. 5-FU 300 mg/m2 at a maximum dose of 500 mg/m2 was administered at levels 0 and 2, respectively, and the dose was increased by 100 mg/m2 until the maximum tolerated dose (MTD). It was administered on days 1 - 5 and 8 - 12, followed by a resting period of 16 days. RESULTS: Twelve patients enrolled in this study. Of them, three patients were excluded from evaluation because treatment continuation was not feasible. There were 4 leukopenia and 7 neutropenia cases with hematological toxicity at grade 3 or higher. They were observed at all dose levels, but no case showed infection. In terms of non-hematological toxicity at grade 3 or higher, there were two patients with nausea and vomiting and two patients with diarrhea, one patient with mucositis, one patient with anorexia. All patients with non-hematological toxicity at grade 3 or higher were at level 2. The dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) was observed at level 2, and 5-FU at 400 mg (level 1) was adopted. CONCLUSIONS: We proved in this study that PTX, CDDP, and 5-FU combination chemotherapy was a safe treatment.

Evaluation of various cytological examinations by bronchoscopy in the diagnosis of peripheral lung cancer.

To improve the efficacy of fibreoptic bronchoscopy in the diagnosis of peripheral lung cancer, we evaluated the effectiveness of various techniques for obtaining samples for cytological examination. Between January 1984 and December 2000, flexible fibreoptic bronchoscopy under fluoroscopic guidance was performed in 1372 patients with lung cancer having no visible endoscopic findings. Histological examination of specimens obtained by forceps biopsy and cytological examinations on imprints of biopsy specimens, brushing, selective bronchial lavage, curettage, transbronchial needle aspiration, rinse fluids of the forceps, brush, curette, and aspiration needle, and all fluids aspirated during the bronchoscopic examinations were evaluated for diagnostic power. Using these techniques, the overall diagnostic rate with bronchoscopy was 93.4%. The sensitivity of the histological examination was 76.9%; additional imprint cytology increased the sensitivity to 84.8% (P<0.0001), while additional cytology on the rinse fluid of the forceps increased the sensitivity to 83.7% (P<0.0001). The addition of both imprint cytology and cytology on the rinse fluid of the forceps increased the diagnostic rate to 86.2% (P<0.0001). Our results indicate that cytological examinations of the imprints of biopsy samples and the rinse fluids of the forceps and the brush improve the efficacy of fibreoptic bronchoscopy in the diagnosis of peripheral lung cancer.

A case-control study of lung cancer screening in Okayama Prefecture, Japan.

The effectiveness of lung cancer screening in reducing mortality still remains uncertain. In order to evaluate the efficacy of lung cancer screening, a case-control study was conducted in Okayama Prefecture, Japan. The study area consisted of 34 municipalities where a population-based lung cancer screening had been conducted. Chest X-ray examinations for all participants and sputum cytology for high-risk participants were offered annually. The cases analyzed in this study consisted of 412 individuals aged between 40 and 79 who died of lung cancer. A total of 3490 controls, two to ten for each case matched by gender, year of birth, and living district were randomly collected. Screening histories of cases were compared with those of and matched controls for the identical calendar period prio to diagnosis of the case. Smoking adjusted odds ratio (OR) of death from lung cancer for screened individuals versus unscreened, within 12 months before diagnosis, was calculated as 0.59 (95% confidence interval: 0.46-0.74; P=0.0001). The OR for women (0.39, 95% confidence interval: 0.24-0.64) was lower than that for men (0.67, 95% confidence interval: 0.51-0.87), although both were statistically significant. These results suggest that lung cancer screening contributes to reducing lung cancer mortality by 41%.

Pilot study of cyclophosphamide-doxorubicin-vincristine-cisplatin-etoposide hybrid chemotherapy in small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is highly sensitive to chemotherapy. Despite the introduction of intensive combination chemotherapy, long-term disease-free survivors are still rare. The emergence of drug-resistant tumor cells during chemotherapy is presumed to be the major cause of poor outcome. METHODS: A pilot Phase II study of hybrid chemotherapy for patients with SCLC was conducted between October 1986 and March 1988. Dose and schedule for each drug in the regimen were as follows: cyclophosphamide, 700 mg/m2 intravenously (IV), day 1; doxorubicin, 30 mg/m2 IV, day 1; vincristine, 1.4 mg/m2 IV, day 1; cisplatin, 60 mg/m2 IV, day 8; and etoposide, 100 mg/m2 IV, days 8 and 9. Courses were repeated every 4 weeks for up to six cycles. Patients with limited disease (LD) received chest irradiation of 5000 cGy when a maximal response was achieved. Only patients with LD who achieved a complete response (CR) received prophylactic cranial irradiation of 3000 cGy. RESULTS: Thirty-six patients were enrolled and fully evaluated for tumor response and toxicity. All 20 patients with LD responded to the regimen, and 14 (70%) of those achieved a CR. Of 16 patients with extensive disease (ED), 7 CR and 7 partial responses were noted, indicating an overall response rate of 88%. The median survival time was 23.6 months for patients with LD and 12.6 months for those with ED. Myelosuppression was the major toxicity, but it was generally well tolerated. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that the hybrid regimen is a highly active one for the treatment of patients with SCLC and warrants additional clinical trials.

[Cytotoxic effect of topoisomerase II inhibitors against adriamycin- and etoposide-resistant small cell lung cancer sublines].

Using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, we determined mRNA expression of topoisomerase (topo) II alpha and beta in adriamycin- and etoposide-resistant small cell lung cancer sublines, SBC-3/ADM 100 and SBC-3/ETP. The expression of topo II alpha mRNA decreased substantially in SBC-3/ADM 100 and SBC-3/ETP as compared with the parent cell line, SBC-3; 0.71-fold in the former and 0.38-fold in the latter. Similarly, that of topo II beta mRNA decreased to an extent of 0.68-fold in SBC-3/ADM 100 and 0.28-fold in SBC-3/ETP as compared with the parent cell line. SBC-3/ADM 100 and SBC-3/ETP were highly resistant to topo II inhibitors such as daunorubicin, epirubicin, pirarubicin, mitoxantrone, and teniposide. However, SBC-3/ADM 100 showed a less resistance to aclarubicin, and SBC-3/ETP was as sensitive to the drug as was in the parent cell line. The resistance to topo II inhibitors excluding for aclarubicin might be partially explained by the decreased expression of topo II alpha and beta mRNA.

[Six cases of primary pulmonary cryptococcosis].

Six patients with asymptomatic primary pulmonary Cryptococcosis are reported. In all of the patients, the disease was detected by annual chest X-ray during mass screening for lung cancer or during follow-up for pulmonary tuberculosis or gastric cancer. The chest X-ray findings consisted of a solitary pulmonary nodule in 4 patients and multiple pulmonary nodules in 2. Only one patient who could not be histologically diagnosed by bronchofiberscopy underwent surgical resection. However, the other 5 patients were histologically diagnosed by transbronchial biopsy with bronchofiberscopy. They were treated with oral antifungal agents, namely flucytosine (5-FC) and/or fluconazole, with marked improvement of chest X-ray findings. These results indicate that transbronchial biopsy with bronchofiberscopy and oral administration of antifungal agents instead of initial surgical resection are useful in the diagnosis and treatment of primary pulmonary cryptococcosis.

[Serum neuron specific enolase (NSE) levels in patients with non small cell lung cancer].

Serum NSE levels were measured in 126 patients with previously untreated NSCLC. The NSE level was greater than 10 ng/ml in 29 patients (23.0%) and this was considered to be positive. Elevation of serum NSE levels correlated closely with clinical stage except stage I and II. The effect of chemotherapy was evaluated in 74 cases included 22 NSE-positive cases. The response rate was 50% in positive cases and 34.6% in negative cases. However, the median duration of response in positive cases (2.2 months) was significantly shorter than that in negative cases (6.6 months). The median survival time of 6.0 months in positive cases was brief compared with 9.6 months in negative cases. These results indicate that elevation of serum NSE level in patients with NSCLC may be a marker of poor prognosis.

[A case of locally advanced esophageal cancer effectively treated with concurrent chemotherapy and radiotherapy].

A case of a 69-year-old man with locally advanced esophageal cancer was reported. The patient received five courses of chemotherapy consisting of cisplatin (30 mg i.v. days 1-5), 5-fluorouracil (500 mg i.v. days 1-5) and bleomycin (5 mg i.m. days 1-5) every four weeks with a split course irradiation at a dose of 50 Gy, which was concurrently given at the second, third and fourth course of the chemotherapy. Treatment was effectively carried out without severe toxicities. The patient achieved a histologically-confirmed complete remission after completion of the treatment. The patient is disease-free and fully active 28 months after the beginning of chemotherapy. The treatment modality appears to be useful for advanced esophageal cancer.

[Treatment of small cell lung cancer in the elderly: the progress and limitation of chemotherapy].

In order to assess the progress and limitation of chemotherapy in the treatment of small cell lung cancer in the elderly, we analyzed 218 patients who had entered into protocol studies between 1982 and 1990. Among those, there were 101 elderly patients (age of greater than or equal to 66 years) and 117 non-elderly patients (age of less than or equal to 65 years). Response to chemotherapy with or without chest irradiation was almost comparable for the elderly and the non-elderly; complete response rate was 52% for limited disease (LD) and 33% for extensive disease (ED) in the elderly, and it was 68% for LD and 23% for ED in the non-elderly. Survival figures of the two groups were quite similar: The median survival time was 12.6 months for the elderly and 14.5 months for the non-elderly, and the 3-year survival rate was 14% for both groups. An improvement of patient survival was observed along with the chronology of the protocols, i.e., with a escalation of dose intensity. Of interest, the improvement was rather evident in the elderly than in the non-elderly. Hematologic toxicity was considerable more frequent and severe in the elderly than in the non-elderly with non-significant statistics. The incidense of fever episodes while neutropenic was significantly more frequent in the elderly. Non-hematologic toxicity was almost comparable for the two groups, with a exception that the elderly showed a trend being predisposed to renal toxicity. In conclusion, such elderly patients as eligible for entry into a protocol study can benefit from intensive treatment as equally as non-elderly patients can.

[Effect of recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rG-CSF) on chemotherapy-induced neutropenia in patients with lung cancer].

In an attempt to evaluate rG-CSF for preventing and reducing the period of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia, phase II studies of the agent, KRN 8601, have been conducted in patients receiving chemotherapy for lung cancer. In the cooperative study, 53 patients with lung cancer were fully evaluated. The chemotherapy regimen for the patients enrolled in the study was not specified, but an identical regimen with an identical dose and schedule was mandatory for the first cycle in which the patients did not receive the rG-CSF, and for the following cycles in which they received it after completion of chemotherapy for 14 days consecutively. Patients were allocated to receive the agents either at a dose of 100, 200 or 400 micrograms/m2 via intravenous drip infusion; or at as ub cutaneous dose of 25, 75, or 125 micrograms. In the author's study, all the 9 patients with non-small cell lung cancer received a 3-drug combination of vindesine, ifosfamide, and cisplatin(VIP) at an identical dose throughout the cycles. The rG-CSF was administered on the second and the following cycles at a dose of 100 micrograms/m2, subcutaneously, in the same manner as the above. Myelogram and neutrophil functions, i.e., superoxide anion production, chemotactic, and phagocytic activity, were serially determined in these patients. With intravenous dose of 100 micrograms/m2, the rG-CSF considerably elevated the nadir count of neutrophils and significantly reduced the duration of neutropenia. Subcutaneously administered rhG-CSF at 75 micrograms doses did as with intravenous infusion. The optimal dose of the agent in conventional chemotherapy was estimated to be 100 micrograms/m2 when infused intravenously, and 75-125 micrograms subcutaneously. Subcutaneously administered rG-CSF at a dose of 100 micrograms/m2 did not contribute to spare the nadir count of neutrophils, but contributed toward reducing the period of neutropenia induced by the 3-drug combination which was much more myelosuppressive than conventional regimens. Thus, the optimal dose of the agent should be determined according to the dose-intensity of chemotherapy. Peripheral neutrophils obtained after recovery from VIP-induced neutropenia showed a normal activity in superoxide anion production and mobility when combined with rG-CSF, although the activity showed a trend to remain subnormal in the recovered neutrophils without rG-CSF. In conclusion, rG-CSF considerably reduces the neutropenia and possibly reduces infections caused by intensive chemotherapy. Hereafter, clinical trials must determine whether rG-CSF improve the therapeutic outcomes of patients receiving chemotherapy in terms of response rate and patient survival.