Treatment of primary tracheal carcinoma in Finland in 1967-1985.

The treatment results of all the 95 primary tracheal carcinomas recorded by the Finnish Cancer Registry in 1967-1985 are evaluated. Six of the 95 patients were treated by surgery, 60 received radiotherapy and 29 were left untreated or received only palliative endoscopic or cytostatic therapy. The prognosis of the disease was poor. Among the 44 squamous cell carcinoma patients treated by radiotherapy, the median survival time after the diagnosis was 8 months (range 1-81 months). Complete response to radiotherapy was a favourable prognostic sign; after complete response the survival rates at 1, 2 and 5 years were 45%, 18% and 9% respectively. Patients with adenocystic carcinoma had the best prognosis.

Comparison of ondansetron with customary treatment in the prophylaxis of nausea and emesis induced by non-cisplatin containing chemotherapy.

One hundred cancer patients receiving non-cisplatin containing chemotherapy were entered in a prospective study in which the efficacy of ondansetron was compared with standard antiemetic treatments in the prophylaxis of nausea and emesis. During the first 24 h, 77% of patients on ondansetron reported complete control of emesis compared with 56% of those on customary treatments (p = 0.03). However, no statistically significant difference was observed between ondansetron and customary treatments in control of delayed emesis on days 2-5. Nor was any statistically significant difference seen between ondansetron and customary treatments in preventing acute or delayed nausea.

5-HT3 receptor antagonists in the prophylaxis of acute vomiting induced by moderately emetogenic chemotherapy--a randomised study.

166 patients receiving moderately emetogenic chemotherapy were entered into a randomised prospective study in which the efficacy of single dose ondansetron 8 mg, tropisetron 5 mg and granisetron 3 mg in the prophylaxis of acute vomiting was evaluated. 130 patients were evaluable for analysis. During the 24 h following the start of chemotherapy complete control of vomiting was achieved in 80% [95% confidence interval (CI) 73.1; 86.9] of patients receiving granisetron compared with 75% (95% CI 67.1; 82.1) of those on tropisetron and 69% (95% CI 60.5; 76.5) on ondansetron. The patients experienced significantly fewer failures with granisetron (6.2%, 95% CI 2.1; 10.3) than with either ondansetron (14.6%, 95% CI 8.5; 20.6) or tropisetron (13.8%, 95% CI 7.9; 19.7). When asked, 34 (26%) patients out of 130 expressed no preference, 54 (42%) preferred granisetron, 22 (17%) preferred ondansetron and 20 (15%) preferred tropisetron. All the 5-HT3 receptor antagonists were highly effective in the prophylaxis of acute vomiting induced by moderately emetogenic chemotherapy. The observed differences in the control of emesis, although statistically significant, may not have clinical significance.