Testicular lymphoma: improved outcome with early brief chemotherapy.

We investigated the impact of early brief chemotherapy on the natural history of primary testicular lymphoma. We compared the outcome for patients seen before 1980--a group primarily managed with orchiectomy and regional radiation--with those seen from 1980 to 1986--a prospectively and consecutively gathered group who were offered brief chemotherapy in addition to standard orchiectomy and irradiation. The historical and study groups were similar in clinical characteristics. However, the chemotherapy group had a better relapse-free survival, 93% v 50% (P less than .02), and overall survival, 93% v 50% (P less than .02). With a median follow-up of 44 months in the chemotherapy group, it is clear that the use of early, brief chemotherapy strongly alters the natural history of testicular lymphoma by preventing relapses, the large majority of which occur early after regional therapy. We conclude that a program incorporating orchiectomy, early brief chemotherapy, and involved-field radiation therapy confers the following benefits on patients with primary testicular lymphoma: (1) laparotomy is not needed for staging; (2) relapses, including those in the opposite testicle and CNS, are largely prevented; and (3) toxicity can be kept to a modest level acceptable in elderly patients.

Intensive weekly chemotherapy for the treatment of extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer.

The regimen of cisplatin, vincristine, doxorubicin, and etoposide (CODE) was designed to double the dose intensity of these drugs in comparison with a standard regimen (alternating cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and vincristine [CAV] and etoposide-cisplatin [EP]) for extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). The dose intensity was increased by more frequent treatments rather than by increasing the dose size. The structure of this outpatient protocol includes weekly administration of chemotherapy, alternation of myelosuppressive and nonmyelosuppressive treatments, supportive corticosteroids, gastroprotective agents, and prophylactic antibiotics. Although the duration of chemotherapy was brief (9 to 12 weeks), the total cumulative doses of drugs delivered were similar to the standard regimen. Patients with no residual disease outside the chest after chemotherapy received thoracic irradiation, and patients with complete responses (CRs) received prophylactic cranial irradiation. Eligible extensive-stage SCLC patients were ambulatory, younger than 66 years of age, and free of brain metastasis. Forty-eight extensive-stage SCLC patients were treated. Forty-five (94%) responded to chemotherapy, with 19 (40%) attaining CR. After consolidative thoracic irradiation, the CR rate was 56%. The median time to progression was 43 weeks, and the median survival was 61 weeks. The 2-year survival rate was 30%. The most common site of first relapse was brain (38%). Although two patients (4%) died of toxicity, overall toxicity was acceptable for an outpatient regimen. We conclude that the CODE regimen reliably produces palliative remissions for selected extensive-stage SCLC patients, and it may be associated with durable remissions for some patients. The results of this pilot study are sufficiently promising to justify a phase III trial of CODE versus standard (alternating CAV and EP) chemotherapy.

Ten-year outcome of patients with advanced epithelial ovarian carcinoma treated with cisplatin-based multimodality therapy.

PURPOSE: At the end of the 1970s it was thought that advanced epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) could be cured by multimodality treatment using surgery, cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy, and radiotherapy (RT). Such multimodality treatment was used as standard therapy at our institution. Our long-term results are reviewed. PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred ninety-five previously untreated patients with stage III or IV EOC were treated between April 1979 and December 1982. All patients were to have debulking surgery, when feasible, followed by the administration of doxorubicin and cisplatin at 50 mg/m2 every 3 weeks until a total dose of doxorubicin of 450 mg/m2 had been reached. RT was used in addition in patients with disease remaining after the chemotherapy. Maintenance chemotherapy with oral cyclophosphamide and hexamethylmelamine (altretamine) was administered to patients who did not have a documented histologic complete remission. RESULTS: The 10-year overall and failure-free survivals were 4% and 8%, respectively. The median overall survival was 2 years. The achievement of a histologic complete response (n = 32) did not equate to cure because 20 (63%) of the patients eventually relapsed. Multivariate analysis identified residual disease of greater or less than 2 cm as the only independent prognostic factor. CONCLUSIONS: Our multimodality treatment program was noncurative for the majority of the patients. Innovative therapies are needed before we can hope to cure such disease.

Intensive chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide, carmustine, and etoposide followed by autologous bone marrow transplantation for relapsed Hodgkin's disease.

Fifty-six consecutive patients with advanced Hodgkin's disease considered incurable with further conventional chemotherapy were entered into a protocol that included high-dose cyclophosphamide (7.2 g/m2), carmustine (BCNU; 0.6 g/m2), and etoposide (VP16-213; 2.4 g/m2) (CBV) followed by autologous bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Prior combination chemotherapy had failed in all the patients, and all but five had been previously treated with both mechlorethamine, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone (MOPP) and doxorubicin, bleomycin, and vinblastine with or without dacarbazine (ABV[D]). Thirty-four eligible patients received short-course conventional chemotherapy and/or involved-field radiotherapy before CBV. However, formal restaging was not performed after these conventional therapies; ie, the therapies were not used to select responding patients for transplantation, and all who received such therapy subsequently received CBV and autologous marrow grafts. Forty-four patients (80%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 69% to 91%) achieved a complete response after CBV and BMT. Performance status at protocol entry and the use of conventional cytoreduction therapy before CBV correlated with response. Median follow-up is now 3.5 years (range, 2.5 to 5.0 years). Kaplan-Meier estimates for overall and event-free survival 5 years after transplant are 53% (95% CI, 37% to 67%) and 47% (95% CI, 33% to 60%), respectively. In a univariate analysis, patients with a normal performance status and those without constitutional ("B") symptoms at protocol entry had an improved overall and event-free survival. In a multivariate analysis, only a normal performance status remained significant. Disease progression occurred in 17 patients at an actuarial rate of 39% (95% CI; 26% to 56%) and occurred at previous sites of active disease in all but one patient; our analysis did not identify prognostic factors for progression. Toxic deaths, caused by either neutropenic sepsis or interstitial pneumonitis (IP), occurred in 12 patients (21%; 95% CI, 10% to 32%). CBV with autologous marrow support can produce durable remissions in a substantial number of patients with Hodgkin's disease considered incurable with conventional measures. Regimen refinements may even further improve the therapeutic index of BMT in this malignancy.

Clinical use of asymmetric collimators.

PURPOSE: To illustrate some of the radiation treatment techniques with asymmetric collimators in one field dimension. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Treatment planning for various sites is done with an in-house developed treatment planning system. Dose distributions in the central plane are illustrated. RESULTS: The use of asymmetric collimation, in addition to being a replacement for cerrobend and lead blocks, can facilitate treatment setup with boost fields and with half-beam asymmetric fields as in matching two adjacent fields, in avoiding nearby critical organ or tissue, and in tangential breast treatment. The use of asymmetric collimators would alter the dose distribution across the radiation field and should be accounted for during treatment planning. In conjunction with arc rotation or multiple asymmetric fields, two-dimensional conformal radiotherapy is possible. CONCLUSION: The full potential of asymmetric collimation requires the use of a proper treatment planning algorithm. Some of the treatment techniques with asymmetric collimation in one field dimension are shown here.

Regimen-related toxicity and non-relapse mortality with high-dose cyclophosphamide, carmustine (BCNU) and etoposide (VP16-213) (CBV) and CBV plus cisplatin (CBVP) followed by autologous stem cell transplantation in patients with Hodgkin's disease.

This analysis compares the regimen-related toxicity (RRT) and overall non-relapse mortality (NRM) in Hodgkin's disease patients conditioned with either CBV (cyclophosphamide, BCNU (carmustine), and VP16-213 (etoposide)) (26 patients) or CBVP (CBV + cisplatin) (68 patients) followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). CBVP included a continuous infusion rather than intermittent doses of etoposide, a lower BCNU dose and the addition of cisplatin. RRT and NRM were determined for each regimen and compared; risk factors for each were examined by multivariate analysis. Grade IV (fatal) RRT occurred in five patients (pulmonary in two, cardiac in two, and central nervous system in one). Eighteen patients experienced grade II-III pulmonary RRT, consistent with BCNU damage in 15. Prior nitrosourea exposure was the main risk factor for pulmonary RRT. Grade II mucosal and hepatic RRT occurred less often after CBVP vs CBV (P = 0.031 and 0.0003, respectively). In addition, three other early and eight late non-relapse deaths were seen. Median follow-up of the entire group is 5.1 (range 2.8-10.2) years. The probability of overall NRM was 26% (95% confidence interval (CI) 13-50%) with CBV vs 23% (95% CI 12-41%) with CBVP (P = 0.40). The progression-free survival and relapse rates were similar. Although the rates of fatal RRT, pulmonary RRT and overall NRM were similar with CBV or CBVP, CBVP produced less mucosal and liver RRT with a comparable antitumor effect. As many autografted patients are cured, future efforts should include measures to decrease NRM.

Primary invasive carcinoma of the vagina.

Data are presented from 97 patients treated for invasive primary epithelial carcinoma of the vagina between 1950 and 1980. The disease is primarily one of the elderly as 63% were found to be older than 60 years of age. Eleven of the 97 patients either refused or were unable to complete treatment because of poor medical condition or advanced stage of disease. Combined external and intracavitary radiation was the most common form of treatment. The overall two-year survival rate was 47%, or 59% when corrected for deaths due to other causes. Patients with stages I and II disease had corrected survival rates of 75% and 68%, respectively. Our results indicate that stage of disease is the most significant prognostic factor. Optimal results will be obtained with early diagnosis and individualized treatment.

Adenocarcinoma of the fallopian tube. Experience with 41 patients.

Forty-one cases of primary fallopian tube carcinoma treated at our institution over the years 1946 to 1976 are described. The overall 5-year survival rate was 34.4%, although patients with early tumors had a 72.7% survival rate. The single most important factor affecting survival appeared to be the extent of disease at the time of diagnosis. Past and present treatment modalities are discussed, and proposals for management of this disease are outlined.

Granulosa cell tumors. A clinical review of 61 cases.

Sixty-one patients with granulosa cell tumors of the ovary were treated in the A.M. Evans Clinic of the British Columbia Cancer Control Agency between 1944 and 1974. Their treatment and follow-up are reviewed, and while the 5-year survival rate was 78%, the 15-year rate fell to 50%. The material suggests that the trend to total hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy has improved the prognosis, but other explanations are, of course, possible as this is a historical comparison.

An evaluation of methods for calculating mean sediment quality guideline quotients as indicators of contamination and acute toxicity to amphipods by chemical mixtures.

Mean sediment quality guideline quotients (mean SQGQs) were developed to represent the presence of chemical mixtures in sediments and are derived by normalizing a suite of chemicals to their respective numerical sediment quality guidelines (SQGs). Mean SQGQs incorporate the number of SQGs exceeded and the degree to which they are exceeded and are used for comparison with observed biological effects in the laboratory or field. The current research makes it clear, however, that the number and type of SQGs used in the derivation of these mean quotients can influence the ability of mean SQGQ values to correctly predict acute toxicity to marine amphipods in laboratory toxicity tests. To determine the optimal predictive ability of mean SQGQs, a total of 18 different chemical combinations were developed and compared. The ability of each set of mean SQGQs to correctly predict the presence and absence of acute toxicity to amphipods was determined using three independent databases (n = 605, 2753, 226). Calculated mean SQGQ values for all chemical combinations ranged from 0.002 to 100. The mean SQGQ that was most predictive of acute toxicity to amphipods is calculated as SQGQ1 = ((sigma ([cadmium]/4.21 )([copper]/270)([lead]/ 12.18)([silver]/1.77)([zinc]/ 410)([total chlordane]/6)([dieldrin]/8)([total PAHoc]/1,800)([total PCB]/400))/9). Both the incidence and magnitude of acute toxicity to amphipods increased with increasing SQGQI values. To provide better comparability between regions and national surveys, SQGQ1 is recommended to serve as the standard method for combination of chemicals and respective SQGs when calculating mean SQGQs.

Statistical significance of sediment toxicity test results: threshold values derived by the detectable significance approach.

A number of methods have been employed to determine the statistical significance of sediment toxicity test results. To allow consistency among comparisons, regardless of among-replicate variability, a protocol-specific approach has been used that considers protocol performance over a large number of comparisons. Ninetieth-percentile minimum significant difference (MSD) values were calculated to determine a critical threshold for statistically significant sample toxicity. Significant toxicity threshold values (as a percentage of laboratory control values) are presented for six species and nine endpoints based on data from as many as 720 stations. These threshold values are useful for interpreting sediment toxicity data from large studies and in eliminating cases where statistical significance is assigned in individual cases because among-replicate variability is small.

A large-scale categorization of sites in San Francisco Bay, USA, based on the sediment quality triad, toxicity identification evaluations, and gradient studies.

Sediment quality was assessed in San Francisco Bay, California, USA, using a two-tiered approach in which 111 sites were initially screened for sediment toxicity. Sites exhibiting toxicity were then resampled and analyzed for chemical contamination, recurrent toxicity, and, in some cases, benthic community impacts. Resulting data were compared with newly derived threshold values for each of the metrics in a triad-based weight-of-evidence evaluation. Sediment toxicity test results were compared with tolerance limits derived from reference site data, benthic community data were compared with threshold values for a relative benthic index based on the presence and abundance of pollution-tolerant and -sensitive taxa, and concentrations of chemicals and chemical mixtures were compared with sediment quality guideline-based thresholds. A total of 57 sites exceeded threshold values for at least one metric, and each site was categorized based on triad inferences. Nine sites were found to exhibit recurrent sediment toxicity associated with elevated contaminant concentrations, conditions that met program criteria for regulatory attention. Benthic community impacts were also observed at three of these sites, providing triad evidence of pollution-induced degradation. Multi- and univariate correlations indicated that chemical mixtures, heavy metals, chlordanes, and other organic compounds were associated with measured biological impacts in the Bay. Toxicity identification evaluations indicated that metals were responsible for pore-water toxicity to sea urchin larvae at two sites. Gradient studies indicated that the toxicity tests and benthic community metrics employed in the study predictably tracked concentrations of chemical mixtures in Bay sediments.

Evaluation and use of sediment toxicity reference sites for statistical comparisons in regional assessments.

Sediment reference sites were used to establish toxicity standards against which to compare results from sites investigated in San Francisco Bay (California, USA) monitoring programs. The reference sites were selected on the basis of low concentrations of anthropogenic chemicals, distance from active contaminant sources, location in representative hydrographic areas of the Bay, and physical features characteristic of depositional areas (e.g., fine grain size and medium total organic carbon [TOC]). Five field-replicated sites in San Francisco Bay were evaluated over three seasons. Samples from each site were tested with nine toxicity test protocols and were analyzed for sediment grain size and concentrations of trace metals, trace organics, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, and TOC. The candidate sites were found to have relatively low concentrations of measured chemicals and generally exhibited low toxicity. Toxicity data from the reference sites were then used to calculate numerical tolerance limits to be used as threshold values to determine which test sites had significantly higher toxicity than reference sites. Tolerance limits are presented for four standard test protocols, including solid-phase sediment tests with the amphipods Ampelisca abdita and Eohaustorius estuarius and sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus embryo/larval development tests in pore water and at the sediment-water interface (SWI). Tolerance limits delineating the lowest 10th percentile (0.10 quantile) of the reference site data distribution were 71% of the control response for Ampelisca, 70% for Eohaustorius, 94% for sea urchin embryos in pore water, and 87% for sea urchins embryos exposed at the SWI. The tolerance limits are discussed in terms of the critical values governing their calculation and the management implications arising from their use in determining elevated toxicity relative to reference conditions.

Sediment quality in Los Angeles Harbor, USA: a triad assessment.

Sediment quality in the Los Angeles and Long Beach Harbor area of southern California, USA, was assessed from 1992 to 1997 as part of the California State Water Resources Control Board's Bay Protection and Toxic Cleanup Program and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Status and Trends Program. The assessment strategy relied on application of various components of the sediment quality triad, combined with bioaccumulation measures, in a weight-of-evidence approach to sediment quality investigations. Results of bulk-phase chemical measurements, solid-phase amphipod toxicity tests, pore-water toxicity tests with invertebrate embryos, benthic community analyses (presented as a relative benthic index), and bioaccumulation measures indicated that inner harbor areas of this system are polluted by high concentrations of a mixture of sediment-associated contaminants and that this pollution is highly correlated with toxicity in laboratory experiments and degradation of benthic community structure. While 29% of sediment samples from this system were toxic to amphipods (Rhepoxynius abronius or Eohaustorius estuarius), 79% were toxic to abalone embryos (Haliotis rufescens) exposed to 100% pore-water concentrations. Statistical analyses indicated that amphipod survival in laboratory toxicity tests was significantly correlated with the number of crustacean species and the total number of species measured in the benthos at these stations. Triad measures were incorporated into a decision matrix designed to classify stations based on degree of sediment pollution, toxicity, benthic community degradation, and, where applicable, tissue concentrations in laboratory-exposed bivalves and feral fish.

Influence of sample manipulation on contaminant flux and toxicity at the sediment-water interface.

Toxicities of sediments from San Diego and San Francisco Bays were compared in laboratory experiments using sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) embryos exposed to pore water and at the sediment-water interface (SWI). Toxicity was consistently greater to embryos exposed at the SWI to intact (unhomogenized) sediment samples relative to homogenized samples. Measurement of selected trace metals indicated considerably greater fluxes of copper, zinc, and cadmium into overlying waters of intact sediment samples. Inhibition of sea urchin embryo development was generally greater in sediment pore waters relative to SWI exposures. Pore water toxicity may have been due to elevated unionized ammonia concentrations in some samples. The results indicate that invertebrate embryos are amenable to SWI exposures, a more ecologically relevant exposure system, and that sediment homogenization may create artifacts in laboratory toxicity experiments.

Prevention of radiation-induced stenosis of the nasolacrimal duct.

Epiphora is a recognized complication of radiotherapy of medial canthal tumours. We reviewed the records of 36 patients who underwent prophylactic nasolacrimal duct intubation with silicone tubing before superficial x-ray beam therapy and 42 patients who did not undergo intubation before radiotherapy. The mean length of follow-up was 3.4 years in the intubated group and 7.2 years in the nonintubated group. A total of 31% of the patients in the nonintubated group reported chronic epiphora during the follow-up period, compared with 6% in the intubated group (p less than 0.003).

Radiation oncology--the misunderstood specialty.

A shortage of radiation oncologists has been a problem in both Canada and the United States of America. The fundamental step to rectify this situation is the recruitment of interested medical students. A mail-in survey was sent to 214 third- and fourth-year medical students at the University of British Columbia to evaluate attitudes to and the level of understanding of radiation oncology. The response rate was 59%. Seventy-five percent of the students were planning postgraduate training in clinically orientated specialties with good lifestyle and availability of job opportunities. However, only 18% of the respondents considered radiation oncology as a possible specialty. This survey suggests that this lack of interest is the result of misconceptions about training in the practice of radiotherapy. To better inform the medical students, teaching clinics providing them with direct contact with radiation oncologists and their patients, are invaluable. In order to generate the correct image of the specialty and the types of patients encountered, teaching in an ambulatory care setting is not to be neglected. Distribution of information pamphlets describing the radiation oncology program and the nature of radiation oncology practice is also suggested as an efficient means of informing medical students.

Lipoplastic lymphadenopathy presenting as an ovarian mass: a case report.

Lipoplastic lymphadenopathy is a pathological condition wherein accumulations of intranodal fat result in lymph node enlargement and may mimic abdominal, pelvic, and retroperitoneal neoplasms, particularly lymphomas. The pathology appears to be different from lipomatosis in that benign, mature adipocytes and lipids are located within lymph nodes, rather than deposited in body cavities. The case of a 49-year-old woman presenting as an ovarian neoplasm is presented as an example of the pathology and its ability to masquerade as other neoplasms. The etiology of lipoplastic lymphadenopathy is unclear although associated causes are suggested. The difficulties of radiological examination of this case and others makes open lymph node biopsy important for the final diagnosis.

Radiation treatment of carcinoma of the vulva, 1950-1980.

A retrospective study of all patients with carcinoma of the vulva treated by radiation therapy at the A. Maxwell Evans Clinic of the Cancer Control Agency of British Columbia, between 1950 and 1980, is reported. Sixty-eight patients, representing 30% of all referred patients with vulvar cancer, were analyzed for survival, recurrence patterns, complications, and clinical features. This group is companion to a series of patients treated with operation reported in 1979. The data confirm a major role for radiation therapy both in palliation and in combined radiotherapy-operation. For 13 cases, radiotherapy with curative intent was used in combination with operation resulting in a 5-year actuarial survival of 92%, with acceptable posttreatment morbidity. The advantages of preoperative radiotherapy, particularly for posterior vulvar lesions, are suggested by the data, and the need for a reappraisal of the role of radiotherapy in vulvar carcinoma is stressed.