Anticancer research
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Anticancer research · Nov 2000
Clinical TrialTransdermal fentanyl in cancer patients with moderate-to-severe pain: a prospective examination.
[corrected] The aim of the study was to evaluate prospectively the analgesic efficacy, toxicity and acceptability of the transdermal fentanyl therapeutic system (TTS-F) in Greek cancer patients with moderate-to-severe pain. ⋯ In summary, transdermal fentanyl appeared an acceptable, safe and effective method of managing chronic pain induced by malignancies.
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Anticancer research · Nov 2000
Case ReportsHibernoma, an uncommon tumor as a differential diagnosis of liposarcoma of the thigh.
Hibernomas are benign tumors derived from brown fat of hibernating animals and of human infants. The pathogenesis and malignant potential of hibernomas remain unclear. ⋯ However, the lesions may have an heterogeneous presentation that may mimic liposarcomas on MRI. Our report presents a case of hibernoma of the thigh whose the diagnosis initially suggested that it was a mixed liposarcoma with myxoid and well differentiated components.
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Anticancer research · Nov 2000
ReviewHuman hematopoietic growth factors: old lessons and new perspectives.
Erythropoietin (EPO), granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) and granulocyte-macrophage stimulating factor (GM-CSF) are currently licensed for use in cancer patients and play a significant role in the management of anemia and neutropenia following myeloblative chemotherapy. EPO was the first recombinant hematopoietic growth factor to be used clinically after a number of clinical trials which demonstrated its effectiveness in treating mild to moderate cancer-associated anemia with or without concomitant chemotherapy (particulary cisplatin). An extensive research has been made for the improvement of the quality of life with EPO therapy, however, when formally assessed, variable effects of this important treatment have been observed. ⋯ Recently, innovative chimeric growth factor receptor agonists have been synthesized. Synthokine (SC-55494) (a high-affinity human IL-3 receptor ligand analog), myelopoietin (MPO) (activates human IL-3 and G-CSF receptors) and promegapoietin (PMP) (stimulates the human IL-3 and c-mpl receptors) were found to be multilineage hematopoietic growth factors and are currently undergoing clinical trials. Preliminary results suggest that these compounds may have a major impact on the management of myeloablative chemotherapy because of their ability to enhance platelet recovery in addition to their neutrophil restorative activity.
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Anticancer research · Nov 2000
Antiproliferative and anticarcinogenic effects of an aqueous preparation of Abies alba and Viscum album se abies, on a L-1210 malignant cell line and tumor-bearing Wistar rats.
Extracts of plants have been widely tested for possible anticarcinogenic properties. In the present study a traditional remedy, consisting of an aqueous extract of mixed parts of the tree Abies alba and its mistletoe Viscum album se abies was tested on benzo(alpha)pyrene(BaP)-induced tumors in Wistar rats and on the L-1210 malignant cell line. Two main groups of male Wistar rats subcutaneously injected by 10 mg of BaP, a dose inducing 100% carcinogenesis, a control group (C-G, 15 rats) and a treatment group(TR-G, 18 rats), were used for the study. ⋯ The results indicated that the extract of the above plants possess anticarcinogenic effects, documented by: a) its antiproliferative effects on L-1210 cells (IC50 = 49.6 +/- 1.4 micrograms/ml), b) the significant prolongation of life and reduction of tumor growth rate of the animals of the TR-G in comparison to the C-G, c) the inhibition by 16.6% of tumor induction in the TR-G and d) the prolongation of life and the necrotic effects of the extract on the tumors of the animals in the TR-1-G. The antiproliferative effects of the Abies alba and Viscum album se abies extract may be due to the lectins and thionins contained in Viscum album, as well as to the monoterpenes contained in Abies alba. Soft tissue tumors sensitive to the extract, are widespread among human organs, even in larynx, and are usually resistant to chemotherapy.
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Anticancer research · Nov 2000
Thymic humoral factor-gamma 2 augments immune cell response and exerts antitumor activity in murine model systems.
The immunomodulatory and antimetastatic/antitumor activity of thymic humoral factor-gamma 2 (THF-gamma 2) was evaluated in BALB/c-mice. Daily subcutaneous applications (7 consecutive days, 20, 200 ng of THF-gamma 2 per injection/mouse) upregulated counts of thymocytes and peripheral blood cells in tumor bearing mice. ⋯ THF-gamma 2 was subcutaneously administered daily for 7 consecutive days starting 24 hrs after tumor cell challenge. Organ colonization as well as local tumor growth were investigated on day 14 after tumor cell inoculation and demonstrated a statistically significant (p < 0.05) reduction of experimental liver and lung metastases and local tumor growth for THF-gamma 2 treated mice.