Gemcitabina en 4 pacientes con colangiocarcinoma / Gemcitabine in the treatment of cholangiocarcinoma: report of 4 cases

Cholangiocarcinoma is a biliary tree cancer of unknown etiology, whose symptoms are unspecific and is usually detected in advanced stages. Surgery continues to be the only curative therapy. Median survival in patients with inoperable tumors ranges between 5 and 8 months. There are few studies on the effects of chemotherapy, with a very small response. We report four patients with advanced cholangiocarcinoma, treated with gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2, weekly for 3 weeks every 28 days. There was a stabilization of tumor size and symptoms were alleviated. Toxicity was low and there was a probable prolongation of survival

Heparina subcutánea durante el primer trimestre del embarazo en mujeres con prótesis valvulares cardíacas / Subcutaneous heparin during the first trimester of pregnancy in women with prosthetic heart valves

Background: Oral anticoagulation therapy in pregnant women with prosthetic heart valves is associated with a greater risk of abortion, fetal malformations and thromboembolic complications. Aim: To assess the use of subcutaneous heparin in women with pregnancies of less than 12 weeks as an alternative to oral anticoagulation therapy. Material and methods: Pregnant women were admitted to the hospital and coumarinics were replaced with not fractionated subcutaneous heparin in a dose of 10,000 IU every 12 hours, aiming at prolonging partial thromboplastin time, 2 or 2 1/2 times. During the hospitalization period, women were taught about the heparin injection technique. Coumarinics were restarted after week 13 of pregnancy until 10 days prior to the delivery date in which women were again admitted to the hospital and intravenous heparin was used until the delivery. Results: Between 1991 and 1997, this protocol was used during ten pregnancies in seven women aged 19 to 36 years old. Five had a Starr-Edwards prosthesis, one had a mitral Bjsrk-Shilley prosthesis and one, a double prosthesis (mitral Starr-Machi and aortic St Jude). Subcutaneous heparin was started in the fifth week of pregnancy in 1 case, in the sixth week in seven and in the seventh week in two. There was no maternal mortality and one transient ischemic attack without sequelae. One non compliant patient had a Bjsrk Shilley prosthetic valve dysfunction that required a valve replacement at the twelfth week of pregnancy and she had a spontaneous abortion at week 15. Other patient had a pneumonia at week 37 and gave birth to a stillbirth. There were no fetal malformations. Conclusions: This therapeutic protocol can be used among Chilean patients, but must be restricted to compliant women and a strict surveillance must be maintained