Combination chemotherapy for non small cell lung cancer stage III M0-1 with cisplatin and vinblastine in a divided-dose schedule.

Twenty-nine patients with advanced non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were treated with a combination of high-dose cisplatin and divided-dose vinblastine. In 27 evaluable patients 15% reached partial response and 59% stable disease. Extension of disease, histological type, performance status and weight loss had no relationship to response. Median duration of response was 10.2 months with a median survival time of 15.4 months in responding patients compared with 14 months of stable disease (p:n.s.) and 4.8 months of progressive disease (p less than 0.001). Gastrointestinal, neurological side effects and the development of a severe debilitation syndrome were the most troublesome toxicities of this treatment. The regimen is not generally suitable for treatment of advanced NSCLC.

Unresectable non-small cell lung cancer chemotherapy with high-dose cisplatin and etoposide.

69 patients with unresectable non-small cell lung cancer, previously untreated, received cisplatin 100 mg/m2 on day 1 and etoposide 120 mg/m2 on days 4, 6, 8 at 4-week intervals. 66 patients were evaluable for tumor response and toxicity. Overall objective response was 25.7% (3 complete responses and 14 partial responses). Response rate in limited disease was 41% and in patients with performance score 0 it was 40%. Squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma responded in 31 and 24% of evaluable patients. Complete response was associated with a long duration of remission. Median survival time of responding patients was significantly superior to the median of nonresponding patients (p less than 0.001) but compared to stable disease no statistical significance was demonstrable (p greater than 0.05). Hematological and renal toxicity of proposed regimen was generally mild. Nausea and vomiting were the most noxious side effects.

[Diagnosis of tuberculosis today]. / La diagnosi di tubercolosi oggi.

Authors analyse the main aspects about the diagnosis of tuberculosis and they emphasize that the bacteriological and immunological tests are very important, beside the clinical, radiologic and hematic picture. As regards bacteriological research, Authors dwell upon the significance of repeated sputum specimens and they reevaluate the use of fluorochrome staining. The immunological "in vivo" tests are represented by tuberculin skin test, that must be correctly made and valued to avoid wrong unresponsiveness, at the other hand also caused by host factors. About immunological "in vitro" tests, Authors report the good prospects opened by the serological diagnosis with an immunoenzymatic method specific for S antigen of M. tuberculosis.

[Changes in the primary resistance to Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Piedmont 1965-1979]. / Modificazioni del fenomeno della resistenza primaria del micobatterio tubercolare in Piemonte nel perido 1965-1979.

A comparison is made of the data drawn from Hospital statistics for the period 1965-79 with regard to antibiograms from patients with first T. B. observations. A progressive reduction in primary resistance in the general sense was noted, with an increase in the case of RAMP only. There was a constant decrease for INH, PAS and ETB, whereas SM, KM and CS values were stationary. The conclusion is drawn that the reduction in primary resistance notwithstanding the continual employment of these drugs must be attributed to the fact that the resistant mycobacteria have depressed proliferative capacity and virulence. Primary resistance, therefore, while a good pointer to the epidemiology of T.B. infection, is not a cause for concern from the therapeutic standpoint.

[Epidemiologic study of 1665 cases of bronchogenic neoplasms collected at the S. Luigi Gonzaga Hospital between 1973 and 1979]. / Studio epidemiologico su 1665 casi de neoplasie broncogene raccolte all' Ospedale "S. Luigi Gonzaga" fra il 1973 e il 1979.

Data regarding 1,665 cases of benign and malignant lung cancers are examined and frequency behaviour analysed by histological type, sex, age groups and site of onset. Results are compared with other reported data and it is concluded that there is a considerable increase in dyskaryokinesis in both sexes, especially females (particularly epidermoid forms), and that there is a shift in maximum incidence towards more advanced age groups. No variation was seen, however, with respect to the frequency of bronchial tree localisation.

[Phenomenon of primary resistance of Koch's bacillus: report on cases assembled at the pneumological hospital S. Luigi in Turin from 1972 to 1975]. / Il fenomeno della resistenza primaria del bacillo di Koch: casistica raccolta nell'ospedale pneumologico S. Luigi di Torino dal 1972 al 1975

In this work the authors stress the importance reached in recent years by the primary resistance phenomenon in pulmonary consumption, and they explain the results pointed out by the examination of 171 antibiograms effected from 1972 to 1975 on patients with pathological forms ascertained for the first time. They conclude by underlining the reduction of the primary resistance when employing common antibiotics and, on the contrary, its rise with the use of the rifampicin which has recently been introduced in therapy; lastly they put into evidence the epidemiological importance of the phenomenon itself.