Subject(s)
Brain Neoplasms/prevention & control , Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma/prevention & control , Spinal Cord Neoplasms/prevention & control , Adolescent , Brain/radiation effects , Brain Neoplasms/radiotherapy , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Injections, Spinal , Male , Methotrexate/administration & dosage , Methotrexate/therapeutic use , Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma/radiotherapy , Recurrence , Retrospective Studies , Spinal Cord Neoplasms/radiotherapyABSTRACT
Any significant change in the pharmacokinetics of an anticancer drug would have a bearing on its therapeutic efficacy and toxicity. Nutritional deficiencies have been shown to affect the pharmacokinetics of a drug. Since malnutrition and undernutrition are widely prevalent in India, the effect of initial nutritional status on the overall kinetics of methotrexate (MTX) administered to cancer patients appeared to be of practical importance. A study of 6 Indian children with malignancies was made to examine the pharmacokinetics of low dose MTX and its relationship to the nutritional status. The results indicate that the relative weight correlates well with the anthropometric parameters, nutritional parameters and dietary intake and may be used as a marker of nutritional status.
Subject(s)
Methotrexate/metabolism , Nutritional Status , Adolescent , Anthropometry , Blood Proteins/analysis , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , India , Infant , Kinetics , Male , Methotrexate/therapeutic use , Neoplasms/drug therapySubject(s)
Leukemia, Lymphoid/pathology , Lymphocytes/pathology , Adolescent , Adult , Bone Marrow/pathology , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Infant , Male , Middle Aged , RecurrenceABSTRACT
Cardiac involvement in the form of pericardial effusion or tamponade as the initial feature of extracardiac malignancy is extremely rare. An extensive search of medical literature yielded only 36 such cases. A case is presented and literature reviewed.
Subject(s)
Adenocarcinoma/complications , Cardiac Tamponade/etiology , Pericardial Effusion/etiology , Adenocarcinoma/diagnosis , Adenocarcinoma/drug therapy , Adult , Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use , Common Cold/etiology , Doxorubicin/administration & dosage , Dyspnea/etiology , Female , Fluorouracil/administration & dosage , Humans , Male , Mitomycin , Mitomycins/administration & dosage , Pericardial Effusion/complicationsSubject(s)
Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use , Breast Neoplasms/drug therapy , Breast Neoplasms/pathology , Combined Modality Therapy , Cyclophosphamide/administration & dosage , Female , Fluorouracil/administration & dosage , Humans , India , Methotrexate/administration & dosage , Neoplasm StagingSubject(s)
Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use , Leukemia, Lymphoid/drug therapy , Child , Combined Modality Therapy , Doxorubicin/administration & dosage , Female , Humans , Male , Methotrexate/administration & dosage , Prednisolone/administration & dosage , Remission Induction , Vincristine/administration & dosageABSTRACT
The activity of a heat labile variant of Regan type alkaline phosphatase (HLRI) was studied in the serum of 38 histologically proved patients with Hodgkin's disease. The activity was also studied in 40 normal healthy adults matched for age and sex as control. HLRI was significantly elevated in patients with Hodgkin's disease in comparison with normal controls (1.12 +/- 0.12 units/ml vs 0.09 +/- 0.01 units/ml; P less than 0.001). The mean values of the isoenzyme tended to increase progressively with increasing stages of disease, reflecting a significant linear trend (P less than 0.001). The serial measurement of this variant may serve as a useful parameter in assessing disease activity and response to chemotherapy.
Subject(s)
Hodgkin Disease/enzymology , Isoenzymes/blood , Placenta/enzymology , Adult , Alkaline Phosphatase , Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use , GPI-Linked Proteins , Hodgkin Disease/drug therapy , Hodgkin Disease/pathology , Hot Temperature , Humans , Isoenzymes/genetics , Mechlorethamine/administration & dosage , Neoplasm Staging , Prednisone/administration & dosage , Procarbazine/administration & dosage , Vincristine/administration & dosageSubject(s)
Bone Neoplasms/drug therapy , Sarcoma, Ewing/drug therapy , Adolescent , Adult , Child , Child, Preschool , Combined Modality Therapy , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , PrognosisABSTRACT
Since anticancer drugs have a low therapeutic index, any significant change in the pharmacokinetics of a drug would have a bearing on therapeutic efficacy and drug toxicity. Nutritional deficiencies have been shown to affect the four processes of pharmacokinetics, ie, absorption, distribution, biotransformation, and excretion. Malnutrition and undernutrition are widely prevalent in India and thus it was thought to be of practical importance to study the effect of initial nutritional status on the overall kinetics of methotrexate, a widely used anticancer drug. The results of the study reveal that relative weight correlates well with the anthropometric parameters, nutritional parameters, and dietary intake and may be used as a marker of nutritional status. When grouped on the basis of relative weights, the undernourished patients revealed a significant (P less than 0.01) prolongation of biological half-life and a significant (P less than 0.001) reduction in clearance. Based on these results, relative weight has been proposed as a basis for drug dosage determinations in place of the existing practice of administering antineoplastic drugs on the basis of body surface area or body weight alone.
