[Nutrition management of the cancer patients: modern view on problem].

In the review the current state of nutrition for patients with cancers is given. The role of nutrition in cancer etiology and prevention of cancers are discussed. Main principles of diet constriction in cancers are expounded.

[Monoclonal antibody therapy with mabtera of patients with b-cell low grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma].

The data on monoclonal antibody monotherapy (mabtera, rituximab) in 44 patients with B-cell low grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma were assessed. Thirty-four of them had received several courses of second- or third line chemotherapy: mabtera was used as first-line therapy in 10. Mabtera was administered in a dose of 375 mg/m2 body surface, once a week, by slow intravenous infusion, 4-14 times depending on effect. Each relapsing patient received, on the average, 4 infusions, while each refractory one--8 weekly infusions. Overall response in the first group was 44%. Median overall relapse-free survival was 9 months. Apparenti effect of treatment was reported in 50% of primary patients (median overall relapse-free survival--15 months). Therapy was well tolerated. Fever and shivering stage I and II were among the most frequent post-infusion effects. High level of CD-20+B-lymphocytes should be used as prognostic indicator for effectiveness of therapy.

A randomised phase II multicentre trial of irinotecan (CPT-11) using four different schedules in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.

The purpose of this phase II trial was to compare the efficacy, safety and pharmacokinetics of four irinotecan schedules for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer. In total, 174 5-fluorouracil pretreated patients were randomised to: arm A (n=41), 350 mg m(-2) irinotecan as a 90-min i.v. infusion q3 weeks; arm B (n=38), 125 mg m(-2) irinotecan as a 90-min i.v. infusion weekly x 4 weeks q6 weeks; arm C (n=46), 250 mg m(-2) irinotecan as a 90-min i.v. infusion q2 weeks; or arm D (n=49), 10 mg m(-2) day(-1) irinotecan as a 14-day continuous infusion q3 weeks. No significant differences in efficacy across the four arms were observed, although a shorter time to treatment failure was noted for arm D (1.7 months; P=0.02). Overall response rates were in the range 5-11%. Secondary end points included median survival (6.4-9.4 months), and time to progression (2.7-3.8 months) and treatment failure (1.7-3.2 months). Similarly, there were no significant differences in the incidence of grade 3-4 toxicities, although the toxicity profile between arms A, B, and C and D did differ. Generally, significantly less haematologic toxicity, alopecia and cholinergic syndrome were observed in arm D; however, there was a trend for increased gastrointestinal toxicity. Irinotecan is an effective and safe second-line treatment for colorectal cancer. The schedules examined yielded equivalent results, indicating that there is no advantage of the prolonged vs short infusion schedules.

[Certain aspects of neoadjuvant therapy of locally advanced breast cancer]. / Nekotorye aspekty neoad"iuvantnoi terapii mestnorasprostranenogo raka molochnoi zhelezy.

The paper presents the results of a complex investigation of patients with locally-advanced breast cancer who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy or chemoradiation at initial stage. The clinical and pathomorphological effects, nature of neoadjuvant therapy and number of courses were followed up for 5- and 10-year periods. A direct correlation was found between number of courses for chemotherapy-sensitive patients, on the one hand, and greater effect, more intensive medicinal pathomorphism and longer recurrence-free survival, particularly, at later stages, on the other.

[Some prognostic factors in the combined therapy of locally advanced breast cancer]. / Hekotorye prognosticheskie faktory v kompleksnom lecheniie mestnorasprostranennogo raka molochnoi zhelezy.

A relationship between the dynamics of growth and pathological response of tumor cells and the number of neoadjuvant chemotherapy courses was established. As a result, there was no correlation between increase in overall and disease-free survival, on the one hand, and stage, on the other. An interval between neoadjuvant chemotherapy and surgery longer than 4 weeks had a negative effect on overall tumor response and duration of disease-free period.

[Role of induction chemo- and radiotherapy in the treatment of locally advance breast cancer]. / Znachenie induktsionnoi luchevoi i khimioterapii v lechenii mestnorasprostranennogo raka molochnoi zhelezy.

336 patients with locally-advanced breast cancer underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy. Increase in T- and N-indices (change of stage after neoadjuvant chemotherapy) proved an important prognostic factor. Survival rates correlated with clinical effect and dropped as it diminished. This tendency was clear in both groups. There was no relationship between stage and overall and disease-free survival rates at early stages but later they declined as T- and N-indices decreased.

[Correlation of clinical effect, pathological response of tumor cells and the end results of combined treatment of locally advanced breast cancer]. / Korrelatsiia klinicheskogo éffekta, patomorfoza opukholevykh kletok i otdalënnykh rezul'tatov kompleksnogo lecheniia bol'nykh s mestnorasprostranennym rakom molochnoi zhelezy.

A correlation was established between the end-results of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for locally-advanced breast cancer and pathological response of tumor cells. Also, the end-results correlated with CR or PR and pathological response. Only a small proportion of patients with tumor progression were registered as stage III or IV of pathological response (0.6 and 0.8%, respectively).

[Diagnosis and therapy of liver metastasis of breast cancer]. / Diagnostika i lechenie metastazov raka molochnoi zhelezy v pechen'.

Thirty seven patients received different modalities of chemotherapy for breast cancer disseminated to the liver. Apparent effect was registered in 9 (24.3%) patients (full effect--3 (8.1%), stabilization--23 (62.1%) and tumor progression--5 (13.5%). The ECE modality proved the most effective. Treatment efficacy was relatively higher in cases of breast tumor removal. The study established a correlation between effectiveness of therapy and size and number of metastatic nodes.

[The degree of tumor vascularization as a prognostic factor of the efficacy of neoadjuvant polychemotherapy in breast cancer]. / Stepen' vaskuliarizatsii opukholi kak prognosticheskii faktor éffektivnosti neoad''iuvantnoi polikhimioterapii pri rake molochnoi zhelezy.

A procedure for obtaining microcirculation coefficient is described. It is based on the phenomenon of formation of a focus of radionuclide hyperfixation on scintigrams of tumor area due to embolization of its arterioles and precapillaries with radionuclide. The method was used in 26 breast cancer patients before neoadjuvant chemotherapy. A direct correlation between the microcirculation coefficient and degree of tumor-induced pathomorphosis of tumor cells was established. The coefficient values proved more or less predictive of tumor response to chemotherapy.