[Locoregional recurrences of breast cancer]. / Récidives loco-régionales de cancers du sein.

AIM OF THE STUDY: To determine the characteristics of 51 cases of isolated local regional breast cancer recurrence. METHODS: Retrospective study from 1980 to 1992, survival calculated according to Kaplan-Meier and log-rank test. RESULTS: Twenty-five patients had had a conservative treatment of her primary tumour, 26 had been treated by modified radical mastectomy. Local regional recurrence rate was 9%: 44% of recurrences after lumpectomy and 43% of recurrences after mastectomy occurred within 2 years after the initial treatment. Site of local regional recurrence was chest wall only (16 cases), breast only (15 cases) or axillary or supraclavicular node with or without chest wall or breast involvement (20 cases). The actuarial 5-year survival rate after recurrence is 54%. It depends on the time to recurrence (40% if time to recurrence was less than 2 years, 68% if more than 2 years, p < 0.10), on initial node involvement (36% for N+, 71% for N-, p < 0.15) and on the site of recurrence (chest wall: 43%; breast: 48%; regional node: 12%, p < 0.10). CONCLUSION: Like in the literature, severe recurrences are early recurrences, lymph node recurrences and recurrences following a primary tumour with involved axillary nodes.

Sequential cisplatin-doxorubicin, early debulking surgery and intraperitoneal chemotherapy in advanced ovarian cancer. Groupe d'Etude et de Recherche sur les Cancers de l'Ovaire et Digestifs (GERCOD).

40 patients with advanced ovarian cancer were treated with immediate debulking followed by sequential cisplatin and doxorubicin every 4 weeks, followed by second-look laparotomy (SLL). Six courses were given when residual disease (RD) was under 2 cm. When RD was over 2 cm, three courses were followed by early debulking and six more courses before SLL. Immediate debulking was optimal in 15 patients (38%) and early debulking in an additional 15 (38%). Pathological complete responses (34 evaluable cases) were observed in 14 cases (41%), partial response in 13 (38%), stable disease in 3 (9%) and progression in 5 (15%). Toxicity was mainly haematological. 11 patients with negative SLL and 15 with RD under 2 cm received intraperitoneal cisplatin 200 mg/m2 alone or with cytarabine. Median survival was 45 months: 58 months for RD under 2 cm at initial laparotomy and 31 months for RD over 2 cm. Median survival was 46 months when early debulking was successful. 5 year disease-free survival was only 16%. However, this multimodal treatment offers prolonged survival, especially in patients optimally debulked either at initial laparotomy or at early debulking surgery.

High-dose folinic acid, 5-fluorouracil bolus and continuous infusion in poor-prognosis patients with advanced measurable gastric cancer.

Twenty-five patients with advanced measurable gastric cancer were treated with high-dose folinic acid (200 mg/m2), 5-fluorouracil bolus (400 mg/m2) and continuous infusion (600 mg/m2) for two consecutive days every two weeks. Fourteen patients over 65 yr old and/or with a poor general status received first-line treatment, and eleven younger patients second-line. The response rate was 43.5% in 23 evaluable patients. There were 2 complete responses (8.7%) and 8 partial responses (34.8%). Median survival was 6 months in first-line and 8 months, calculated from start of folinic acid-5FU, in second-line. Toxicity was mild without WHO Grade greater than 2 events. This combination is effective for advanced gastric cancer in poor-prognosis patients and requires further studies.

[Functioning of implantable catheters of intraperitoneal chemotherapy]. / Fonctionnement des cathéters implantables de chimiothérapie intrapéritonéale.

Intraperitoneal chemotherapy with a totally implantable catheter was performed in 42 patients with advanced ovarian cancer who received 178 courses of chemotherapy administered in 2 l of solution. Major complication was inflow obstruction due to fibrosis around the catheter observed in 10 patients, 23.8% of the cases. Other complications were: leakage 3 (7.1%), pain 3 (7.2%), infection 3 (7.1%) and rectal perforation 1 (2.4%). Overall, these complications occurred in 15 patients (35.7%) and were the cause of treatment interruption in 7 (16.7%). Outflow obstruction which occurred in 23 patients (54.8%), did not create discomfort and could not be considered as a complication. Despite the problems, intraperitoneal chemotherapy with a totally implantable catheter appeared feasible in at least 80% of the patients.