Dose- intensified, preoperative and adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with T3- and T4- breast cancer: toxicity, clinical and pathological remission.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to investigate a dose-intensified, preoperative chemotherapy with 3 cycles (cy) of epirubicin 60 mg/m2, ifosfamide 5 g/m2 with mesna 5 g/m2, biweekly with G-CSF 5 micrograms/kg (filgrastim), in terms of toxicity, clinical and pathological remission rates and changes of immunohistochemical characteristics (ER, PR, c-erbB2, p53) during chemotherapy of inoperable patients (pt) with poor prognosis (locally advanced (LABC, 9 pt), inflammatory breast cancer (IBC, 12 pt) and M0. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Following preoperative chemotherapy (63 cy) and mastectomy patients received adjuvant 3 cy of epirubicin 60 mg/m2 and paclitaxel 175 mg/m2 (biweekly) with G-CSF (54 cy), and subsequently radiation of the thoracic wall and tamoxifen 20 mg/day. RESULTS: Primary toxicity (T): grade 3 alopecia (21 pt), grade 3-4 leucopenia (7 cy), grade 1-2 leucopenia (26 cy), grade 1-2 anemia (61 cy), grade 1-2 neurocortical T (13 cy), grade 1-2 neurosensory T (7 cy), grade 1 cardiac toxicity (1 pt). ORR: 65% (CR: 0 pt, PR: 13 pt, NC: 8 pt). The grades of histological regression were: 0: 14 pt, 1: 6 pt, 2: 0 pt, 3: 1 pt. No significant correlation was observed between the clinical response and the histological regression (Fischer's exact test). The immunohistochemical expression of tumor characteristics did not change significantly during preoperative chemotherapy (Wilcoxon test). 81% of the pt were disease-free after a median follow-up of 20 months (7-26). CONCLUSION: This therapy is safe, feasible and effective, both as primary and adjuvant chemotherapy in women with LABC and IBC.

Increased incidence of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia in young women in the Mitte district, Berlin, Germany.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether the incidence of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), in particular of high grade CIN, increased in Berlin during the period 1970-1989 and whether the ages of women with CIN had decreased. STUDY DESIGN: In the former German Democratic Republic, which had a highly centralized public health system, all gynecologic operations performed on women living in the Mitte district of Berlin were carried out during the period 1970-1989 (when the Berlin Wall fell) in the gynecologic clinic of the Charité Hospital. RESULTS: The incidence of all CIN increased from year to year over the observation period: 0.04% (1970-1971), 0.10% (1980-1981), 0.39% (1988-1989). There was a particularly high increase in the incidence of high grade intraepithelial neoplasms (CIN 3): 0.016% (1970-1971), 0.056% (1980-1981), 0.25% (1988-1989). With a virtually unchanged age distribution for women in the Mitte district of Berlin, the median age of women with CIN 3 decreased significantly from 1970 to 1989, from 39.5 (1970) to 33 (1989) (P < .001). CONCLUSION: The increase in the incidence of CIN, especially of high grade CIN, as well as the reduction in age for onset of the disease, makes high participation in screening necessary, above all among young women.