[Preoperative (neoadjuvant) chemotherapy of small cell bronchial cancer]. / Präoperative (neoadjuvante) Chemotherapie des kleinzelligen Bronchialkarzinoms.

The high rate of locally delimited recurrences of parvicellular bronchial carcinoma, following chemotherapy and complete remission, primarily in cases of limited disease, prompted the authors to apply preoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy to seven patients. Four of them were without tumours for six to 72 months from treatment. One patient died of myocardial infarction but with no tumour detectable 15 months after treatment. Locally delimited recurrence with additional lymphogenic spreading was recorded from one patient only. Two patients died of haematogenic metastasation. The concept should be tested for efficiency on larger groups of patients.

[3 multicenter phase II studies of the treatment of small cell bronchogenic carcinoma (incl. AIO studies BI + BII)]. / Drei multizentrische Phase-II-Studien in der Behandlung des kleinzelligen Bronchialkarzinoms (incl. AIO-Studien BI + BII).

Between March 1979 und January 1983 122 patients with small-cell carcinoma of the lung were treated with different polychemotherapy regimen. 33 patients received VP-16-213 (etoposid), ifosfamide and vindesine (VPIV). 37 patients were treated with adriamycin, cisplatin and vincristine (APO). A third 3-drug combination, cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and CCNU (CMCC), was given to the remaining 52 patients alternating with the two other regimen. Response rates varied between 61% for the APO regimen and 85% for the VPIV regimen. The median survival was 10 months for patients treated with VPIV or APO and 12 months for patients treated with alternating drug combinations. This difference was not statistically significant. The rate of long-term survivors (longer than 2 years after diagnosis) was 9.9%. Side effects were seen more frequently in the group treated with APO.

[The potentiation of betazol stimulated gastric acidity by prednisolone in dogs (author's transl)]. / Die Potenzierung der Betazol-stimulierten Magensaftsekretion durch Prednisolon beim Huud.

In a total of 46 dogs divided into 5 groups the acute effect of a high dose of prednisolone (40 mg/kg i.v.) on betazol stimulated gastric seccretion (5mg/kh s.c.) was investigated. There was no effect of prednisolone alone. The combination of betazol and prednisolone showed a significant potentiation of betazol stimulation. This effect was not seen after truncal vagotomy before stimulation. The mechanism is either cholinergic or an interaction in the metabolism of histamine.

[The carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in bronchial carcinoma before and after operation (author's transl)]. / Das karzinoembryonale Antigen (CEA) vor und nach Operationen von Bronchialkarzinomen.

In 53 p.c. of 175 patients with bronchial carcinoma the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) was elevated at the time of diagnosis. In patients with small well bordered tumors (T 1/2) 31 p.c. proved pathological CEA-values in comparison to 80 p.c. in patients with heamatogenic metastases. After radical tumor resection (36 patients) elevated CEA-levels returned to normal ranges within 5 weeks. No decrease could be observed after palliative operations (16 patients). If there existed haematogenic metastases normal CEA-values increased postoperative. Such an increase occured up to ten weeks before metastases could be found by other methods. In cases of bronchial carcinoma CEA-measurements are usefull to evaluate the effect of operation and in the follow up time. It should be carried out on principle in those patients which can be considered for a surgical therapy.