[Role of gemcitabine in the treatment of other malignant tumors]. / Place de la gemcitabine dans le traitement des autres tumeurs malignes.

The therapeutic interest of gemcitabine both as a single drug and in combination is now well known and applied in various malignant diseases. However, it would be worth being further explored in two tumor models for which its efficacy has been suspected and which have been somehow "abandoned" by modern oncology after the demonstration of their high sensitivity to platinum derivatives, namely epidermoid tumours of the upper aero-digestive tract and uterine cervix. Combination studies should be encouraged in this setting.

[Primary peritoneal tumors: report on a series of eight cases and review of the literature]. / Tumeurs malignes primitives du péritoine: étude d'une série de huit cas et revue de la littérature.

Primary peritoneal tumors are rare and yet not well-known malignancies. We report here the clinical cases of 8 patients who were referred to our institution with a primary peritoneal tumor, 4 serous carcinomas (PSC) and 4 malignant mesotheliomas (PMM). Diagnosis was available in all cases and reviewed by two pathologists. A battery of various immunomarkers contributed to confirm the morphological diagnosis. All patients underwent initial surgery with or without optimal debulking. All of them received a platinum-based systemic chemotherapy. Intraperitoneal treatment with cisplatin and hyperthermia was performed in two cases. Four patients are dead (3 PSC, 1 PMM), two are alive (one in partial remission (1 PSC) and one is having treatment (1 PMM)), one is in complete remission (1 PMM) and one is lost to follow up (1 MMP). PSC and PMM are difficult to distinguish since they share the embryonic cOElomic epithelium as a common origin. The clinical presentations are similar and usually include the detection of a pelvic mass and/or diffuse peritoneal carcinomatosis with or without malignant ascites. Therefore, the accuracy and reliability of the initial histological examination is of crucial importance. Further attempts will be required to better identify the most active therapeutic post-surgical combinations, especially for PMM.

The influence of mutation site and age on the severity of duodenal polyposis in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis.

BACKGROUND: The present study was undertaken to identify factors affecting the severity of the duodenojejunal polyposis in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis. METHODS: Duodenojejunal polyposis was evaluated in 41 consecutive patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (mean age 41 years, range 21-63 years), 33 (80%) with known APC mutation, by using a standardized endoscopic protocol. The severity of the polyposis was graded with the Spigelman scoring system (0-12 points), the Spigelman score/age ratio, and the presence or absence of advanced adenomas (>1 cm in diameter and/or high-grade dysplasia). RESULTS: The Spigelman score (median 8, range 3-12) was higher in patients older than 50 years (median 10, range 3-12) as compared with younger patients (median 7.5, range 3-11; p = 0.043). A significant association between age and the presence of advanced adenomas was also observed. Patients with a mutation in the central part of the APC gene (codons 279-1309) had a higher Spigelman score and Spigelman score/age ratio as compared with patients with other mutations: median Spigelman score/age ratio 0.21 (range 0.14-0.40) versus 0.10 (range 0.06-0.20) (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Older age and APC mutation in the central part of the gene are risk factors for the development of severe duodenojejunal polyposis.