Influence of intratumoral basic fibroblast growth factor concentration on survival in ovarian cancer patients.

Since basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) is considered as a potent mitogen that stimulates the growth of ovarian cancer cells, we evaluated the role of bFGF as a prognostic marker in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer. bFGF was quantified from the tumor cytoplasm of 76 patients with FIGO stage I-III ovarian cancer by a human FGF basic immunoassay (R&D Systems). After a mean follow-up period of 42 months, 50 patients were found to be free of tumor while 26 patients had died of the disease. The median bFGF concentration was 352.9 pg/mg (range 27.4-26600 pg/mg). After dichotomization cytoplasmic expression of bFGF was found to be low in 44 tumors (< or =500 pg/mg) and high in 32 tumors (>500 pg/mg). The probability of overall survival was 38.8 and 58.5% in the low bFGF and high bFGF groups, respectively (log-rank P = 0.0066). In multivariate analysis, residual tumor after initial surgery and bFGF, but not histologic grade or stage of the disease, independently influenced the overall survival probability. Furthermore, tumors with high cytoplasmic expression of bFGF revealed a much greater stromal content. Therefore, we hypothesize that bFGF may induce a fibroblastic response which causes tumors with a high bFGF to be less aggressive than those with less stromal tissue.

[High dosage ketoconazole therapy in the treatment of advanced prostatic cancer]. / Hochdosierte Ketokonazoltherapie in der Behandlung des fortgeschrittenen Prostatakarzinoms.

This paper reports on oral high-dose ketoconazole treatment (3 x 400 mg/die) in 38 patients with advanced (pT3-4NXMOGIII - n = 9), metastasizing (Ml - n = 23) prostatic cancers that had been treated previously (n = 23) or untreated (n = 15). The primary response rate was 66% with 37% remissions. After 1 year, the response rate was 40% with 8% remissions and 8% progressive tumours. There was drop-out rate of 34% because of adverse experience and a very high rate of side-effects for 74%. During treatment there was a significant reduction in testosterone, cortisol and acid phosphatase blood levels. There was a transient rise in liver enzymes (gamma-GT, GOT, GPT, LDH and bilirubin) above the limit. There was no change registered in the renal parameters (BUN, creatinine) or in the calcium and phosphorus blood levels. There was no difference in the response rate between patients who had been treated previously and those with no treatment. There was also no difference in the outcome of tumours that had metastasized and those that had not.

[Specific immunotherapy in metastasizing breast cancer combined with chemotherapy. A prospective randomized study]. / Spezifische Immuntherapie beim metastasierenden Mammakarzinom kombiniert mit Chemotherapie. Eine prospektiv randomisierte Studie.

40 patients with metastasized mamma carcinoma were immunized with T-antigen, in addition to cytostatic therapy. A second group of 40 patients received cytostatics only. No improvement of remission rates could be obtained by additional immunotherapy with T-antigen.