13 research outputs found
Infusion chemotherapy with cisplatinum and fluorouracil in the treatment of locally-advanced and metastatic gallbladder cancer
Background: Gallbladder cancer (GBC) has a poor prognosis. Chemotherapy
is traditionally considered to be ineffective. The goal of the current
study was to evaluate the efficacy of infusional 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)
and cisplatinum (CDDP) in patients with inoperable GBC. Materials and
Methods: A total of 65 patients with inoperable GBC received palliative
chemotherapy with CDDP and 5-FU. All the patients had clinically
measurable disease as well as adequate bone marrow, hepatic, and renal
function. Response was assessed after three cycles of chemotherapy.
Results: A total of 19 patients had locally advanced unresectable
cancer and 46 patients had metastatic cancer. There were 39 females and
26 males, with a median age of 50 years. A total of 212 chemotherapy
cycles were administered to the patients. Response evaluation after
three cycles of chemotherapy revealed complete response in five
patients [7.69%; 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 2.87-16.22], partial
response in 17 patients (26.15%; 95% CI: 16.57-37.81), stabilization of
disease in 9 patients (13.85%; 95% CI: 6.96-23.88), and progression in
21 patients (32.30%; 95% CI: 21.80-44.35). At 6 months 44.6% patients
were alive and 18.5% patients were alive at 12 months. The median
overall survival was 5.7 months and the median time to disease
progression was 3.1 months. This chemotherapy combination was well
tolerated. There were no chemotherapy-related deaths. Conclusions:
Infusion chemotherapy with CDDP and 5-FU appears to have a fair amount
of activity in patients of inoperable GBC, with acceptable toxicity.
Tumor shrinkage following treatment with this regimen enabled surgical
resection in two patients. We believe that this promising combination
must be tested against gemcitabine-based combinations in patients with
inoperable GBC
Effect of garlic on cardiovascular disorders: a review
Garlic and its preparations have been widely recognized as agents for prevention and treatment of cardiovascular and other metabolic diseases, atherosclerosis, hyperlipidemia, thrombosis, hypertension and diabetes. Effectiveness of garlic in cardiovascular diseases was more encouraging in experimental studies, which prompted several clinical trials. Though many clinical trials showed a positive effect of garlic on almost all cardiovascular conditions mentioned above, however a number of negative studies have recently cast doubt on the efficary of garlic specially its cholesterol lowering effect of garlic. It is a great challenge for scientists all over the world to make a proper use of garlic and enjoy its maximum beneficial effect as it is the cheapest way to prevent cardiovascular disease. This review has attempted to make a bridge the gap between experimental and clinical study and to discuss the possible mechanisms of such therapeutic actions of garlic
Infusion chemotherapy with cisplatinum and fluorouracil in the treatment of locally-advanced and metastatic gallbladder cancer
Background: Gallbladder cancer (GBC) has a poor prognosis. Chemotherapy
is traditionally considered to be ineffective. The goal of the current
study was to evaluate the efficacy of infusional 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)
and cisplatinum (CDDP) in patients with inoperable GBC. Materials and
Methods: A total of 65 patients with inoperable GBC received palliative
chemotherapy with CDDP and 5-FU. All the patients had clinically
measurable disease as well as adequate bone marrow, hepatic, and renal
function. Response was assessed after three cycles of chemotherapy.
Results: A total of 19 patients had locally advanced unresectable
cancer and 46 patients had metastatic cancer. There were 39 females and
26 males, with a median age of 50 years. A total of 212 chemotherapy
cycles were administered to the patients. Response evaluation after
three cycles of chemotherapy revealed complete response in five
patients [7.69%; 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 2.87-16.22], partial
response in 17 patients (26.15%; 95% CI: 16.57-37.81), stabilization of
disease in 9 patients (13.85%; 95% CI: 6.96-23.88), and progression in
21 patients (32.30%; 95% CI: 21.80-44.35). At 6 months 44.6% patients
were alive and 18.5% patients were alive at 12 months. The median
overall survival was 5.7 months and the median time to disease
progression was 3.1 months. This chemotherapy combination was well
tolerated. There were no chemotherapy-related deaths. Conclusions:
Infusion chemotherapy with CDDP and 5-FU appears to have a fair amount
of activity in patients of inoperable GBC, with acceptable toxicity.
Tumor shrinkage following treatment with this regimen enabled surgical
resection in two patients. We believe that this promising combination
must be tested against gemcitabine-based combinations in patients with
inoperable GBC