A Swedish study of chemoradiation in squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus

This multicenter study describes the development of a chemoradiation protocol for the treatment of non-metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus. Eighty patients were treated with three courses of chemotherapy (cisplatinum and 5-fluorouracil) with concomitant radiotherapy (40 Gy) during the last two courses of chemotherapy. Esophagectomy was performed, when feasible. If no operation was performed, patients were planned to receive a target dose of 64 Gy. Toxicity was mainly attributable to hematological impairment and led to two adjustments of the treatment protocol (addition of filgrastim and lowering of the 5-fluorouracil dose). These changes made it possible to administer the planned treatment in a gradually higher proportion of patients (13/23 [57%] before changes of treatment compared with 30/36 [83%] after changes). Treatment-related mortality was 3.75% (3 patients, associated with leucopenic septicemia after chemotherapy). Fifty-four patients were resected. No per- or postoperative mortality was encountered. The complete response (pathological CR) rate in operated patients was 46% (27/59 patients) after chemoradiation. In the whole series the CR rate (including clinical CR for non-resected patients) was 44%. With a minimum follow-up of 37 months, the 3-year survival for the whole group was 31% compared with 57% for the CR patients. Total 5-year survival thus far (July 1999) is 26%

”Vattnet behöver få plats i riksdagen – Sverige behöver en vattenplan.”

Säker tillgång på vatten är en samhällsfråga som påverkar allt och alla i Sverige, skriver en rad vattenforskare och andra vattenexperter

Tissue-based map of the human proteome

Protein expression across human tissues Sequencing the human genome gave new insights into human biology and disease. However, the ultimate goal is to understand the dynamic expression of each of the approximately 20,000 protein-coding genes and the function of each protein. Uhlén et al. now present a map of protein expression across 32 human tissues. They not only measured expression at an RNA level, but also used antibody profiling to precisely localize the corresponding proteins. An interactive website allows exploration of expression patterns across the human body. Science , this issue 10.1126/science.1260419 </jats:p