Search

A familial and personal history of cancer might be associated with a more aggressive cancerous disease. This study was carried out on 1277 consecutive lung cancer (LC) patients, seen from January 1989 to October 2002 in a single institution. A set of 31 clinical laboratory, radiological and pathological variables was recorded prospectively for all patients. In addition, both the number of first-degree blood-relatives with cancer (lung and non-lung cancers) and the personal history of previously cured cancers were noted. There were 368 patients (28.8% of the sample) who had one first-degree relative with cancer (112, 8.7% of the sample with LC), 100 (7.8%) had two first-degree relatives (six with LC) and 31 (2.4%) had three or more relatives affected (four with LC). In total, 1142 patients (89.4% of the sample) have never been treated for another cancer; the remaining 135 patients (10.6%) had already been diagnosed with a variety of tumours, including head and neck cancer (36 patients, 2.8%), bladder cancer (33 patients, 2.6%), colorectal cancer (24 patients, 1.9%), breast cancer (seven patients, 0.6%), melanoma (five patients, 0.4%), skin (five patients, 0.4%) and prostate cancer (five patients, 0.4%). Among the variables studied, none was found to be significantly associated with a personal and/or family history of cancer. Survival expectancy was similar among patients with or without a familial or personal history of cancer. A familial and a personal history of cancer are common features in LC, but are not of clinical significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study Objectives: We have longstanding experience with tissue polypeptide antigen (TPA), a tumor marker of the cytokeratin (CK) family. In the mid-1990s, a new CK marker, CK 19 fragments (CYFRA 21-1), became popular and widely accepted. This is the first study specifically designed to compare the two markers.Design: Analysis of a single institution database over a 3-year period (ie, 1998 to 2000).Setting: Community-based hospital and second referral level institution for a province of 500,000 people.Patients: The study included 180 new consecutive patients (143 men) with pathologically documented non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), who were observed during and after treatment, and eventually were assessed for status.Interventions: Anthropometric, clinical, and laboratory data, including TPA and CYFRA 21-1 serum levels, were recorded prospectively. Standard nonparametric tests, Kaplan-Meyer survival analyses, Cox proportional hazards models, receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and estimates were used for statistical analysis.Measurements and Results: A total of 1,299 twin TPA and CYFRA 21-1 serum assays (180 performed at diagnosis and 1,119 performed during or after treatment) were obtained. Intermarker correlation tests revealed incredibly high Spearman rho indexes, ranging from 0.935 at diagnosis to 0.813 to 0.921 at the different follow-up times. The substantial equivalence of the two tests explained all the other results, as follows: their similar profile of correlation with the other variables (objective treatment response: TPA rho, 0.456; CYFRA 21-1 rho, 0.463; follow-up performance status: rho range, 0.424 to 0.435); their superimposable capability to predict important clinical situations (eg, recognizing a metastatic disease at diagnosis with areas under the ROC curve of 0.742 and 0.706, respectively); their nearly identical prognostic significance (the D statistic of the goodness-of-fit of a multivariate survival model: TPA, 851.0; CYFRA 21-1, 851.6).Conclusions: In most of their traditional clinical applications the two serum tests are equivalent because of their virtual identity. We strongly recommend using a CK test in the evaluation of each NSCLC patient. The choice between TPA and CYFRA 21-1 can be based on nonclinical factors, such as the laboratory experience or preference, and the cost of the two kits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is evidence that malnutrition is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in lung cancer patients and may have an impact on the clinical course of disease. The simplest way to assess nutritional status at the patient's bedside remains recourse to anthropometric measurements. This study was carried out in order to assess the clinical and prognostic significance of triceps skinfold thickness (TST), arm circumference (AC), and wrist circumference (WC) in lung cancer. The patient population was a consecutive series of 388 patients seen for a newly diagnosed primary non-small-cell lung cancer during the last 4 years. A set of 22 anthropometric, clinical, physical, laboratory, radiological, and pathological variables was prospectively recorded for all patients. Patients were carefully followed up, and their subsequent clinical course was recorded. The median values of TST, WC and AC were 8 mm (range 2-25 mm), 18 cm (range 10-27 cm), and 25 cm (range 15-35 cm), respectively. In 107 patients (27.6% of the total) TST values were below the reference value, and 37 of these patients also had a pathologically low small circumference. In all, AC was below the normality range in 60 of the 388 subjects (15.5%). Among the three variables, the strongest relationships were those between AC and WC (r(s)=0.541), and between TST and AC (r(s)=0.521). Univariate analyses of survival showed that TST was strongly predictive of a better prognosis (P<0.001), while WC was unrelated to outcome (P=0.101). Patients with higher values of AC had significantly longer survival than patients with lower values (P<0.018). The multivariate model, in contrast, did not confirm the prognostic capability of any of the anthropometric measures. These data indicate that the anthropometric measures may be significant predictors of survival, although not independently of the other prognostic factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of propranolol 80 mg orally were compared with those of placebo on the response to a stepwise increasing exercise test in 17 healthy and physically untrained volunteers, of whom eight were female. Propranolol showed no significant effects on maximum work rate or perceived exertion rate. However, submaximal O2 uptake, CO2 output and minute ventilation tended to be lower after propranolol than after placebo. It is concluded that in subjects with a low work capacity, beta-adrenoceptor blockade does not impair maximal exercise capacity. The mechanisms underlying changes in respiratory response to exercise after propranolol are not fully explained. However, changes in substrate utilisation, the reduction in cardiac output and an alteration in respiratory drive may all be involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a preliminary study on the XVIth century cemetery of Castel San Pietro in Bologna, Italy as of January 2012. Also cited are the excavation activities by the Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici dell-Emilia Romagna and the Gruppo per la Valorizzazione della Valle del Sillaro in the late 1990s, which resulted in the discovery of a late antiquity basilical structure transformed during the Early Middle Ages.