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A 32-year-old female was admitted complaining of pain over the whole body and dysesthesia in all extremities. On admission, physical examination revealed hypertension, tachycardia, abdominal distension and urinary retention. Neurological examination revealed sensory impairment over the whole body and mild muscular weakness with absent deep tendon reflexes. Abdominal roentgenogram showed gaseous distension of the bowels. CT scans showed low density areas on the bilateral parieto-occipital lobes. CAG showed diffuse narrowing of the cerebral arteries. Laboratory examinations showed an albumino-cytologic dissociation (cells; 21/3mm, prot.; 78 mg/dl) of the cerebrospinal fluid and increased levels of norepinephrine (214 micrograms/day) and epinephrine (16.1 micrograms/day) in the urine. Motor nerve conduction velocities of the median nerves was 42.8 m/sec in the right and 50.0 m/sec in the left. The autonomic function tests revealed hyper-responsiveness to 10 mg of phentolamine and low baroreflex sensitivity. Within 2 months, most symptoms improved. Repeated CT scans showed no abnormality, while CAG showed only mild arterial narrowing. This case was diagnosed as having acute autonomic and sensory neuropathy which was a subtype of acute polyradiculoneuritis. Occult encephalitis or autonomic dysfunction was considered to contribute to the peculiar findings on CT and CAG.

Fifty-one gastric adenocarcinoma patients were divided into two groups, according to the route of administration of the anticancer drug. One group was given FT-207 (tegafur, an enteric coated granule) orally and the other group, FT-207 in the form of a suppository. Blood and tissue concentrations of the drug were examined after a three-day administration of 750 mg at 09.00 and 21.00 hours. There were no significant differences between the two groups with respect to the concentrations of FT-207 and its metabolite 5-FU in the tissues. Levels of 5-FU in the excised tumor averaged 0.256 and 0.160 micrograms/g, in oral and rectal administrations, respectively, and levels in normal lymph nodes averaged 0.174 and 0.179 micrograms/g, respectively. The difference in 5-FU levels between normal and tumor tissues was statistically significant (P less than 0.05).

Forty-one patients with advanced gastric cancer underwent gastrectomy, and the correlation between tissue uptake of the adjuvant drug and the prognosis were studied. The patients were preoperatively administered Tegafur and samples of tissue were obtained intraoperatively. 5-FU levels in the tumor and lymphnodes were measured by gas chromato-mass fragmentography (GCMF). The patients measured for 5-FU tissue uptake were given more than 60 g of tegafur as postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy, and divided into two groups; one in which the 5-FU uptake by tumor tissue and lymphnode was over 0.05 microgram/g and the other lower than 0.05 microgram/g. In both groups there were no significant differences in background factors. Each survival rate was calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method, and the generalized Wilcoxon method was used for statistical analysis. There was no statistically significant correlation between 5-FU uptake by the tumor and the prognosis, but the 5-year survival rate in the group with over 0.05 microgram/g uptake by lymphnodes was statistically significant (p = 0.018).

Forty-one patients with advanced gastric cancer underwent gastrectomy and the correlation between tissue uptake of the adjuvant drug and the prognosis were studied. The patients were preoperatively administered Tegafur (Futraful, Taiho Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd, Japan) and samples of tissue were obtained intraoperatively. 5-FU levels in the tumor and lymph nodes were measured by gas chromato-massfragmentography (GCMF). The patients in whom the 5-FU uptake by the tissues was measured and who were given over 60 g of Tegafur as postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy, were divided into two groups; namely, one group in whom the 5-FU uptake by the tumor tissue and lymph nodes was over 0.05 microgram/g and the other in whom the uptake was lower than 0.05 microgram/g. There were no significant differences in the background factors of either group. Each survival rate was calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method, and the generalized Wilcoxon method was used for statistical analysis. There was no statistically significant correlation between the 5-FU uptake by the tumor and the prognosis, however the 5-year survival rate in the group whose 5-FU uptake of the lymph nodes was over 0.05 microgram/g was statistically significant (p = 0.018).