bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Discordant serum thyroglobulin results generated by two classes of assay in patients with thyroid carcinoma
Authors: Weightman David R. , Mallick Ujjal K. , Fenwick John D. , Perros Petros 
Published: June 2003

AbstractBACKGROUNDSerum thyroglobulin measurement is an integral part of monitoring patients with thyroid carcinoma, but analytic problems pose serious difficulties in the utility of this test.METHODSBetween 1997 and 1998, serum samples from 83 patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma were collected. Serum thyroglobulin was assayed by both radioimmunoassay and by an immunoradiometric assay. The disease status of patients with discordant serum thyroglobulin results was assessed in June 2001. Therefore, the predictive value of a single thyroglobulin measurement was assessed by evaluating the clinical status of patients 3 years later.RESULTSDiscordant serum thyroglobulin results were noted in 17 (20.4%) patients. Of the 17 patients with discordant results, 16 had adequate clinical follow‐up data. Of these 16 patients, 11 patients had detectable levels of serum thyroglobulin by immunoradiometric assay (range, 1.4–350 μg/L) whereas levels were undetectable by radioimmunoassay (< 1 μg/L). All 11 patients had evidence of metastases 3 years later. Two patients had undetectable serum thyroglobulin levels using the immunoradiometric assay (< 1 μg/L), whereas they had detectable levels using radioimmunoassay (serum thyroglobulin 7.2–30 μg/L). The serum samples from both patients had normal recoveries and positive antithyroglobulin antibodies. Both patients developed metastases 3 years later.CONCLUSIONSFalse‐negative serum thyroglobulin results were significantly higher with the radioimmunoassay method compared with the immunoradiometric assay. The immunoradiometric assay is more reliable than the radioimmunoassay, particularly in patients who have no thyroglobulin antibodies. This finding is novel in that traditional immunoradiometric assay systems compared with radioimmunoassays usually have a higher incidence of false‐negative results when assessed against clinical status. The immunoradiometric assay is subject to false‐negative results in some patients with thyroglobulin antibodies, even when recovery experiments indicate the absence of interference. Thyroglobulin antibodies should be measured in all patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma and if positive, results should be interpreted with extreme caution. Cancer 2003;98:41–7. © 2003 American Cancer Society.DOI 10.1002/cncr.11472
A Phase II study of irinotecan in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Fizazi Karim , Rolland Frédéric , Chevreau Christine , Droz Jean‐Pierre , Mery‐Mignard Dominique , Culine Stéphane , Escudier Bernard 
Published: June 2003

AbstractBACKGROUNDPatients with disseminated renal cell carcinoma (RCC) have a poor outcome, and the disease is considered highly resistant to chemotherapy. Irinotecan is an active drug in the treatment of a number of neoplastic diseases and is not concerned with the multidrug‐resistance phenotype of tumor cells, a common mechanism of drug inactivation and resistance in patients with RCC. Therefore, the authors tested the antitumor activity of irinotecan in patients with RCC.METHODSPatients with disseminated RCC received irinotecan (350 mg/m2) every 3 weeks. The primary objective of the study was to determine the overall response rate. Two groups of patients were defined: previously treated patients (Group A) and nonpretreated patients (Group B).RESULTSForty‐two eligible patients were recruited: Twenty‐six patients (Group A) had received previous chemotherapy or immunotherapy, and 16 patients had received no previous systemic therapy (Group B). The median number of cycles received per patient was 3 cycles (range, 1–6 cycles). A dose reduction was required in only 8% of cycles. Two patients, one in each group, had minor responses. Eleven patients (42%) in Group A and 1 patient (12%) in Group B had disease stabilization. Overall, therapy was tolerated well. Grade 4 neutropenic fever occurred in 17% of patients. The 1‐year overall survival rate was 61% (95% confidence interval, 42–80%) in Group A and 19% (95% confidence interval, 0–49%) in Group B.CONCLUSIONSIrinotecan was tolerated well and had limited activity in patients with disseminated RCC at the dose and schedule used in the current study. A high percentage of disease stabilization was observed in cytokine‐pretreated patients. Cancer 2003;98:61–5. © 2003 American Cancer Society.DOI 10.1002/cncr.11474
Infections in patients with aplastic anemia
Authors: Torres Harrys A. , Bodey Gerald P. , Rolston Kenneth V. I. , Kantarjian Hagop M. , Raad Issam I. , Kontoyiannis Dimitrios P. 
Published: June 2003

AbstractBACKGROUNDInfection is a significant cause of death in patients with aplastic anemia (AA). However, few recent studies have examined infectious complications in patients with AA.METHODSThe authors retrospectively evaluated the type of infections, associated pathogens, and outcome of infectious episodes (IEs) in patients with AA who were treated at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center between July 1994 and June 2000.RESULTSFifty‐two patients with a median age of 37 years (range, 3–83 years) were identified. Overall, 104 IEs were documented in 42 patients (81%). The most common microbiologically documented infections were bacteremias (38%) followed by pneumonias (16%). Most patients (55%) had bacterial infections, mainly caused by gram‐positive cocci. Multidrug‐resistant, gram‐negative bacilli also were not uncommon in this patient population. Five of 12 patients who died during the study period died of infection. All of these patients had invasive fungal infections, mostly due to molds. All five patients had prolonged and severe neutropenia.CONCLUSIONSInfections remain a major cause of death in patients with AA. Bacterial infections, especially those caused by gram‐positive cocci, constitute the main cause of IE. Invasive mold infections, however, are the major cause of death in this patient population. Cancer 2003;98:86–93. © 2003 American Cancer Society.DOI 10.1002/cncr.11478
Elevated expression levels of NCOA3, TOP1, and TFAP2C in breast tumors as predictors of poor prognosis
Authors: Zhao Chen , Yasui Kohichiroh , Lee Chol Joo , Kurioka Hideaki , Hosokawa Youhei , Oka Takahiro , Inazawa Johji 
Published: June 2003

AbstractBACKGROUNDAmplification of DNA in certain chromosomal regions plays a crucial role in the development and progression of human malignancies, specifically when protooncogenic target genes within those amplicons are overexpressed. Comparative genomic hybridization studies have revealed frequent amplification at 20q in primary breast tumors. The aim of the current study was to identify specific genes in the 20q amplicon that were likely to have clinical significance.METHODSThe authors examined 38 primary breast tumors by using a quantitative real‐time reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction assay to determine expression levels of 18 potential targets for amplification events involving 20q. Potential correlations between elevated expression of the genes in question and clinicopathologic parameters or clinical outcomes were analyzed.RESULTSElevated expression of NABC1 was significantly associated with positive estrogen (P < 0.001) and progesterone (P = 0.027) receptors in breast tumors, and high expression of PTK6 was significantly correlated with positive estrogen receptor status (P = 0.022) and postmenopausal status (P = 0.008). Patients whose tumors showed elevated expression of NCOA3 (AIB1) had significantly shorter disease‐free (P = 0.017) and overall (P = 0.0021) survival times after surgery than did other patients with breast tumors. Reduced disease‐free survival, but not reduced overall survival, was associated with high expression of TOP1 (P = 0.035) and TFAP2C (P = 0.035).CONCLUSIONSTOP1, TFAP2C, and (particularly) NCOA3 may be prognostic indicators for patients with breast tumors. Cancer 2003;98:18–23. © 2003 American Cancer Society.DOI 10.1002/cncr.11482
The correlation between patient characteristics and expectations of benefit from Phase I clinical trials
Authors: Weinfurt Kevin P. , Castel Liana D. , Li Yun , Sulmasy Daniel P. , Balshem Andrew M. , Benson Al B. , Burnett Caroline B. , Gaskin Darrell J. , Marshall John L. , Slater Elyse F. , Schulman Kevin A. , Meropol Neal J. 
Published: June 2003

AbstractBACKGROUNDPatients in Phase I clinical trials sometimes report high expectations regarding the benefit of treatment. The authors examined a range of patient characteristics to determine which factors were associated with greater expectations of benefit from Phase I trials.METHODSParticipants were adult patients with cancer who had been offered participation in Phase I studies and had decided to participate. Patients completed interviewer‐administered surveys before initiation of treatment. Physicians assessed Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status for each patient. Statistical analyses (Pearson product moment correlation and t tests) used multiple imputation to account for missing data.RESULTSOverall, 593 patients who were offered participation in Phase I trials were contacted, and 328 patients agreed to participate in a study of decision making by cancer patients. Of these, 260 patients (79%) enrolled in a Phase I trial. Patients' expectations regarding the chance that their disease would be controlled with experimental therapy were unrelated to age, gender, living situation, education level, or functional status. Expectations were correlated positively with beliefs about the benefit of standard therapy and the maximum benefit patients may experience from experimental therapy. Greater expectations of benefit were associated with better health‐related quality of life, stronger religious faith, optimism, relative health stock, monetary risk seeking, and poorer numeracy.CONCLUSIONSExpectations expressed as beliefs in personal outcomes may be related more to quality of life and personality variables than to patients' knowledge or functional status. Whether such expectations are accurate reflections of knowledge has important implications for evaluating the informed consent process. Cancer 2003;98:166–75. © 2003 American Cancer Society.DOI 10.1002/cncr.11483
Analysis of racial differences in incidence, survival, and mortality for malignant tumors of the uterine corpus
Authors: Sherman Mark E. , Devesa Susan S. 
Published: June 2003

AbstractBACKGROUNDIn the United States, incidence rates for malignant tumors of the uterine corpus are lower among blacks than among whites, whereas mortality rates are higher among blacks. Reasons for the higher level of mortality among blacks have been debated.METHODSUsing data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program, the authors compared incidence rates by histopathologic type for malignant tumors of the uterine corpus (including uterus, not otherwise specified) during the period 1992–1998 among white Hispanic, black, and white non‐Hispanic patients. The authors also compared cumulative relative survival rates for blacks and whites by histopathologic type and by other factors, and they calculated estimated type‐specific mortality rates.RESULTSOverall incidence (per 100,000 woman‐years) of corpus malignancy was significantly lower among white Hispanics (14.04; 95% confidence interval [CI], 13.39–14.72) and blacks (15.31; 95% CI, 14.61–16.04) compared with white non‐Hispanics (23.43; 95% CI, 23.06–23.81). Compared with white non‐Hispanics, blacks had significantly higher incidence rates of serous/clear cell carcinoma (rate ratio, 1.85; 95% CI, 1.61–2.12), carcinosarcoma (rate ratio, 2.33; 95% CI, 1.99–2.72), and sarcoma (rate ratio, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.31–1.86). Survival was worse for blacks than for whites in every histopathologic category and in ‘usual’ types of endometrial adenocarcinoma, stratified by stage, grade, and age. Rare aggressive tumor types accounted for 53% of mortality among blacks, compared with 36% among whites.CONCLUSIONSLess favorable outcomes for usual types of endometrial adenocarcinoma and for rare aggressive tumors contribute equally to the relatively high mortality due to corpus cancer among black women. Cancer 2003;98:176–86. Published 2003 by the American Cancer Society.*DOI 10.1002/cncr.11484
Treatment outcome after radiotherapy alone for patients with Stage I–II nasopharyngeal carcinoma
Authors: Chua Daniel T. T. , Sham Jonathan S. T. , Kwong Dora L. W. , Au Gordon K. H. 
Published: June 2003

AbstractBACKGROUNDThe objective of this study was to review the long‐term treatment outcome of patients with American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) 1997 Stage I–II nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) who were treated with radiotherapy alone.METHODSOne hundred forty‐one patients with NPC had AJCC 1997 Stage I–II disease (Stage I NPC, 50 patients; Stage II NPC, 91 patients) after restaging and were treated with radiotherapy alone between September 1989 and August 1991. Fifty‐seven patients had lymph node disease, and the median greatest lymph node dimension was 3 cm. The median dose to the nasopharynx was 65 grays. The median follow‐up was 82 months (range, 4–141 months).RESULTSPatients who had Stage I disease had an excellent outcome after radiotherapy. The 10‐year disease specific survival, recurrence free survival (RFS), local RFS, lymph node RFS, and distant metastasis free survival rates were 98%, 94%, 96%, 98%, and 98%, respectively. Patients who had Stage II disease had a worse outcome compared with patients who had Stage I disease: The corresponding 10‐year survival rates were 60%, 51%, 78%, 93%, and 64%. The differences all were significant except for lymph node control. Among patients who had Stage II disease, those with T1–T2N1 NPC appeared to have a worse outcome compared with patients who had T2N0 NPC. No significant differences in survival rates were found with respect to lymph node size or status for patients with T1–T2N1 disease.CONCLUSIONSWhen patients with NPC had their disease staged according to the AJCC 1997 classification system, patients with Stage I disease had an excellent outcome after they were treated with radiotherapy alone. Patients with Stage II disease, especially those with T1–T2N1 disease, had a relatively worse outcome, and more aggressive therapy, such as combined‐modality treatment, may be indicated for those patients. Cancer 2003;98:74–80. © 2003 American Cancer Society.DOI 10.1002/cncr.11485
Phase II study of α2 interferon in the treatment of the chronic myeloproliferative disorders (E5487)
Authors: Radin Arthur I. , Kim Haesook T. , Grant Barbara W. , Bennett John M. , Kirkwood John M. , Stewart James A. , Hahn Richard G. , Dutcher Janice P. , Wiernik Peter H. , Oken Martin M. 
Published: June 2003

AbstractBACKGROUNDIn vitro and clinical data suggest a therapeutic role for α2 interferon (IFN) in the treatment of the chronic myeloproliferative disorders. Accordingly, a multiinstitutional, Phase II trial of IFN in patients with agnogenic myeloid metaplasia (AMM), essential thrombocythemia (ET), and polycythemia rubra vera (PRV) in thespentphase was initiated. The objectives of this study were 1) to investigate the response rates that may be achieved with IFN in the treatment of patients with these disorders, 2) to estimate the durability of the responses, and 3) to assess the toxicities of IFN in these populations.METHODSEnrollment was limited to patients with AMM, ET, or PRV who already had developed 1) anemia or transfusion dependency, 2) thrombocytosis uncontrolled by standard therapy, 3) hemostatic complications, or 4) symptomatic splenomegaly. Initially, patients were started on IFN at a dose of 5 MU/m2per day as a subcutaneous injection. After the first 16 patients had been treated, the starting dose of IFN was reduced to 2 MU/m2per day because of unexpected toxicities.RESULTSIFN demonstrated different levels of efficacy and toxicity in each of the three diseases studied. The overall response rates achieved among the evaluable patients in each category were as follows: ET, 88.2% (n= 17 patients; 1 complete response and 14 partial responses); PRV, 41.7% (n= 12 patients; 1 complete response and 4 partial responses); and AMM, 3.2% (n= 31 patients; 0 complete responses and 1 partial response). Thrombocytosis and leukocytosis were controlled in nearly all patients, with reversal of splenomegaly and resorption of myelofibrosis achieved in fewer patients. The toxicities attributed to IFN differed notably among the three disease groups: patients who had AMM suffered systemic and neurologic toxicities more frequently than patients who had PRV or ET; whereas patients who had ET experienced a greater than expected incidence of hepatic abnormalities, most typically transient elevations of serum amino acid transaminase levels.CONCLUSIONSThe current study demonstrated the safety and efficacy of IFN in patients with ET, PRV, and AMM. Objective responses and/or disease stabilization were obtained in patients with all three disease entities, including the reversal of splenomegaly and resorption of myelofibrosis in some patients. Cancer 2003;98:100–9. © 2003 American Cancer Society.DOI 10.1002/cncr.11486
A survey of intensity‐modulated radiation therapy use in the United States
Authors: Mell Loren K. , Roeske John C. , Mundt Arno J. 
Published: June 2003

AbstractBACKGROUNDThe objective of this study was to assess the current level of intensity‐modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) use in the United States.METHODSThree‐hundred thirty‐three randomly selected radiation oncologists were sent a 13‐question survey regarding IMRT use. IMRT users were asked about the number of patients and sites treated, their reasons for adopting IMRT, and future plans for its use. Physicians who did not use IMRT were asked about their reasons for not using IMRT; whether they intended to adopt it in the future; and, if so, their reasons.RESULTSOne‐hundred sixty‐eight responses (50.5%) were received. Fifty‐four respondents (32.1%) stated that they currently used IMRT. Most IMRT users (79.6%) had adopted IMRT since 2000. Academic physicians were more likely to use IMRT (P = 0.003) compared with private practitioners. The percent of physicians using IMRT in practices comprised of 1 physician, 2–4 physicians, or > 4 physicians were 15.4%, 28.4%, and 44.2%, respectively (P = 0.02). The most common sites treated were head and neck malignancies and genitourinary tumors. Of the 114 IMRT nonusers, 96.5% planned to use IMRT in the future, with 91.8% planning to use IMRT within 3 years. Among IMRT nonusers, the most common reason cited for not using IMRT was lack of necessary equipment. The most common reasons for adopting IMRT (users) or wanting to adopt IMRT (nonusers) were to improve delivery of conventional doses and to escalate dose.CONCLUSIONSApproximately one‐third of radiation oncologists in the United States use IMRT. However, this number appears to be growing rapidly. Efforts to ensure the safe and appropriate application of this new technology are warranted. Cancer 2003;98:204–11. © 2003 American Cancer Society.DOI 10.1002/cncr.11489
From the Boltzmann equation to the Stokes‐Fourier system in a bounded domain
Authors: Masmoudi Nader , Saint‐Raymond Laure 
Published: June 2003

AbstractWe prove that the renormalized solutions of the Boltzmann equation considered in a bounded domain with different types of (kinetic) boundary conditions converge to the Stokes‐Fourier system with different types of (fluid) boundary conditions when the main free path goes to zero. This extends the work of F. Golse and D. Levermore [9] to the case of a bounded domain. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Quantifying curvelike structures of measures by using L2 Jones quantities
Authors: Lerman Gilad 
Published: June 2003

AbstractWe study the curvelike structure of special measures on ℝn in a multiscale fashion. More precisely, we consider the existence and construction of a sufficiently short curve with a sufficiently large measure. Our main tool is an L2 variant of Jones' β numbers, which measure the scaled deviations of the given measure from a best approximating line at different scales and locations. The Jones function is formed by adding the squares of the L2 Jones numbers at different scales and the same location. Using a special L2 Jones function, we construct a sufficiently short curve with a sufficiently large measure. The length and measure estimates of the underlying curve are expressed in terms of the size of this Jones function. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
An inverse problem for the dynamical Lamé system with two sets of boundary data
Authors: Imanuvilov Oleg , Isakov Victor , Yamamoto Masahiro 
Published: June 2003

AbstractWe prove uniqueness and a Hölder‐type stability of reconstruction of all three time‐independent elastic parameters in the dynamical isotropic system of elasticity from two special sets of boundary measurements. In proofs we use Carleman‐type estimates in Sobolev spaces of negative order. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Crossover study of three methods for low‐level white blood cell counting on two types of flow cytometer
Authors: Dijkstra‐Tiekstra M. J. , Schrijver J. G. , van der Meer P. F. , Laport R. F. , Gratama J. W. , Levering W. H. B. M. , van Delden C. J. , de Wildt‐Eggen J. 
Published: June 2003

AbstractBackgroundFlow cytometric methods were previously shown to be preferable to microscopic and volumetric methods for counting residual white blood cells (WBCs). In this study, three flow cytometric, low‐level WBC counting methods were cross compared using two flow cytometers.MethodsDouble‐filtered red cell and platelet concentrates were spiked with different amounts of WBC to obtain panels of unspiked and 0.3, 1.0, 3.3, and 10.0 WBC/μl. The methods of BD Biosciences (BDB), Beckman‐Coulter (BC), and an in‐house method were performed on flow cytometers from BDB and BC. Samples were measured in ninefold. We required that (a) r2be at least 0.98 (linearity), (b) at least 80% of observations fell within 20% of expected values (accuracy), and (c) the coefficients of variation be at least 20% (precision) for samples containing at least 3.3 WBC/μl.ResultsFor the red cell panel, our requirements were met by the BDB method on both flow cytometers and by the BC and in‐house methods on the BDB flow cytometer only. For the platelet panel, our requirements were met on all combinations of methods and flow cytometers, except for the in‐house method on the BDB flow cytometer. Intra‐assay variation was lowest for the BDB method, irrespective of the type of flow cytometer used.ConclusionBased on accuracy and precision, the BDB method on the BDB flow cytometer produced the best results for counting low‐level WBCs. Cytometry Part B (Clin. Cytometry) 54B:39–45, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.