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AIM: Topical vancomycin applied to the oropharynx has been shown to control carriage and lower airway infection due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). We undertook a three-year prospective observational study to evaluate the effectiveness of two policies for topical vancomycin administration on oropharyngeal carriage and lower airway infection due to MRSA in patients requiring mechanical ventilation. METHODS: All consecutive patients aged over 18 years and expected to require mechanical ventilation for more than 72 hours were enrolled. During period one, patients who were established MRSA carriers received 1 g of 4% vancomycin gel into the oropharynx four times a day until carriage was abolished. During period two, all enrolled patients received the same protocol immediately on admission, irrespective of their MRSA carrier state. RESULTS: One hundred ninety-one patients met the entry criteria (98 in period one and 93 in period two). During period one, 40 patients developed oropharyngeal MRSA carriage; of these, 29 acquired MRSA in the unit. In contrast, MRSA carriage was not demonstrated during period two (relative risk [RR] 0.018, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0-0.29; P=0.004). Twenty-one patients from period one suffered from an Intensive Care Unit-acquired lower airway infection due to MRSA, compared with five patients from period two (RR 0.25, 95% CI 0.10-0.64, P=0.004). Vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant enterococci were not isolated. CONCLUSION: In the setting of MRSA endemicity, the prevention of MRSA carriage by topical oropharyngeal vancomycin was more effective in reducing carriage and infection of the lower airways than treatment of established carriers.

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We have performed a phase II study to evaluate the activity and toxicity of ifosfamide and cisplatin as first-line treatment for advanced ovarian cancer. Patients were treated with cisplatin 100 mg/m2 on day 1 and ifosfamide 5 g/m2 in 18-hr continuous infusion on day 1 or 1.5 g/m2 bolus on days 1-5. Between August 1988 and March 1990, 30 women were entered in the trial, 26 of them with measurable disease. The overall clinical response rate was 69% (95% CI: 48-85%), including 34.6% complete responses (95% CI:17-55%). Reassessment laparotomy was performed in 12 cases, and 4 (33%) exhibited a pathologic complete response. For all patients, the median duration of progression-free survival was 14 months, and the median overall survival was 25 months. There were no major differences in the response rate or survival between the two ifosfamide administration modalities. Relevant toxicities were grade IV hematologic toxicity in 11/30 patients and grade IV renal toxicity in 2/30 patients. A patient with grade IV encephalopathy developed a trauma-related cerebral hemorrhage and died 2 months later. The combination of ifosfamide and cisplatin is active in first-line therapy in advanced ovarian cancer, although it does not seem to improve the efficacy or toxicity profile of conventional combinations.

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Based on previous reports suggesting that an intravenous (i.v.) continuous infusion of alkylating agents produced a significant response rate in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a phase I trial of ifosfamide/mesna (IFO/MES) was conducted in 11 adult patients with relapsed ALL. IFO/MES were administered as a 24-h i.v. continuous infusion in doses ranging from 5 g/m2 to 9 g/m2; the courses of treatment were repeated every 3 weeks. Patients were examined for toxicity after every cycle and responses were carefully defined and evaluated. All 11 admitted patients were evaluable for toxicity and response. Myelosuppression was the dose limiting effect and it was dose-related. Microscopic and/of macroscopic hematuria was detected in four (11%) out of 36 cycles administered. Ifosfamide produced a positive biological response with a preliminary response rate of 45.4%. Ifosfamide/mesna in a 24-h i.v. continuous infusion appears to be tolerated and produces a biological response in ALL. We recommend that phase II studies of this drug schedule be conducted at the initial dose of 7 g/m2 repeated every 3 weeks and combined with other antileukemic agents.

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Las infecciones no tratadas en un paciente neutropénico son rápidamente fatales y está plenamente justificado el uso de antibióticos en forma empírica. En el Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Neoplásicas (INEN) el régimen de elección habitual para pacientes con el primer episodio febril con tumores sólidos y neutropenia de corta duración, es la asociación de gentamicina más cefalotina. Con el efecto de comparar la eficacia y toxicidad de un régimen de monoterapia con cefotaxima con este régimen combinado, llevamos a cabo un estudio prospectivo y randomizado comparando cefotaxima (1 g/8 h) versus la combinación de cefalotina (1 g/6 h) y gentamicina (4 mg/kg/día-dosis única-). Seleccionamos pacientes con tumores sólidos en el primer episodio febril que recibieron quimioterapia y desarrollaron neutropenia menor de 1000 neutrófilos/mm3. Con una duración esperada menor de 10 días. Se incluyeron 64 pacientes en el brazo de cefotaxima y 72 en el de cefalotina-gentamicina. El estudio se llevó a cabo entre mayo de 1993 hasta junio de 1994. La tasa de respuestas para el grupo de pacientes tratados con cefotaxima fue 75 por ciento y para el grupo tratado con cefalotina-gentamicina 69 por ciento. Las tasas de respuestas completas en los pacientes con infecciones microbiológicamente documentadas fueron 65.5 por ciento para el brazo de cefotaxima y 63.4 por ciento para el brazo de cefalotina-gentamicina. Los índices de falla fueron 23 por ciento para los pacientes incluidos en el brazo de cefotaxima y 30 por ciento para los pacientes tratados con cefalotina-gentamicina. No se demostró diferencias significativas en los índices de respuesta entre los dos brazos de tratamiento. No observamos efectos tóxicos secundarios que obligaran a suspender el tratamiento en ninguno de los dos esquemas. En conclusión: los índices de respueta obtenidos con los dos esquemas de tratamiento son adecuados en nuestro medio para la población de pacientes portadores de tumores sólidos que reciben quimioterapia y presenten un efecto infeccioso durante un período de neutropenia menor de 10 días. La combinación cefalotina-gentamicina requiere no sólo de un esquema posológico de mayor complejidad sino que también tiene una toxicidad potencialmente mayor y requiere de monitorización estrecha. La eficacia terapéutica fue mayor en el grupo que recibió cefotaxima, diferencia que no alcanzó significación estadística

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Entre abril de 1993 y marzo 1994 llevamos a cabo el presente estudio con el fin de evaluar la eficacia de la metopimazina en la prevención de la emesis inducida por regímenes de platino administrados en cinco días. La metopimazina es un derivado fenotiacínico con moderada actividad antiemética. Este fue un estudio abierto, prospectivo y randomizado. Comparamos dos forma de administración de metopimazina: Régimen A: 25 mgr., 6 hr/días 1-5 EV, Régimen B: 50 mgr. antes y 4 horas después de la dosis de cisPlatino días 1-5 EV. Se utilizó además como parte de la antiemesis en ambos brazos de tratamiento: dexametasona 12 mgrs., clorfeniramina 8 mgr. y diazepán 10 mgrs. Todos los pacientes estuvieron hospitalizados. Ingresaron 70 pacientes de los cuales fueron evaluables 69. El promedio de edad fue 34.3 años (R: 16-63). La relación M/F 37/32. La distribución de neoplasias fue: testículo (40), cáncer de cérvix (21), tumores germinales del ovario (6), tumores germinales extragonadales (2). Ninguno tuvo metástasis hepática, ni al SNC; al ingreso 27 pacientes recibieron quimioterapia (Qt) por primera vez y el resto entre 2 a 5 cursos de Qt. Los esquema utilizados fueron: BEP (37 cursos), BIP (21 cursos), PEI (10 cursos). No encontramos diferencias en la distribución por edad, sexo, neoplasia, esquema de quimioterapia y número de cursos de quimioterapia recibidas entre los brazos de tratamiento. El 29 por ciento (95 por ciento CI 18.3-39.7) de los pacientes tuvieron control absoluto de las náuseas y el 24.6 por ciento tuvieron control absoluto de los vómitos durante los 5 días de tratamiento. Uno de nuestros pacientes incluido en el brazo B, fue retirado del estudio por haber presentado un evento de hipotensión y alteración de conciencia al iniciarse la administración de metopimazina. No se demostraron otros efectos adversos. Conclusión: metopimazina en la forma intravenosa puede ser una alternativa en la prevención de la náusea y el vómito inducidos por quimioterapia a base de cisPlatino. Se propone un estudio comparativo con otros regímenes considerados de uso estándar para comparar sus resultados

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Con el objeto de evaluar la distribución epidemiológica de las bacteremias detectadas en el INEN entre 1980 y 1993 revisamos los archivos de la institución. Los gérmenes Gram positivos representan aproximadamente el 60 por ciento de la serie. Entre 1980 a 1984 el S. aureus fue el Gram positivo más frecuente y S. epidermidis entre 1985 y 1993. Los gérmenes negativos representaron el 40 por ciento del total y cinco fueron los más frecuentes: Pseudomona, E. coli, Klebsiella, Acinetobacter y Enterobacter.

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458/3,495 malignant lymphomas seen at the Instituto de Enfermedades Neoplásicas between 1965-1992, had primary extranodal disease in the GI tract. This is one of the largest institutional series reported, which would suggest that this is a relatively frequent malignancy in Peruvian population. Fifty per cent of cases had a primary in the small bowel and 38.9 per cent in the stomach. The age at presentation, the clinical picture and the location at the intestine show similarities with the so called Mediterranean lymphoma. Cases were classified according to the TNM system, and patients in stages I-II were surgically resected; 80 per cent of them were alive and free of disease at 5 years. Gastric lymphomas with inoperable disease were treated with chemotherapy with a 5-year survival of 50 per cent.

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Twenty-one of 65 patients with gastric lymphoma have been treated with combination chemotherapy; 17 patients had chemotherapy as primary treatment, and 4 had it for residual disease after incomplete surgical resection. Three of these patients were in stage III and 18 were in stage IV of the disease, according to the TNM Staging Classification. CHOP-Bleo or CHOP combination was given to 17 patients, and the COPP-Bleo regimen to three; the last one was treated with COP. Sixteen of the 18 stage IV patients entered into complete remission after 6 to 10 courses of CHOP or COPP-Bleo; there was one partial response and one failure. Six complete responders had a surgical restaging performed and none of them had gross evidence of residual disease; all of them had partial gastrectomy and in five cases there was no microscopical evidence of disease; in one of the resected stomachs, a focus of residual disease was discovered involving the submucosa but without compromise of the serosa. Fourteen (77.7%) of these patients are alive with no evidence of disease 1-10 (X = 3.8 years); one patient died with recurrent disease at 30 months; another patient died of other causes after 3 years; one patient is alive with disease at 18+ months. All the remaining 16 stage IV patients who were not given chemotherapy have died, median survival time being 5 months.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

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Thirty one patients with diagnosis of Gastric Cancer were admitted in this study. Median age was 71 years (range 24-82). Twenty two were male. No one had previous chemotherapy. Functional capacity was 0-1 in 26/31 (60.6%). More common symptoms were: loss of weight 21/31 (75.1%) and abdominal pain in 13/31 (40.3%). Ten patients were Borrmann III and nine Borrmann IV. Twenty one had surgery: 12 palliative gastrectomy and 9 exploratory laparatomy. Twenty three cases were adenocarcinoma and 8 undifferentiated carcinoma. FEM regimen was administered (5 Fluoruracil 600 mg/m2/day 1 and 8, Epidoxorubicin 30 mg/m2/day 1 and Mitomycin 10 mg/m2/day 1). Ten of 24 patients (41.7%) achieved partial remission with a median survival of 10.5 months. Three patients achieved subjective response with a median survival of 6 months. Median survival for the non response was 3 months (range 2-7 months). Survival difference between responders and no responders was statistically significant. Survival among the adjuvent group was 5.7 months (range 2-16 months). One out of three patients survived without evidence of disease at the end of this study. Twenty three patients died and 5 were lost to follow up. Alopecia was the most common secondary effect in 74%, nausea and vomiting in 60% and leukopenia below 3000 x mm3 in 54%. Cardiotoxicity was not documented in any case.

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The results of radiologic and endoscopic examinations and endoscopic biopsies of the stomach and duodenum in the staging of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) were assessed in 147 patients. Radiologic results were positive for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 36 of 147 patients, with diagnosis of NHL from biopsy specimens of 16 of these 36 patients. Results of endoscopic studies were abnormal in 35 of 147 patients and 20 of these 35 patients also had biopsy specimens positive for NHL. Twenty-four patients (16.3%) had NHL involvement of the gastric and/or duodenal mucosa demonstrated by biopsy material. More than 15% of the patients whose primary tumors were nodal, and 19% of those patients with extranodal involvement also had lymphoma involvement of the stomach and/or duodenum. According to the results of the endoscopic biopsies, 15.1% (10 of 66 patients) had Stages I and II, and 17.2% (14 of 81 patients) had Stages II and IV of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

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Cyclophosphamide was administered to 42 patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) as a daily continuous iv infusion at a dose of 400 mg/m2/day x 5 days; the courses of treatment were repeated every 3 weeks. Of the 42 patients entered, 21 achieved a complete response, two achieved a partial response, 12 failed to respond, and seven were considered to have early deaths. The response rate was 69.5% if only patients who received adequate trials are considered; mean duration of response was 18.5 weeks and mean survival time was 24.2 weeks. Twenty-three patients had relapsed after previous chemotherapy, and 19 patients were untreated for advanced high-risk cases of ALL; no difference was found in the response rates, durations of response, and survival times between these groups. No significant genitourinary toxicity occurred. Myelosuppression became the dose-limiting toxic effect. Continuous infusion of cyclophosphamide is a clinically effective method of ALL treatment and may have a role in the initial combination regimens for this hematologic malignancy.

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