Intraarterial Cisplatin and caffeine with/without Doxorubicin for musculoskeletal high-grade spindle-cell sarcoma

Diagnosis of osteosarcoma in a patient previously treated for Ewing sarcoma

Primary malignant bone tumors, whether Ewing sarcoma or osteosarcoma, are a rare type of tumor. The sequential occurrence of two bone sarcomas, Ewing sarcoma and high-grade osteosarcoma, in the same patient at two different locations is an exceptionally rare phenomenon. We present the case of a 13-year-old girl who presented with a high-grade osteoblastic osteosarcoma of the distal femur, 7 years after treatment for Ewing sarcoma of the left pelvis. She did not receive radiation therapy. Following the recent developing multidisciplinary therapy, long-term follow-up for monitoring latent treatment-related adverse effects may be necessary for survivors of primary malignant bone tumors.

Caffeine increases the antitumor effect of Cisplatin in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Caffeine is thought to increase the antitumor effect of cisplatin or DNA-damaging agents because it is known that caffeine inhibits DNA repair. Caffeine-assisted chemotherapy has been used in the treatment of osteosarcomas. In addition, there are several reports about combination chemotherapy with caffeine for certain malignancies other than osteosarcomas. However, there are no reports that show the utility of combination chemotherapy with caffeine for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We examined the combined effects of caffeine and cisplatin in human HCC cell lines, and screened for a more effective administration method of caffeine in vitro. Human HCC cell lines (HepG2, HLF, HuH-7, and Li-7) were exposed to caffeine (0-0.5 mM) and cisplatin (0-1.2 μg/mL) for 72 h, either alone or in combination. Cell numbers were measured by WST-8 assay, and cell apoptosis was determined by annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)/propidium iodide (PI) binding assay. As a result, caffeine increased the antitumor effect of cisplatin on cell proliferation and cell apoptosis in the HCC cell lines. Moreover, this effect was dependent on the amount of exposure to caffeine. These results suggest that caffeine-assisted chemotherapy is useful for HCC treatment.

Functional outcome in patients with osteosarcoma around the knee joint treated by minimised surgery

The functional results of prostheses and osteoarticular grafts for osteosarcoma around the knee joint are not satisfactory because of poor durability and gross distortion of the normal anatomy. We have investigated the functional outcome of intentional marginal excision for osteosarcoma around the knee joint in conjunction with caffeine-potentiated chemotherapy. Twenty-one patients with AJCC stage IIB high-grade osteosarcoma around the knee joint were given three to five preoperative courses of intra-arterial cisplatin and caffeine with or without doxorubicin. The histological response in these 21 patients to preoperative chemotherapy was grade IV (no viable cells) in 19 patients and grade III (only scattered foci of viable cells) in 2. The patients were separated into three groups on the basis of patterns of tumour excision. The first group underwent marginal excision of the proximal fibula, the second underwent epiphysis preservation followed by distraction osteogenesis, and the third underwent joint resection and reconstruction. The mean functional evaluations were 100, 95, and 88%, respectively. No local tumour recurrence was seen at mean follow-up of 97 months. Marginal excision of the proximal fibula resulted in excellent function. Preservation of the epiphysis leads to better function than joint resection.

Long-term local intensive preoperative chemotherapy and joint-preserving conservative surgery for osteosarcoma around the knee

This study evaluated conservative joint-sparing surgery for patients with osteosarcoma around the knee. Of 23 patients with stage IIB osteosarcoma around the knee, 5 were treated with long-term (30-56 weeks) local intensive preoperative chemotherapy consisting of high-dose methotrexate, intra-arterial and intravenous cisplatinum, doxorubicin, and hyperthermic isolated regional perfusion. More conservative resection, sparing the knee joint, was performed with smaller sufficient surgical margin in these 5 patients, preserving good limb function. Excellent local effects were achieved in the resected specimens. These results suggest long-term local intensive preoperative chemotherapy, including intra-arterial cisplatin and hyperthermic isolated regional perfusion, help control local tumor and allow for more conservative surgery.