[UFT-E granule compliance in postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy]

UFT-E granules were administered as postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy to patients who had undergone surgery for gastric cancer, colorectal cancer or breast cancer. After treatment for one year, the dose conditions were investigated. The subjects were patients under 75 years of age in whom malignant tumors had been confirmed histologically, who had undergone curative resections, had no marked complications, and from whom personal informed consent had been obtained. As a rule, UFT-E granules were administered orally 450 mg (t.i.d.)/day continuously for one year beginning two weeks after surgery. The dose rate was studied from patient records and the tegafur blood concentrations on the 1st, 2nd, 6th, 8th and 12th month. The appearance of complications or clinical lab test abnormalities was also checked. A total of 19 cases were compliant among the 5 gastric cancer, 10 colorectal cancer, and 7 breast cancer patients. The mean administration period was 459 days (29-879 days), and the mean completion rate was 92.5%. The complications in 4 cases (21.1%) were relatively mild. A comparison of the prescribed dosage and patient records revealed a mean dose rate of 86.3%. From these findings, long-term administration of UFT-E granules with mild side effects is considered feasible. However, to achieve high compliance, it is considered necessary to gain a clear picture of dose conditions from patients records and other sources.

Aspiration biopsy cytology of secretory carcinoma of the breast. A case report

Secretory carcinoma diagnosed by aspiration biopsy cytology (ABC) disclosed many characteristic figures that were similar to a bunch of grapes, secondary mucous globular structures (MGSs) and clustered MGSs. The MGS was a unit structure of secretory carcinoma composed of a centrally located, small amount of mucus and two or more tumor cells covering it. Other findings were vacuolated cells and mucus in a clear background. The presence of the above findings, especially the "bunch of grapes" and related forms, were though to be essential findings in the cytologic differential diagnosis of secretory carcinoma by the ABC method. The origin of the characteristic features is discussed.

[The effect of cepharanthin on adjuvant chemotherapy induced bone marrow suppression in patients with breast cancer]

We studied the effect of Cepharanthin on bone marrow suppression induced by adjuvant chemotherapy in primary breast cancer patients in our hospital. The 36 patients with breast cancer were divided into two groups. Both groups were administered of MMC 20 mg intravenously on the day of radical operation. One group (23 patients) was administered of Cepharanthin 60 mg every day, but the other (13 patients) group was not administered. In the leukocyte count at 3 weeks after post operation, 82.6% (19 out of 23) of the patients who were administered cepharanthin kept more than 70% of pre-operation's leukocyte. On the other hand, only 46.1% (6 out of 13) of the patients who were not administered Cepharanthin kept more than 70% of pre-operation's leukocyte. The number of thrombocyte was not decreased in both groups. Side effects by Cepharanthin were not observed in this study.

[Tissue CEA as a prognostic factor in advanced and recurrent breast cancers]

We stained tissue CEA in specimens of 25 advanced and reccurrenced breast cancers using the PAP method. We concluded the following: Tissue CEA positivity was 56.0% (14 out of 25 cases). Tissue CEA positivity was not correlated with age, clinical stage or histological type of primary breast cancer. Tissue CEA-positive breast cancers tended to have multiple distant metastases and very poor prognoses as opposed to negative ones.