Georg Weinländer

• Head of Department at Landeskrankenhaus Hohenems

After the second recurrence of spinal seeding in hemangioblastoma not associated to von-Hippel–Lindau disease, we treated an adult female patient with thalidomide 200 mg orally/day at night for longer than 1 year. The patient reported subjective relief of symptoms after 1 month. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) controls 1, 6 and 11 months after beg...

The present study was performed to assess the difference in acceptance of psychosocial counseling and resulting benefits between patients with breast cancer with early or late onset. In a prospective randomized controlled study conducted over 6 months, 41 women with a new diagnosis of early breast cancer (group 1) and 43 patients with advanced brea...

Somatostatin (SST) analogues are cornerstones in the symptomatic management of patients suffering from carcinoid tumors, and antiproliferative activity has also been reported for these agents. The most commonly applied SST analogues are octreotide (OCT) and lanreotide (LAN), which are both available in a slow release formulation. To the current kno...

It is generally believed that the immune system plays a role not only in the acquisition of malignant diseases but also in the rejection of microscopic as well as established tumor cells. Failure of the immune system to eliminate tumor cells may be, among other factors, due to an insufficient presentation of tumor antigens. Dendritic cells (DCs), a...

A phase II trial was performed to investigate the efficacy and tolerance of gemcitabine, vinorelbine, and recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) in advanced breast cancer. Between April 96 and August 97, 60 patients entered this trial. Forty-five patients were previously untreated and 15 patients had failed previous palliat...

Carcinoma of the biliary system is a rare tumor entity, and patients with advanced disease face a dismal prognosis. Because of the absence of standard chemotherapy for advanced biliary carcinoma, we have performed two consecutive studies to evaluate the clinical potential of 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin and mitomycin C as well as the novel antimetabo...

To evaluate the efficacy and tolerance of combined irinotecan and oxaliplatin in patients with advanced colorectal cancer pretreated with leucovorin-modulated fluoropyrimidines. Thirty-six patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, who progressed while receiving or within 6 months after discontinuing palliative chemotherapy with fluoropyrimidines/...

To determine the maximum tolerable dose (MTD) and therapeutic activity of MTHF-modulated FU using two different administration schedules of the antimetabolite (bolus vs. two-hour infusion), the present randomized study using a 'pick-the-winner' design was undertaken in patients with advanced colorectal cancer. Eighty-two patients with previously un...

Disseminated infection with Aspergillus terreus is a rare disease that affects only the immunocompromised host. We report a case of systemic infection with A. terreus resulting in endocarditis, aortic embolization, and splenic infarction in a patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Diagnosis through peripheral blood culture, lack of pulmonary in...

The therapeutic potential of chemotherapy in the treatment of recurrent or metastatic non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) seems modest. Thus, the search for novel agents and combination regimens with a superior therapeutic index has a high priority. The present combination regimen consisting of mitomycin C, vinorelbine, carboplatin and granulocyt...

A phase II trial was performed to investigate the efficacy and tolerance of vinorelbine (VNB), 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), l-leucovorin (LLV) and recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) in advanced breast cancer. Between August 1994 and October 1996, 53 patients entered this trial. Thirty-seven patients were previously untreated...

Immunoglobulin D multiple myeloma (IgD MM) is a subentity of MM occurring in fewer than 2% of patients with distinct clinical pattern, dismal prognosis, and very little information about genetic abnormalities. The karyotype and the results of fluorescent interphase in situ hybridization analysis of a 62-year-old female patient with IgD MM are prese...

Recent data have suggested enhanced therapeutic activity with prolonged administration of both etoposide as well as fluoropyrimidines in the treatment of gastrointestinal malignancies. Based on this rationale, we investigated the clinical effectiveness and tolerance of an oral modification of the widely applied etoposide, leucovorin and 5-fluoroura...

Background: Preclinical data suggest that the levorotatory isomer of leucovorin (1-LV) can augment the cytotoxic effects of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) more effectively than racemic LV. A phase II study was initiated to evaluate the effect of a combination of the pure L-isomer of LV and 5-FU along with epirubicin in patients with advanced pancreatic can...

In association with respiratory tract infections, infants may have episodes of wheezing, which represent the onset of asthma in some of them. Activated eosinophils play a central part in asthmatic inflammation. We investigated whether, in infants experiencing their first episode of wheezing, eosinophil activation is present and can predict the deve...

On the basis of the overexpression of the MDR1 gene in human colorectal cancer, which may constitute a molecular basis for intrinsic drug resistance that can be reversed, and because of the limited therapeutic value of conventional cytotoxic treatment in this common disease, the present phase II study of P-glycoprotein-directed double modulation wa...

In order to determine whether infection with H. pylori might be associated with pancreatic adenocarcinoma, we performed a case-control study to compare the H. pylori seroprevalence rate between patients with panereatic carcinoma and matched control subjects. Blood samples from 92 patients with histologically confirmed diagnosis of pancreatic adenoc...

Recently, we have shown that the expression of receptors for vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) on intestinal adenocarcinomas can be used for in vivo targeting of primary or metastatic tumor sites using 123I-labeled VIP. Several other receptors and antigens including the TAG-72 protein have also been implemented for in vivo localization purposes....

Lymphedema of the arm is one of the most disabling and serious complications of breast cancer. Apart from tumor infiltration or fibrosis of lymphatic pathways, little is known about factors favoring the development of lymphedema. In the present study, we investigated the impact of rheologic parameters, e.g. red cell aggregation (EA) and plasma visc...

In order to determine whether infection with Helicobacter pylori might be associated with pancreatic adenocarcinoma, we performed a study to compare the H. pylori seroprevalence rate between patients with pancreatic carcinoma and matched control subjects. Blood samples from 92 patients with histologically confirmed diagnosis of pancreatic adenocarc...

Background: A prospective clinical study was performed to determine the incidence and severity of cardiovascular and other systemic toxicities associated with the novel chemosensitizer dexverapamil (DVPM) combined with anthracycline chemotherapy. Patients and Methods: Sixteen patients with advanced colorectal cancer and 20 patients with pancreatic...

Zusammenfassung Die Themenkreise Fortschritte (neo-)adjuvanter Therapie, Optimierung der Hoch-dosistherapien durch autologe Stammzelltransplantation sowie der Stellenwert biologischer Modulatoren und immuntherapeutischer Maßnahmen werden anhand einiger Beispiele diskutiert. Einen Schwerpunkt bei der Besprechung der (neo-)adjuvanten Therapien stelle...