Methotrexate cessation during surgery

Patients with IBD and prior cancer are at increased risk of developing recurrent or de novo cancer. Depending on the type of malignancy, risk factors include IBD itself, age, environmental factors, genetic susceptibility and exposure to immunosuppressants (IMS), namely thiopurines, methotrexate and anti-TNFα biologics. The procarcinogenic effect of IMS depends on the type of drug and length of exposure. Thiopurines increase the rates of nonmelanoma skin cancer and lymphomas. Methotrexate is less harmful, but data are scarce...

BACKGROUND: Contemporary therapy for osteosarcoma is comprised of initial treatment with chemotherapy and surgical extirpation of the primary tumor in the affected bone. In view of the major advances forged by chemotherapy in the treatment of the primary tumor, an attempt was made to destroy the tumor exclusively with this therapeutic modality and abrogate surgery. METHODS: Thirty-one consecutive patients were treated. All had localized disease (absence of metastases) at the time of diagnosis...

BACKGROUND: 5-Fluorouracil is a pyrimidine analogue that inhibits DNA synthesis and is commonly used in the treatment of carcinomas of the breast, gastrointestinal tract and genitourinary tract. Excessive tearing that resolves on cessation of treatment is commonly described as a side effect of the drug. Permanent stenosis of the punctum and canaliculus is extremely rare, with only 12 cases reported in the world literature. We present three cases of established lacrimal outflow obstruction in patients who were treated with CMF (cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, 5-fluorouracil), a widely used regimen for metastatic breast cancer...

Superficial transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder is a heterogeneous group of tumours, and prediction of disease outcome in an individual patient is still impossible. In low-risk patients the initial treatment [transurethral resection (TUR)] should be followed by no or only one immediate intravesical instillation with a chemotherapeutic drug to prevent a recurrence due to tumour cell implantation during TUR. Drug efficacy has been clearly demonstrated and adverse effects are very limited. Intermediate-risk patients should receive a course of additional intravesical instillations to reduce the recurrence rate with few adverse effects...

High doses of methotrexate (HDMTX), given in pulse infusions of 3 to 30 mg/kg body weight, were studied in 22 children with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Sixteen complete and five partial remissions were observed in 21 patients evaluable for remission induction. The dose of MTX was increased stepwise on consecutive treatments until objective tumor response occured. Citrovorum factor rescue (CFR) was used "on demand" when toxicity started to develop, and routinely after 30 mg/kg of MTX. Twelve patients who had no previous chemotherapy were entered in a Phase II study consisting of remission induction with HDMTX and remission maintenance with monthly HDMTX supplemented with one monthly injection of vincristine and Cytoxan and five days of oral 6-mercaptopurine and prednisone...