Long-term cure rates

Based on results on thousands of patients who underwent ECT for a variety of tumors, Xin32 has published extensive data in tabular from. Table 1 shows short-term (6 months) efficacy of ECT whereas Table 2 give the long-term cure rate of various cancers treated with ECT. The results, it is claimed,32 are equal to or better than those obtained by other techniques, i.e., surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. It is further claimed32 that ECT can also be applied to patients who cannot be treated by conventional techniques owing to their old age, general poor health, multiple ailments or advances cancers. 

I Allogenic bone marrow transplants have been successful in curing chronic myelogenous leukemia. Long-term survival rates of as high as 78 percent have been reported. A majority of patients have successfully resumed their personal and professional lives. 

Besides increasing the cure rate, it is important to improve the tolerance to the treatment and reduce the long-term sequelae. Also, palliative treatments (in particular, pain relief) deserve attention for those patients for whom there is no hope anymore of a cure. 

Figure 15.22 shows the long-term effect of a heat cured one-part epoxy adhesive to various chemical environments. As can be seen, the temperature of the immersion medium is a significant factor in the aging properties of the adhesive. As the temperature increases, the adhesive generally adsorbs more fluid, and the degradation rate increases. 

Water-industry sealants have a fast cure rate and the ability to accept early cyclic movement, even at low temperatures. They provide long-term performance under permanently immersed conditions and are resistant to anaerobic bacteriological conditions associated with sewage. 

Gold MJ. Cure rates and long-term prognosis. In Kaye D, ed. Infechve Endocardihs, 2d ed. New York, Raven Press, 1992 455 64. 

The goal for the future is to develop treatment modalities to achieve cure in a larger number of patients. But the acute and chronic toxicities associated with treatment must also be considered, particularly in elderly patients and those with significant comorbidities. Consideration of long-term toxicities is of particular concern to patients with Hodgkin s lymphoma because of the high cure rate. 

Another Vj receptor-mediated application is the use of desmopressin for primary nocturnal enuresis. Bedtime administration of desmopressin intranasal spray or tablets provides a high response rate that is sustained with long-term use, that is safe, and that accelerates the cure rate. Desmopressin also relieves post-lumbar puncture headache, probably by causing water retention and thereby facditating rapid fluid equilibration in the CNS. 

In terms of environmental conditions, the cure rate is dependent on the temperature and relative humidity during the cure process. A silicone sealant used at -45°C will take several days to become tack free, while the same sealant takes 30 minutes at 23 C, 50% relative humidity and 8 minutes at 38°C, 100% relative humidity. The time it takes to develop a tack-free surface will also vary with the type of crosslinker utilized. With other crosslinkers mentioned earlier, sealants may develop a tack free surface in as little as six minutes or as long as one hour, given similar cure conditions. 

---