Cisplatin has been widely used as chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of cervical cancer, ovarian cancer, head and neck cancer and squamous cell carcinoma of lung. But cisplatin is highly toxic with nephrotoxicity, gastrointestinal toxicity, myelosuppression and neurotoxicity. The second generation drug of platinum compound, carboplatin was developed in 1980s to reduce side effects. Carboplatin has low nephrotoxicity but its major toxic effect is thrombocytopenia, In this study, the side effects of cisplatin and carboplatin were evaluated on 37 patients of cervical cancer in 169 chemotherpy cycles who were recieved combined VBP chemotherpeutic regimen consisting of cisplatin or carboplatin. Nephrotoxicity of grade 2 or over were 16% in cisplatin group and 1% in carboplatin group. Granulocytopenia of grade 2 or over were 34% in cisplatin group and 10% in carboplatin group. Thrombocytopenia of grade 2 or over were 7% in cisplatin group and 21% in carboplatin group. Gastrointestinal toxicity of grade 2 or over were 11% in cisplatin group and 0% in carboplatin group. This clinical study demonstrated that cisplatin has more toxic effects than carboplatin except thrombocytopenia.
Agranulocytosis ; Carboplatin* ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Cisplatin* ; Drug Therapy, Combination* ; Head and Neck Neoplasms ; Humans ; Lung ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; Platinum ; Thrombocytopenia ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms

Alcohol abuse and cigarette smoking have been on the rise worldwide and it has been reported that alcohol and nicotine influence serotonergic neuronal activity in the dorsal raphe. Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) has been implicated in the pathophysiology of various neuropsychiatric disorders. In the present study, the effects of alcohol and nicotine on the synthesis of 5-HT and the expression of tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH), the rate limiting enzyme of 5-HT synthesis, in the dorsal and median raphe of young rats were investigated via immunohistochemistry. The numbers of the 5-HT-positive and TPH-positive cells in raphe nuclei were reduced by alcohol and nicotine treatment, and these numbers were reduced more potently by co-administration of alcohol and nicotine. Based on the results, it can be suggested that the pathogenesis of alcohol- and nicotine-induced neuropsychological disorders involves alcohol- and nicotine-induced suppression of 5-HT synthesis and TPH expression in raphe, and that this may be of particular relevance in the consumption of alcohol and nicotine during adolescence.
Adolescent ; Alcoholism ; Animals ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Nicotine* ; Raphe Nuclei ; Rats* ; Serotonergic Neurons ; Serotonin* ; Smoking ; Tryptophan Hydroxylase* ; Tryptophan*