[en] Local immunological factors are thought to be parenchymal reaction of normal and tumor tissues. Those were studied by morphological changes of angiographic findings and histological methods which included photomicroscopic, electromicroscopic and enzymic-histochemical studies. It was demonstrated that the effect of radiotherapy depended on not only local blood supply but also parenchymal reaction of the host. Especially, the parenchymal reaction at 2000 or 3000 rad irradiation was regarded as nonspecific tissue repair as well as immunological protective reactions brought about by enhancement of the tumor antigenicity. It was proved that T-cell system played a main role in this parenchymal reaction. Changes of systemic immunological factors were studied in 17 laryngeal cancer and 80 lung cancer patients treated by radiotherapy alone or radiotherapy with combined chemotherapy. Due to the fact that damages of the host before treatment were not so serious and integral dose given to the patients was a little in cases of laryngeal cancer immunological parameters such as absolute lymphocyte counts, PHA and PPD skin test activities, lymphocyte blastoid transformation with PHA, PWM and Con A, did not show significant change. However, as for lung cancer treated by large integral dose irradiation combined with chemotherapy, immunological parameters were depressed in inverse proportion to the dose of irradiation and chemotherapeutic agents. Moreover T-cell subsets (early E-rosette forming cells, IgG Fc-receptor positive cells), lymphocyte sub-populations, ADCC activity, serum immunoglobulins, and serum protein were also investigated in cases of lung cancer. We have evaluated the immunological parameters in relation to the therapeutic effect. As a result, it was suggested that several parameters should be needed to forecast the prognosis. (author)

[en] Changes of several immunological parameters in 52 cases of primary lung cancer treated with radiation combined chemotherapy were studied in the present paper. During the treatment, decreasing of absolute lymphocyte counts, PHA skin test reactivity and lymphocyte blastoid transformation with PHA were recognized. The decreasing of immunological capacities tested in the present investigation did not depend on among clinical stages or histologic types. But irradiation to mediastinum affected to immunological abilities. The values in some immunological parameter tested at pre-treatment or at post-treatment suggested the correlation with tumor regression, namely in the cases showed high values in absolute lymphocyte counts and PPD skin test reactivity at the time of pre-treatment and in the cases showed high reactivity in PHA skin test at post-treatment, tumor regression was significantly demonstrated compared with the other cases. The patients showed high values in absolute lymphocyte counts and PHA skin test at pretreatment time or showed high values in lymphocyte blastoid transformation with PHA at post-treatment demonstrated longer survival time. As a result, the test of immunological abilities obtained at pre-treatment time was reliable to forecast tumor regression and survival time. (author)

[en] Instead of many efforts to improve cure rate, lung cancer still shows the high inexorable mortality rate. Major obstacles to successful management in radiotherapy of lung cancer include 1) radiation pneumonitis; 2) suppression of cell-mediated immunity; 3) poor response to radiotherapy for large local tumor burden and diversified histological types. This report refers to those factors influencing prognosis. Radiation pneumonitis can be pointed out in over 90 % of patients treated with radiotherapy on chest plain films and repeated CT scans give more detailed information than conventional radiograms. To add to these results, pathological analysis are also made on pre-operative irradiated lung. The immune responses of patients with lung cancer undergoing therapeutic irradiation are evaluated on each patient before and after 40 Gy of irradiation. Absolute lymphocyte count, PPD skin test, PHA skin test, and in vitro lymphocyte blastoid transformation test with PHA are depressed as the increment of irradiated dose. The valid combination of these parameters well correlates patient's prognesis. The radiographic evaluation of primary response of radiotherapy and pathologic evaluation under the Ohboshi-Shimosato's classification of radiation effect are performed. Adenocarcinomas show poor responce. The radiographic primary response does not well correlate pathological effect. There is no local failure case in Ohboshi-Shimosato's classification III or more and in post surgical N (-) group. It is projected that much useful research can be conducted during this decade using clinical tools now aveilable. (author)

[en] Biological problems necessary for the general management of patients with cancer during radiotherapy, namely, (1) clinical symptoms in patients with cancer, (2) local repair of irradiated tissues, and (3) general factors concerning cure including immunological competence, were given an outline. A way of thinking for the general management of patients treated with radiotherapy and treatment before and during radiotherapy including that of complications were given an outline. Management at the end of radiotherapy was also described. It was necessary to deal with symptoms in their early stages by presuming and finding out them in consideration of technique for clinical examinations in present medicine and radiobiological knowledge to the whole body. (Serizawa, K.)

[en] The immune responses of 34 patients with primary lung cancer (stage III, UICC 1974) undergoing the combination therapy were evaluated. During irradiation, the mean absolute lymphocyte count significantly dropped to 58 percent (at 2,000 rad), and 40 percent (at 4,000 rad) of pretreatment baseline. A decrease in PHA skin test was noted, and lymphocyte transformation test (PHA) was significantly depressed (at 2,000 rad and 4,000 rad). Non-specific immunopotentiator (OK-432, PSK) effected no significant changes in the mean values of leukocyte and lymphocyte count during irradiation. But the depression of PHA skin test was less in cases used these drugs. PPD skin test was more elevated in these cases. (author)

[en] Female C3H/He mice aged 12 weeks, transplanted MM46 tumor, were used in this study on the timing of administration of immunomodulators, such as PSK (a proteinbound polysaccharide prepared from Coriolus versicolor), OK-432 (Streptococcal preparation), bestatin (inhibitor of aminopeptidases of microbial origin) and levamisole (a chemical substance belonging to anthelmintics) combined with two fractionated local irradiation with the total dose of 3,000 rads. The daily dose of 250 ng/kg of PSK, 1 KE/mouse of OK-432, 300 mu g/mouse of bestatin or 3mg/kg of levamisole was respectively injected intraperitoneally for four consecutive days before or after irradiation. The anti-tumor effect was evaluated by the changes of tumor volume and survival curves. When PSK, OK-432 or levamisole was administered after irradiation, tumor growth was decreased and sixty-day survival rate and survival curve were significantly elongated compared with the control group and the group to which PSK, OK-432 or levamisole administered before irradiation (p lt 0.01). As for bestatin, no remarkable difference was observed irrespective of the timing of administration. These results suggested that some immunomodulators showed different anti-tumor activity depending on its timing of administration in the combination with radiotherapy. Concerning PSK, OK-432 and levamisole, they seemed to be beneficial in combination with prior radiotherapy in the treatment of MM46 tumor. (author)

No abstract available

[en] Between 1975 and 1979, 209 cases of primary lung cancer admitted to the department of radiology were treated with radiation with combined chemotherapy. OK-432 and/or PSK as an immunomodulator was administered to 130 of these cases, and survival curves were evaluated between the patients with OK-432 and/or PSK and those without immunomodulator. In 61 cases (squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma) in stage III (UICC, 1978), fifty percent survival period was found to be 12.5 months for 16 cases with OK-432, 13.5 months for 9 cases with OK-432 and PSK, 9.0 months for 18 cases with PSK, and 8.0 months for 18 cases without immunotherapy, respectively. (author)

[en] Bleomycin (BLM) therapy in combination with radiotherapy involves the risk of causing severe pneumonitis to occur. In order to determine the safety dose of both radiation and BLM for normal lung tissue, cases of post-operative lung cancer, treated by a combination therapy, were investigated. The radiation and BLM doses of 6 cases in which pneumonitis appeared radiologically, were also analyzed. These results suggested that the safety dose of combination therapy for lung cancer, was 4500 rad for radiation and 100 mg for BLM. (author)

[en] The diagnostic usefulness of CT was studied in 31 cases in total of thoracic and abdominal aneurysm. CT was useful for not only visualizing the transverse plane and wall of an aneurysm but also ascertaining the status of destruction of vertebra due to aneurysm. CT was considered to be of value, particularly for diagnosis of dissecting aneurysm. Of 8 cases of dissecting aneurysm, it in fact brought about a correct diagnosis in 6 cases (75%). The tomographic findings in these cases were characterized by formation of images of the exfoliated intima and dissection cavity, abnormality in the site of intimal calcification, and delay in opacification of the dissection cavity. The use of a bolus injection of contrast medium is recommended in the CT of thoracic or abdominal aneurysm. Since CT can be performed non-invasively, it is suitable for follow-up of the clinical course of dissection cavity. The CT value of thrombi varies among individual cases, which raises a possibility that the CT value may reflect the time-course change in their properties after thrombogenesis. (author)