European Journal of Cancer and Clinical Oncology最新文献

Human colorectal tumour lines that exhibit different degrees of differentiation were studied to define their growth requirements. The poorly differentiated cell lines SW620, SW480, SW48 and SW837 proliferated in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium without exogenously added growth factors. In contrast, the moderately differentiated cell lines SW1222, HT29, PC/JW and LS174T proliferated only in medium supplemented with growth factor. SW1222 and HT29 cells required transferrin for growth, which was improved by other growth-promoting factors including epidermal growth factor (SW1222) and sodium selenite (HT29). PC/JW and LS174T required both insulin and transferrin for optimal growth. The tumour cell lines could be passaged continuously in serum-free medium supplemented with growth factor and in some cases they grew better than in serum-supplemented medium. The serum-free growth conditions should prove useful for studies on differentiation in colorectal cell lines and their interactions with growth factors.

THERE is continuing interest in the role of alpha interferon in the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukaemia (CML), both because it is an effective agent for disease control and because cytogenetic improvement is seen in a significant proportion of cases. We have entered 23 patients with chronic phase CML into a study using standard oral chemotherapy in conjunction with interferon alfa-2b (IFN) 3 million units (MU) subcutaneously three times a week. All patients were 100% Ph¹-positive and $\text{22}\text{23}$ had a detectable bcr rearrangement at the start of IFN therapy. The median duration of chronic phase before IFN treatment was 18 months (range 1–56 months). Oral chemotherapy was given with IFN in $\text{22}\text{23}$ patients to try to achieve complete haematological remission. Treatment was well tolerated; IFN dosage reduction was necessary in seven patients: three with myelosuppression, one with immune thrombocytopenia and three with abnormal liver function tests. The mean duration of IFN treatment is 17 months (range 6–38 months). There has been a reduction in the proportion of Ph¹-positive metaphases in six (26%) of the 23 patients (mean of six = 56% Ph¹-positive, range 7–97%). The bcr remained rearranged in all those showing a cytogenetic response. Median duration of follow up is now 31 months since the start of interferon treatment (range 21–79 months) and 43 months since diagnosis (range 29–82 months). Four patients have gone into blast transformation (three myeloid and one lymphoid) and four have died, three following blast transformation and one with myelofibrosis and marrow failure. These results suggest that treatment with comparatively low-dose IFN (9 MU/week) is well tolerated and produces karyotypic improvement in a significant proportion of cases. Longer follow-up will be required to assess the group's survival and the relationship of patient survival to cytogenetic response.

A prospective comparison between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ¹²³I meta-iodobenzylguanidine (mIBG) scintigraphy and posterior iliac crest marrow aspiration and trephine biopsy in 30 assessments (19 patients) showed concordance between the three techniques in 16 assessments (53.3%). In 10 (33.3%), MRI and mIBG revealed abnormalities not detected by marrow biopsy. MRI was the only technique to demonstrate marrow abnormality in four assessments (13.3%). In addition, MRI revealed more sites of abnormality in 16 parallel assessments. We conclude that MRI shows promise as a non-invasive means of detecting bone marrow infiltration by neuroblastoma, but that further evaluation of the specificity of MRI in this setting is indicated.

The EORTC Soft Tissue and Bone Sarcoma Group has conducted a phase II trial in 33 eligible patients with metastatic soft tissue sarcoma with nimustine 100 mg/m² every 6 weeks. In 31 evaluable patients there were 3 (10%) partial responses lasting 4.5,6 and 7.5 months, and 5 cases of stable disease. 12 patients had progressive disease and 11 patients early progressive disease. Toxicity consisted mainly of leukopenia and thrombocytopenia and nausea and vomiting. It is concluded that nimustine has only minor activity in soft tissue sarcoma.

Antitumour activity of cytotoxic agents, evaluated in patients with AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), is about 30–80%. However, responses are mostly partial and short. Experience with etoposide is similar. Teniposide has a longer elimination half-life and superior antitumour activity compared with etoposide in some experimental models. Thus a phase II trial was done in 25 patients with AIDS-related KS. Teniposide was given by 60-min infusion at 360 mg/m² every 3 weeks. 10 (40%) showed a partial response, median duration of 9 (6–20) weeks. The main side-effects were leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, nausea and vomiting, alopecia and mucositis.