Acta radiologica: oncology, radiation, physics, biology最新文献

The biliary and pancreatic secretions have been determined in patients given pelvic or para-aortic irradiation, with a dose of 50 Gy in the former group and between 36 and 40 Gy in the latter. A test meal containing polyethylene glycol (PEG) as reference substance was used. Each sample of the duodenal content was assayed for volume, PEG content, amylase and trypsin activity, pH and biliary secretion. No significant modifications of biliary and pancreatic secretions were demonstrated after irradiation, suggesting that these functions are not involved in the pathogenesis of the malabsorption radiation syndrome.

The flow of reticulocytes in the peripheral blood reflects the bone marrow activity and can be used for evaluation of radiation injury. Using an apparatus capable of microfluorometric quantification of reticulocytes in suspension, the peripheral blood reticulocytes of mice exposed to various doses of ionizing radiation were examined. A dose dependent reticulocytopenia was observed. The advantages of this method in biologic dosimetry over that of evaluating chromosomal aberrations, and its applicability for screening a human populations, are discussed.

Data on the survival of 2 248 patients with cervical carcinoma, treated between1966 and 1972 at 3 oncologic centers in Cuba, are presented. Intracavitary radium application combined with external 60Co irradiation was the main treatment method. The most frequent complication was radiation proctitis, but fistulas occurred only in 1.6 per cent.

Pregnant CBA-mice were injected with 3.7 x 10(5) Bq (10 muCi) 90Sr on the 8th, 11th, 13th, 16th or 19th day post coitum. The effect on the ovaries in the intrauterine-treated animals was analysed on the 28th, 56th and 84th day post partum. The result was expressed as a comparison between the number of cells in different stages of development in the treated individuals compared to untreated control animals. The reduction of the number of cells in the ovaries was strongly correlated to the time of administration of the nuclide with a more increased effect the later during foetal development the contamination occurred. The oocytes and primordial follicles were the most radiation sensitive stages. The remaining cells in the ovaries are supposed to form a numerically reduced pool of functionally normal cells.

In 155 patients with invasive squamous carcinoma of the uterine cervix malignancy point grading was based on histologic examination of pretreatment biopsies. The observation time extended over 10 years. All patients received similar radiologic treatment. Tumour cell population and tumour-host relationship were estimated separately using eight parameters graded from 1 to 3. A fairly sharp border is distinguishable at 16 points, but an overlap occurred in both directions. The curable recurrences had 16 points or less. The necessity of deep biopsies for adequate grading was demonstrated.

The effect of irradiation and chemotherapeutic agents on the capillaries of experimental solid tumours was analysed by the resin cast method. The most evident change of the 5 vascular layers was rarefaction of the newly produced extruding capillaries on the surface of the tumour mass, which was related to the tumour growth.

Subsequent primary malignancy was revealed in 1.8 per cent of 2, 689 cases with cervical and in 1.7 per cent of 773 cases with corpus carcinoma. In the cervical carcinoma series the most frequent new primary sites were the skin, breast and recto-sigmoid. Of the cases with cervical and corpus carcinoma 18.8 and 30.7 per cent, respectively, had a family history of malignant disease.

Eighty-two patients underwent curative resection for squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus. The 5-year actuarial survival rate was 33 per cent. Sixteen of 34 patients who developed secondary nodal metastases of the neck and mediastinum were irradiated with a dose of 40 to 60 Gy over 4 to 6 weeks (81 in average TDF), which probably prolonged the survival.

The properties of the electron and photon beams from a 22 MeV clinical microton are presented. Favourable isodose distributions for radiation therapy are obtained for both modalities. For the electron beam this is accomplished using a dual scattering foil system in which the secondary foil is shaped to optimize uniformity and minimize energy loss and energy straggling. The photon beam is flattened by a composite filter to produce dose distributions of high uniformity over a wide depth interval.

A cost benefit analysis of chemotherapy in unselected patients with advanced malignant disease originating in a defined population (250 000 inhabitants) demonstrated that the use of this therapy as the main treatment in hospitalised patients increased from a few per cent during 1973 to 60 per cent during 1977, corresponding to an increase in the cost of drugs from 10 000 to 200 000 dollars. At the same time the capacity for hospital care of patients with advanced malignancies increased from 317 to 488 patients without any enlargement of other resources. As more than 90 per cent of the medical budget consists of expenditures for salaries and localities, a cheaper medical care was obtained, but, above all, the survival rate and the quality of life for many patients was improved.