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The laser-induced fluorescence of hematoporphyrin derivative (HpD) sensitized experimental Ehrlich carcinoma on mice is investigated. The fluorescence is excited with the 364-nm argon laser line. The tumor fluorescence spectra are recorded in the red spectral region. The HpD induced fluorescence of the tumors is superimposed on the autofluorescence of tissue. The tumor fluorescence shows a maximum 4 h after i.p. application of HpD. The fluorescence intensity is reduced by strong excitation causing bleaching of the HpD absorption. The fluorescence spectrum is also changing and the generation of a fluorescent photoproduct is observed.

Conventional X-ray methods and ultrasound tomography are the general basic imaging modalities in oncology. These methods are important for tumor detection as well as for further diagnostic decision making. In the diagnosis of thoracic and bone tumors the conventional X-ray methods still are of high diagnostic value. CT and MRI are complementary methods for extension diagnosis. In the diagnostics of gastrointestinal tumors the complementary endoscopic-radiologic examinations are the initial procedures. Tumors of the liver, pancreas and bile ducts require the application of ultrasound tomography and US-guided fine needle biopsy. In these cases CT provides additional information. Tumors of the kidney can be detected by sonography. Primary diagnostic methods in tumors of the urinary bladder are the cystoscopy, delayed cystography and sonography. CT and MRI are the predominant procedures in the diagnosis of brain and spinal cord tumors. Conventional X-ray methods represent the basic imaging procedures, and, combined with digital radiography, conclusive ultrasound tomography a necessary part of the complex tumor diagnosis.

The influence of age of experimental animals on the antileukemic activity, toxicity and distribution of ambazone, a new potential antineoplastic agent, was studied in 2- and 12-month-old B6D2F1 mice. The predominant effect observed was a significant reduction of the antileukemic action of this compound in old-aged mice. Together with a slight increase in several toxicity parameters this caused a marked reduction of the therapeutic index in 12-month-old mice compared to younger individuals. Furthermore, a general tendency to increased ambazone levels in liver, kidneys and thymus of old-aged mice was observed. Our data therefore provide further evidence that age has to be taken into consideration as one factor that may account for the variety of drug response frequently observed during clinical therapy with anticancer agents.

Changes of the sialic acid content of patients sera reflect growth processes of benign and malignant character. Using an enzymatic test the value of sialic acid as a primary diagnostic parameter has been investigated. We found a poor diagnostic sensitivity with exception of lung and ovarian carcinomas where the sensitivity attained nearly 90%. In monitoring of patients with pre-therapeutically elevated sialic acid content in serum dropping values indicate a successful therapeutic intervention. An increase of post-therapeutic values demonstrates recurrent processes but the reaction of the serum level may be delayed up to 2 weeks. The outcome of the studies supports the notion that sialic acid is a tumor marker of very limited value.

Graffi et al. (1-3) had proposed the use of exogenous enzymes to toxify inactive transport forms of cancerostatic substances. For this purpose, the pH difference between normal tissues and the tumor was to be exploited, which can be essentially increased by the application of glucose and inorganic phosphate (5-7). Earlier studies using alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase obtained from Aspergillus niger have shown that the selectivity of tumor chemotherapy can be increased in this way (4). The alpha-L-arabinofuranosidases known to date are stabile in a wide pH range (9). However, in some moulds we found pH-labile enzymes of this kind that become irreversibly inactivated in the weakly alkaline or neutral pH range (10, 11). Studies on the distribution of the activity of a pH-labile alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase from Glomerella myabana in tumor-bearing mice have shown that this enzyme is rapidly eliminated from the organism, in contrast to the pH-stable alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase from A. niger. Apart from its excretion via kidney and liver, of importance is the inactivation of the enzyme in the normal tissues. The additional application of glucose strongly increased the activity of this enzyme both in the tumor and in normal tissues (12). By injecting alkaline solutions, stronger inactivation in normal tissues than in the tumor was achieved (13). In the present paper, distribution of an alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase from Fusarium species I 50 (11), inactive already at pH 7.0 (37 degrees C), was studied in tumor-bearing mice. The activity of this enzyme could be enriched under various conditions in the tumor, and especially favorable proved to be the additional application of a combination of glucose and inorganic phosphate. Under these conditions, a higher activity than in the tumor was demonstrable only in the kidney, which can possibly be eliminated in larger experimental animals by diuretics or an appropriate alkaline administration. The investigations have shown that the pH-labile alpha-L-arabinofuranosidases, especially those of Fusarium sp., due to their pharmacokinetic behavior are better suited for use in our therapy concept than the hitherto employed enzyme from A. niger. More recently, Tietze (16) has proposed a similar therapy concept, in which also the glucose-increased pH difference between tumor and normal tissue using tumor-own enzymes, exogenous enzymes as well as transport forms of cancerostatic agents spontaneously hydrolysing under weakly acidic pH conditions is to be exploited.

Bovine leukemia virus (BLV) was inoculated into one-day-old chickens. In a small part of inoculated chickens leukemia developed during observation period of one year. Out of 88 birds inoculated, only 4 developed histopathologically verified leukemia. The induced leukemia was characterized by enlarged liver and spleen. The organs were infiltrated with leukemic cells. The DNAs of body organs of inoculated chickens were analysed by Southern blot hybridization for the presence of BLV specific sequences. Out of 9 suspicious chickens tested in 6 birds the BLV was found to be integrated into host DNA either as a complete viral genome or as a part corresponding to its 3'-end. The leukemic cells were monoclonal as regard to the integration site of the BLV provirus. Neither the expression of BLV provirus in chicken leukemic cells nor the antibody response to BLV antigens in inoculated birds was detected. The rearrangements and amplification of erb-B and myb loci of protooncogenes in leukemic cells was detected. There were no changes in loci of following protooncogenes: myc, sis, fes, fps, erb A, src and yes. All obtained data taken together suggest that the BLV induced leukemia in chickens is caused by insertional mutagenesis.

Outpatients with inoperable far advanced hepato-cellular carcinomas (n = 5) were treated with LDCY--300 mg/m2 i.v. every 28 days-, echinacin--60 mg/m2 i.m.--and thymostimulin--30 mg/m2 i.m., day 3-10 after LDCY, then twice a week. Therapy was well tolerated by all patients. Their Karnofsky' index increased for 10% in the mean. A stable disease for more than 8 weeks was documented by abdominal ultrasonography in one patient. Serum levels of Alpha-Fetoprotein (AFP), Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA) and Tissue Polypeptide Antigen (TPA) did not increase in 2 patients. Median survival time was 2.5 months. One patient is still alive after 8 months. Absolute numbers of CD8+ cells significantly (p less than 0.02) decreased for 7% 1 day after LDCY, whereas CD4+ cells increased (p less than 0.02) from day 1-7. Numbers of natural killer (NK-) cells increased for 17% (p less than 0.05), their activity for 90% (p less than 0.05). Activities of peripheral polymorphs (p less than 0.05) increased for 27% and of Lymphokine Activated Killer (LAK-) cells for 180% (p less than 0.05).

Gonadoblastoma is a rare tumor arising usually in a dysgenetic gonad. The commonest karyotypes seen in patients with this neoplasm are 46XY and 46XY/45XO mosaicism. The occurrence of gonadoblastoma in pregnant or normal (46XX karyotype) women is extremely rare. A case of gonadoblastoma in a pregnant eukaryotic (46XX) woman is reported.