Immunosuppressive and cytogenetic effects of pelvic irradiation on the peripheral lymphocytes of patients with cervical cancer. One year follow-up.

The circulating lymphocytes of patients treated for cervical cancer were examined by four independent manners: by evaluation of T-cell proportion in peripheral blood, proliferative response upon PHA stimulation, PHA-induced leukocyte migration inhibition, and by concomitant chromosome aberration frequency. The immediate and longer-term effects of pelvic irradiation on T lymphocytes were investigated in 19 patients prior to, during, and immediately after radiotherapy, and then at subsequent intervals of two, three and five months. Radiotherapy caused profound depression of already diminished T-cell number and their proliferative response; both parameters gradually recovered during post-treatment period, and achieved their pretreatment values at the end of follow-up.

A case of monosomy 21.

A new case of monosomy 21 was observed in a newborn male. Characteristic clinical features include: an antimongoloid eye slants, large and low set ears, flat nose bridge, hypoplastic nipples, cardiac anomalies, muscular hypotonia, retarded psychomotor development. The karyotypes of the parents were normal.

[Chemotherapy and mutagenesis. A study of chromosome aberrations as a test for mutagenesis after the use of cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and cytosine arabinoside].

Determination of chromosomal aberration in the lymphocyte cell culture of the peripheral blood in 50 children with malignant and nonmalignant diseases was the test applied in the investigation of the adverse effects of the cytostatic therapy on the human genome. The study included the cytostatic drugs cyclophosphamide, methotrexat and cytosine arabinoside which are used in the treatment for the autoimmune diseases, in organ and bone marrow transplantations and in malignant diseases. It was confirmed that these cytostatics could be the cause of considerable structural aberrations in chromosomes, particularly so when high dosages and long application are involved.