[Aminoglutethimide-induced dyslipidemia. Experimental study].

Aminoglutethimide (AG) is a drug that inhibits steroid synthesis; it is used in advanced breast cancer. After the observation of abnormalities in lipid metabolism in patients, we realized an experimental study to try to look for a pathogenetic hypothesis. Three groups of rats received respectively AG, Hydrocortisone (HC) or both (AG + HC) and were compared to controls.

Platinum concentration in human tumors of head and neck, uterine cervix, and breast following treatment with cisplatin.

Intratumoral platinum concentrations were measured in three tumor sites (head and neck, uterine cervix, and breast) 48 h after cisplatin administration according to the same protocol. The platinum levels were in the same order of magnitude in all tumors, but the concentration in breast tumors was found to be higher than that in tumors of the head and neck and of the uterine cervix.

Time dependency in plasmatic protein binding of cisplatin.

The rate of cisplatin binding on proteins was measured in plasma collected from the same patients at several different times of the day. Statistical analysis showed that binding on plasma followed a circadian rhythm with the acrophase occurring around 4 PM. The amplitude of the apparent circadian variation of the binding depends on each patient (mean value, 11%).

Estradiol and progesterone receptors in breast cancer: prognostic value after relapse.

The prognostic significance of estradiol (ER) and progesterone receptors (PgR) for survival from relapse has been studied in two groups of breast cancer patients: group 1, 35 patients in whom receptor levels were measured at the time of mastectomy; group II, 49 patients in whom receptor levels were measured at the time of recurrence. ER+ (greater than 10 fmoles/mg) patients had a better survival from relapse than ER- patients. High levels of PgR (greater than 50 fmoles/mg) had a prognostic significance only in group II patients.

[Aminoglutethimide-induced dyslipemia. Clinical study].

Plasma levels of cholesterol, HDL cholesterol (HDL chol), LDL cholesterol (LDL chol), triglycerides, Al apoprotein and B apoprotein were studied in 73 patients receiving 500 mg aminoglutethimide (AG)/day and 40 mg hydrocortisone/day for advanced breast cancer. These dosages were done before treatment and then repeated during AG therapy. When all patients were considered together, a significant increase of cholesterol, HDL chol, LDL chol and Al apoprotein was noted.

Transferrin receptors in cultured breast cancer cells.

Transferrin receptors were demonstrated on the cell membrane of breast cancer epithelial cells in primary or long-term culture. Diferric transferrin binding was saturable, specific and was not related to DNA content or clinical and histological features of the tumour. However a good correlation (p less than 0.

[Receptors for steroid hormones apart from breast cancer. Practical value].

The steroid receptor (ER, PgR) content of breast cancer specimens is now widely used as an indicator for hormone sensitivity which is a prerequisite for endocrine therapy. Is it conceivable to extend this steroid receptor determination to other types of tumors in order to select patients who would eventually benefit from an hormonal therapy? It seems that most normal or tumoral tissues contain detectable amount of steroid receptors. The values of each receptor comprise a continuum from very low to relatively high, suggesting that previous considerations of hormone dependence on the basis of presence or absence of hormone receptors may be oversimplified.

Effect of bromocriptin treatment on prolactin and steroid receptor levels in human breast cancer.

We have investigated the effect of bromocriptin, a prolactin-lowering drug, on prolactin, estradiol and progesterone receptors in breast cancers. Doses of 2.5 mg per os of bromocriptin were given twice daily for 4 days before surgery.

Stimulation of DNA synthesis by prolactin in human breast tumor explants. Relation to prolactin receptors.

Breast-cancer tissue from 38 patients was tested for prolactin sensitivity by measuring both 16-hour (3H)dT incorporation in tissue fragments during 24-hour organ cultures, and prolactin receptors in tumor specimens. We observed a stimulation of DNA synthesis by prolactin in 6/38 (16%) cases; the stimulation was maximum with physiological concentrations of prolactin (0.05 to 0.

[EGF receptors in human breast cancer. Relation to hormonal receptors].

EGF membrane receptors (R-EGF) were assayed in 65 human breast cancer biopsies. The Scatchard analysis of the binding of 125I-EGF indicated a single class of sites with an apparent dissociation constant of 1 nM. Fourty-eight percent of the tumors are R-EGF positive (specific binding greater than 1% of total radioactivity), the level of receptors reaching 14%.

Characterization of prolactin receptors in human breast cancer.

In order to perform measurement of PRL binding and to improve the knowledge of pathophysiological variations in human mammary cancers, we have investigated in detail the binding characteristics of PRL in membranes prepared from these tumors. The optimization of the assay requires the selection of membranous components of light density (less than 1.17); the tracer could be either 125I-PRL after affinity purification on PRL receptors or 125I-hGH without a purification step.

Nuclear estradiol-binding sites in human breast cancer.

The binding of estradiol to nuclear fractions extracted from human breast carcinomatous tissue was demonstrated. The material, which was extracted with KCl, had an approximate molecular weight of 37,000 and bound estradiol with both high and low affinity (Kd congruent to 1 nM, type A receptors; Kd congruent to 30 nM, type B receptors) as calculated according to the method of Scatchard. Competition studies indicated that both components were specific for estradiol, and among the 134 tumors studied the receptors were found to be linked in almost all cases.

Subclass restriction of the antiidiotypic antibody response in the rat.

Antiidiotypic antibodies were induced in LOU/M rats by immunization with two myeloma proteins of LOU origin: IR-162 (IgE) and IR-418 (IgG2a). Antibodies to IR-162 were easily obtained after a limited number of immunizations with protein in soluble form; polymerization with glutaraldehyde did not enhance immunogenicity. Antibodies to IR-418 appeared only after a large number of immunizations with protein in polymerized form or with protein copolymerized with rabbit IgG.

Urinary trypsin inhibitory capacity determination: study in patients with disseminated cancers.

We present a method for automated analysis of urinary trypsin inhibitory capacity. The validity of the method has been established. The mean value of urinary antitryptic activity is higher in patients with disseminated cancers (70 IU/1, n = 243) than in healthy donors (14,4 IU/1, n = 117).

Cis-platinum complex with retained prolactin receptor specific binding.

Two complexes of prolactin and platinum have been synthetized and their biological activity was assayed by radioreceptor assay. Only the cis-platinum prolactin complex retains the capacity of native prolactin to bind to cell receptor membrane. Prolactin could be used to increase the specificity of cis-platinum to cells with prolactin receptors.

Prolactin receptors in human breast cancer.

Prolactin receptors have been measured in 92 human breast carcinomas. Both free and total receptors (after desaturation by MgCl2) have been looked for. Free receptors have been found in 46% of the cases, total receptors in 72%.

[Neurologic manifestations of spinal plasmacytomas].

Twenty nine cases of plasmocytic spinal cord tumors which were responsible for neurological troubles were collected over the 19 year period between 1962 and 1981. In 25 of the cases, spinal cord compression was the first sign of the tumor. In 4 of the cases, spinal cord compression was a secondary complication of an already known tumor.

Dihydropteridine-reductase activity in breast cancer. Preliminary report.

The dihydropteridine-reductase activity was measured in 206 breast cancers. Large variations were found: 6% of tumors showing high values closed to those noted in liver, whereas the main group has activities of same magnitude of that in cultured fibroblasts. Significant correlation appeared between dihydropteridine-reductase activities and hormonal dependence, as measured by cytosolic estrogen receptor sites.