Clinical relevance of tumor markers for the control of chemotherapy.

This presentation is based on our experience with tumor marker monitoring of surgery therapy and chemotherapy effects. The control of chemotherapy is one of the most important problems in oncological practice. The correlation between the clinical status of the patient and tumor size changes, based on the results of different imaging methods, has been the most important and most frequently used method.

IFN-alpha therapy of renal-cell carcinoma - defect of lymphocyte sensitivity to mitogenic and activating cytokine signals in patients not-responding to therapy.

The present prospective study was designed to assess whether the renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients treated with recombinant interferon alpha (IFN alpha), whose tumours respond (responders) and do not respond (non-responders) to IFN alpha therapy, differ with regard to in vitro sensitivity of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) to interleukin 2 (IL-2), IFN alpha, and IFN gamma signals prior to therapy. Twenty-one patients with advanced RCC after nephrectomy, 15 responders and 6 non-responders, were entered into a protocol. The protocol involved isolation and freezing of PBL samples followed by IFN alpha treatment of patients, assessment of proliferative and activating PBL responses, and evaluation of the therapeutic results.

Subcutaneous interleukin-2 in combination with vinblastine for metastatic renal cancer: cytolytic activity of peripheral blood lymphocytes.

Eight patients with progressive metastatic renal cell carcinoma were selected for one course of subcutaneous recombinant interleukin-2 (IL-2) plus vinblastine (VBL) treatment lasting for seven weeks. Seven of the eight patients were evaluable for response, eight for toxicity. Peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) from the evaluable patients were isolated and frozen prior to, during, and after the treatment courses; kinetics of their cytolytic activity was assessed and compared under standard conditions in 51Cr microcytotoxicity assay with natural killer (NK)-sensitive and NK-resistant human tumor targets.

[Personal experience with adjuvant chemotherapy of malignant tumors in otorhinolaryngology].

The authors give an account on the therapeutic results of adjuvant polychemotherapy in advanced squamous-cell carcinomas in the ENT region. Based on their conclusions they recommend in these malignities (stage III, IV) comprehensive treatment comprising neo-adjuvant polychemotherapy, surgery supplemented by simultaneous radiopolychemotherapy along with cyclic adjuvant chemotherapy and hyperthermia.