Effects of proton and gamma radiation on lymphocyte populations and acute response to antigen.

Background: The clinical use of proton radiation in the management of cancer, as well as benign disorders, is rapidly increasing. The major goal of this study was to compare the effects of proton and gamma (60Co) radiation on cell-mediated and humoral immunological parameters.

Materials And Methods: C57BL/6 mice were exposed to a single dose of 3 Gray (Gy) protons or gamma-rays and intraperitoneally injected 1 day later with sheep red blood cells (sRBC).

A model using radiation and plasmid-mediated tumor necrosis factor-alpha gene therapy for treatment of glioblastomas.

The efficacy of radiotherapy for cancer is limited by the dose that can be safely delivered to the tumor without causing debilitating side effects. Previous studies have shown an additive or syngeneic reduction in the volume of malignant tumors when tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) protein is administered prior to radiation. The major goal of the present investigation was to evaluate the efficacy of pGL1-TNF-alpha, a new plasmid construct that expresses human TNF-alpha protein, together with radiotherapy in the C6 glioma/athymic mouse model.