Evaluation of computed tomography in the management of testicular teratoma.

An analysis has been made of data obtained by computed tomography (CT) scanning in 100 patients with testicular teratoma. The results have been compared with information obtained by conventional staging procedures and changes in patient management occurring as a direct result of CT have been noted. Although these tumours are rare, their pattern of metastasis to the retroperitoneum, mediastinum, lungs and liver is consistent.

Non-seminoma germ cell tumours (malignant teratoma) of the testis. Results of treatment and an analysis of prognostic factors.

The results of treatment of 126 patients with non-seminoma germ cell tumours (malignant teratoma) of the testis are presented. Of this group 81% are alive and 70% disease-free. Of 98 patients who had had no prior treatment 83% are alive and 76.

Infradiaphragmatic presentation of Hodgkin's disease.

Twenty patients with infradiaphragmatic presentations of Hodgkin's disease were seen at the Royal Marsden Hospital, London, between 1970 and 1977, 13% of the total number of patients with Stage I and II Hodgkin's disease seen in this period (20 out of 153). All the patients were male. Lymphocyte predominance was seen in 35%, nodular sclerosis in 30%, mixed cellularity in 30% and lymphocyte depletion in 5%.

Hypothesis: when is a seminoma not a seminoma?

A xenograft line, HX 53, has been established in immune-suppressed mice from a specimen of a lymph node metastasis in a patient with a histological diagnosis of seminoma but with markedly raised circulating levels of alpha-fetoprotein. Histological, immunocytochemical, and ultrastructural studies of this xenograft line have suggested that a solid variant of yolk sac carcinoma may exist, which morphologically resembles seminoma, or that a continuum of differentiation exists between seminoma and yolk sac carcinoma.

Clinical objectives and normal tissue responses in combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

It is clear that the risk of toxicity to normal tissues in combined therapy is reduced by separating drug administration and radiation exposure in time. The short-term interaction of drugs and radiation aimed at producing enhanced tumour cell kill is difficult to demonstrate in vivo in animal experiments and unlikely to be important in clinical practice. Increased toxicity of normal tissues in man has been manifest both in terms of early and late reactions and probably also in carcinogenesis.

Human breast-cancer xenografts in immune-suppressed mice.

Eight serially transplantable human breast-cancer xenograft lines have been established in immune-suppressed mice. Specimens from 102 primary and secondary lesions obtained at surgery from 80 patients were implanted into mice immune-suppressed by thymectomy and whole-body irradiation. A number of variations of implantation site, transplantation technique, method of immune suppression and hormonal manipulation of the host were tried in an attempt to increase the take rate, but without success.

The human tumour xenograft--a valid model in experimental chemotherapy?

The chemotherapeutic response of a series of patients with bronchial carcinoma has been compared with the response of their xenografts established in immune-suppressed mice. The in situ endpoint of growth delay in subcutaneous tumours was the main parameter used to assess xenograft response, but clonogenic cell survival studies were also performed to assess the extent of cell kill associated with in vivo responses. Histology, chromosome analysis and demonstration of ectopic hormone production indicated that the xenografts retained human morphology and functional behaviour.

Changes in the size of pelvic lymph nodes in patients being followed after radiotherapy for Hodgkin's disease.

Serial abdominal radiographs of 10 patients who had shown fluctuation in the size of opacified pelvic lymph nodes were reviewed. All had previously been treated for Hodgkin's disease by irradiation alone. Three of the patients studies were finally diagnosed as having recurrent Hodgkin's disease, but the other seven were diagnosed as having reactive change and have remained well without evidence of relapse in the pelvis or abdomen after four years follow-up; one of these patients received quadruple chemotherapy for recurrent disease at the presenting site in the neck.

Colony growth and clonogenic cell survival in human melanoma xenografts treated with chemotherapy.

A soft-agar diffusion-chamber technique was used to grow colonies from human melanoma xenografts. Plating efficiencies ranged from 0-042% to 75% and increased with serial passage of some tumours. Cells in colonies were similar to human melanoma cells in morphology, histochemistry and ultrastructure, and were shown by immunofluorescence to contain human antigens.

Human tumour xenografts: a critical appraisal.

Human tumours grown in immune-deficient mice are available for studies in experimental pathology and therapeutics. In addition to growth-delay experiments clonogenic assays can sometimes be performed. Xenografts often retain some characteristics of the source tumour but the amount of precise information on the maintenance of therapeutic sensitivity is small.

Extranodal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma presenting in the testicle: a clinical and pathologic study of 24 cases.

Twenty-four cases of extranodal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma presenting in the testicle are reviewed. All cases are diffuse lymphoma by the Rappaport classification. Cases clinically stages as I/II, (18/24) show a prolonged survival compared with those clinically staged as III/IV (6 of 24).

The therapeutic response of bronchial carcinoma xenografts: a direct patient-xenograft comparison.

The chemotherapeutic response of a series of patients with bronchial carcinoma has been compared with the response of their xenografts established in immune-suppressed CBA/lac mice. Xenograft response was assessed by the in situ endpoint of growth delay in subcutaneous tumours. Histology and chromosome analysis indicated that human characteristics were retained in the xenografts.

The interpretation of marker protein assays: a critical appraisal in clinical studies and a xenograft model.

Although useful in the management of malignant testicular tumours, alphafoetoprotein and human chromonic gonadotrophin are not perfect parameters of tumour bulk. In a series of 65 patients with marker-positive advanced disease, 23 showed the phenomenon of discordance of markers or dissociation from tumour response. Transplantable human malignant teratoma xenografts were established in immune-suppressed mice as models of the human disease.

Bilateral germ cell tumours of the testis.

Between 1952 and 1976, 760 men with testicular tumours were seen at The Royal Marsden Hospital. Of this group 21 (2.75%) developed tumours of the contralateral testis, in 2 instances synchronously and in the remaining 19 at intervals from 4 months to 15 years.

The role of surgery in the combined management of metastases from malignant teratomas of testis.

Thirty-three patients with malignant testicular teratomas and para-aortic metastases exceeding 2 cm in diameter have been treated with radiotherapy, chemotherapy (vinblastine and bleomycin, with or without cis-platinum) or both, followed by surgical excision of the residual para-aortic mass. Removal of a poorly functioning ipsilateral kidney was necessary in 7 cases (21%) and a segment of vena cava was resected in 2 (12.5%) of 16 patients with primary right-sided tumours.

Human tumour xenografts established and serially transplanted in mice immunologically deprived by thymectomy, cytosine arabinoside and whole-body irradiation.

Mice immunologically deprived by thymectomy, cytosine arabinoside treatment and whole-body irradiation were used to study the growth of human tumours as xenografts. 10/16 melanoma biopsies, 4/13 ovarian carcinoma biopsies and 3/6 uterine cancer biopsies grew as serially transpllantable xenograft lines. The tumour lines were studied through serial passages by histology, histochemistry, electron microscopy, chromosome analysis, immune fluorescence, growth rate measurement and mitotic counts.

The quantitative response of human tumours to radiation and misonidazole.

Eleven patients with measurable subcutaneous or pulmonary metastases were selected for a study of the effectiveness of the radiosensitizer misonidazole (MIS). Evaluable data were obtained in 6 patients and radiosensitization demonstrated in 5. Patients were irradiated either before or after MIS, and each patient acted as his own control.

Lung damage in C57B1 mice following thoracic irradiation: enhancement by chemotherapy.

C57Bl mice were treated with thoracic irradiation to doses in the range 12.0 to 18.9 gray.