Primary leiomyosarcoma of the distal fibula: A case report and review of the literature.

We describe a primary leiomyosarcoma of bone located in the distal fibula in a 67- year-old man. Plain radiographs and computer tomography scan revealed a lytic destructive lesion in the distal metaepiphyseal region of the left fibula with little involvement of the surrounding soft tissues. The lesion was composed of proliferating spindle-shaped cells with very slim cytoplasm and narrow oval cigar shaped nuclei.

Immunophenotyping of surface antigens in acute myeloid leukemia by flow cytometry after red blood cell lysis.

Immunophenotyping of acute leukemia using flow cytometry after density gradient separation (dg-sep) of mononuclear cells is the international gold standard. But destroying red cells by whole blood lysis (wb-lysis) after direct staining has found a broad usage. Both methods revealed congruent results in phenotyping of 26 cases of acute myeloid leukemias by testing CD4, CD7, CD11b, CD11c, CD13, CD14, CD15, CD33, CD34, CD65s, Glycophorin A and HLA-DR antigens.

Once-daily oral levofloxacin monotherapy versus piperacillin/tazobactam three times a day: a randomized controlled multicenter trial in patients with febrile neutropenia.

A prospective, randomized, controlled multicenter trial was performed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of once-daily oral monotherapy with 500 mg levofloxacin in comparison with 4.5 g piperacillin/tazobactam 3 times a day in patients with low-risk febrile neutropenia. Low risk was defined by oral temperature > or = 38.

[Hydroxyurea-induced pneumonitis].

Background: Hydroxyurea (HU) is a good-controllable and well-tolerated cytostatic drug.

Case Report: Two patients with a myeloproliferative disease, who suffered from fever, lung symptoms and reticulonodular infiltrates on both sides after 4 and 10 weeks of HU medication, are introduced. One patient additionally presented with multiple, 1-cm diameter, pustulous (central abscess-like), elevated, livid skin lesions on his forearms and shins.

A phase II study of dose-dense docetaxel and mitoxantrone in the treatment of patients with high-risk metastatic breast cancer.

Doxetaxel (DCT) and mitoxantrone (MX) are highly active and potentially synergistic agents in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer (MBC). This pilot study evaluates the combination of dose-dense DCT and MX in patients with MBC to determine the efficacy and toxicity of this therapy. Thirty-six patients (56.

Liposomal doxorubicin and weekly paclitaxel in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer.

The combination of paclitaxel and doxorubicin or epirubicin is highly active against metastatic breast cancer, yet may produce congestive heart failure. Liposome-encapsulated doxorubicin is a new formulation of doxorubicin with no dose-limiting cardiac toxicity. Twenty-one patients with metastatic breast cancer were treated with pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (20 mg/m2, day 1) and paclitaxel (100 mg/m2, days 1 and 8) for six cycles every 2 weeks.

Cytosine arabinoside, etoposide and aclarubicin (AVA) for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in elderly patients.

Background: Elderly patients (age > or = 60 years) with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) have unfavourable prognoses when polychemotherapy regimens are used, because therapy response is characterized by low remission rates, short remission duration and high toxicity.

Patients And Methods: A phase II trial in elderly AML patients was conducted to determine the efficacy of two induction courses of a moderately-dosed combination of aclarubicin (25 mg/m2, 30 min i.v.

Apoptosis in acute myeloblastic leukemia: follow-up study on trephine biopsies of the bone marrow.

A clinicopathological study on 87 adult patients presenting with "de novo" acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML) was performed to assess the rate of apoptosis before and during chemotherapy and its predictive impact on clinical course. Evaluation included trephine biopsies of the bone marrow and the situ end-labeling technic (ISEL) for the identification of programmed cell death in large and intact hemopoietic tissue areas. In comparison with a control group of 21 patients without any hematological disorder, morphometric analysis revealed no significantly different numbers of apoptotic cells in AML at the onset of disease and following sequential examinations at intervals ranging between 10 to 19 months.

[Paraproteins and lymphoma in HIV positive patients].

Background And Aim: Compared to healthy subjects there is a higher incidence of monoclonal immunoglobulins (= paraproteins = PP) in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). High-grade B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL) are the second most common neoplasms in these patients. Our aim was to determine whether paraproteins would be of diagnostic significance regarding an underlying or developing NHL.

Expression of alpha-3/4-monofucosylated polylactosaminoglycan epitope, as defined by monoclonal antibody FW6, is a marker of the colorectal adenoma-carcinoma sequence.

Background: The expression of a distinct alpha-3/4-monofucosylated polylactosaminoglycan epitope, which is detected by monoclonal antibody FW6, was investigated by comparative immunohistochemical analysis of colorectal tissue specimens exhibiting different grades of premalignant and malignant transformation. The presence of this peculiar epitope was compared with different lewis type 2 blood group antigens.

Methods: Paraffin embedded specimens from 8 hyperplastic polyps, 46 adenomas, 27 colorectal carcinomas, and 10 corresponding liver metastases were studied.

Concomitant granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and induction chemoradiotherapy in adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a randomized phase III trial.

This prospective multicenter study examined whether simultaneous administration of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF; Filgrastim) and induction chemotherapy for adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) could prevent treatment-related neutropenia, infections, and resulting treatment delays. Seventy-six patients were randomly assigned to receive either G-CSF (n = 37) or no growth factor (n = 39) in conjunction with a uniform chemotherapy consisting of cyclophosphamide, cytarabine, mercaptopurine, intrathecal methotrexate, and cranial irradiation. The median duration of neutropenia (absolute neutrophil count < 1 x 10(9)/L) during chemotherapy was 8 days in patients receiving C-CSF, compared with 12.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia with an interfollicular architecture: avoiding diagnostic confusion with monocytoid B-cell lymphoma.

Certain low grade B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders can be mistaken for each other morphologically, particularly when there is partial lymph node involvement. We encountered two cases of chronic lymphocytic leukemia, in which the interfollicular growth pattern and the pale appearance of the neoplastic proliferation in the lymph nodes led to a misclassification as monocytoid B-cell lymphoma. The correct diagnosis was established, however, when the lymph node morphology was carefully reexamined, with the knowledge of the clinical history, peripheral blood findings, and bone marrow data.

dic(9;20): a new recurrent chromosome abnormality in adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Loss of chromosome 20 and rearrangement of the short arm of chromosome 9 were identified by banding analysis of three adult patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The G-banding pattern suggested an identical deletion of 9p, but, also, an unbalanced translocation with chromosome 20 was taken into consideration. Dual-color chromosome painting with probes for chromosomes 9 and 20 revealed the presence of material from chromosome 20 at the short arm of the abnormal chromosome 9 in all three cases.

Monoclonal antibody FW6 defines an epitope on alpha 3/4-monofucosylated polylactosaminoglycans expressed by fetal and colon carcinoma-associated mucins.

A mouse IgM monoclonal antibody FW6 was established after immunization of mice with mucins from human amniotic fluid and was characterized with regard to its binding epitope. According to a series of biochemical criteria the epitope is located on O-linked neutral carbohydrates of M(r) 700,000 and M(r) 570,000 mucins in human amniotic fluid. The epitope is presumed to contain alpha 3/4-linked fucose and terminal beta 3/4-linked galactose that are labile to the fucosidase I from almond emulsion or to the galactosidase from bovine testes, respectively.

Hodgkin's lymphoma-derived tissue serially transplanted into severe combined immunodeficient mice.

Hodgkin (H) and Reed-Sternberg (RS) cells are considered to be the malignant cell population in Hodgkin's disease (HD). To date, their analysis has been hampered by their scarcity in primary tumors, poor growth in vitro, and lack of an animal model. To establish an in vivo system for the characterization of the malignant cells in HD, tumor biopsy samples from 13 HD patients were transplanted beneath the renal capsule or into the liver of severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice.

CD30-antigen-specific targeting and activation of T cells via murine bispecific monoclonal antibodies against CD3 and CD28: potential use for the treatment of Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Cross-linking of specific tumor antigens with the T-cell-associated CD3 and CD28 antigens can increase IL-2 secretion, proliferation and antigen-specific cytotoxicity in resting T cells. This cross-linking can be achieved effectively by bispecific monoclonal antibodies (BiMAb) with specificity for both the tumor antigen and CD3 or CD28 antigen, respectively. To take advantage of the enhanced activation of CD3 pre-activated T cells by additional activation via the CD28 antigen, BiMAb OKT3/HRS-3 with reactivity to both CD3 and the Hodgkin's-lymphoma-associated CD30 antigen and the BiMAb 15E8/HRS-3 with reactivity to both CD28 and CD30 antigen were generated by hybridoma fusion.

CD30-specific AB1-AB2-AB3 internal image antibody network: potential use as anti-idiotype vaccine against Hodgkin's lymphoma.

The tumor-associated CD30 antigen is presently under study as a target for active specific immunotherapy of Hodgkin's lymphoma with anti-idiotypic antibodies. Internal image antibodies (Ab2 beta) 9G10 and 14G9 against the CD30-specific antibody HRS-4 (Ab1) have been described, which induce a CD30-specific T- and B-cell response in BALB/c mice and New Zealand white rabbits. In extension of this work, murine monoclonal anti-idiotypic Ab2 beta 9G10, mimicking structures of the nominal CD30 antigen, was used to generate monoclonal Ab3 in mice and polyclonal Ab3 in rabbits with specificity for CD30.

Immunophenotyping of low-grade B-cell lymphoma in blood and bone marrow: poor correlation between immunophenotype and cytological/histological classification.

Results of immunophenotypic examinations of peripheral blood and/or bone marrow (BM), involved in low-grade B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, were compared with the results of cytomorphological and histopathological examinations in 133 adult patients. 69 cases of chronic B-lymphocytic leukaemia (B-CLL), 16 centrocytic (CC) lymphomas, 14 centroblastic-centrocytic (CB/CC) lymphomas, 15 immunocytomas (IC), 10 cases of hairy cell leukaemia (HCL), four prolymphocytic leukaemias (PLL), two B-CLL in transformation, one splenic lymphoma with villous lymphocytes (SLVL), one hairy cell leukaemia variant (HCL-V), and one lymphocytic lymphoma (LC) were classified according to the Kiel and/or FAB classification. Leukaemic disease was found in 105 cases.

Monoclonal antibody SP-21 defines a sialosyl-Tn antigen expressed on carcinomas and K562 erythroleukemia cells.

Monoclonal antibody (mab) SP-21 resembles the well established mab B72.3 by high affinity binding to peptide linked sialosyl-Tn disaccharide, NeuAc alpha 2-6 GalNAc alpha, and non-reactivity to the related trisaccharide NeuAc alpha 2-6 (Gal beta 1-3)GalNAc alpha. Although mab SP-21 may be classified, accordingly, into the family of mabs defining the sialosyl-Tn antigen, its fine specificity is distinct from the reference antibody B72.

Bone marrow involvement in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: increased diagnostic sensitivity by combination of immunocytology, cytomorphology and trephine histology.

Diagnostic results from cytomorphology and immunocytology of aspirated bone marrow (BM) were compared with the findings from standard trephine histology of 100 adult patients with non-leukaemic non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL) in a retrospective study. Immunocytological investigations were performed by the immunoenzymatic APAAP-technique on BM smears monoclonal antibodies against CD19, Cd3, CD10 or TdT antigens and determination of positive cells in relation to total BM leucocytes. Corresponding results were obtained for trephine histology and for the combination of cytomorphology and immunocytology in 93/100 cases.

Binding of monoclonal anti-interleukin 2 antibody to nucleoli in acute leukemia blast cells.

Neutralizing anti-IL-2, anti-IL-3, and anti-IL-6 monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) were used for the immunoenzymatic detection of the respective cytokines in blast cells of 38 patients with acute myeloid (AML) and lymphoid (ALL) leukemias by the APAAP-technique. In 20/24 AML-cases (83%) blast cells showed intranuclear staining with MAb anti-IL-2 (DMS-1). In 17 cases reaction was restricted to the nucleoli, in 4 cases additional cytoplasmic staining was observed.

Monoclonal antibody FW6 generated against a mucin-carbohydrate of human amniotic fluid recognises a colonic tumour-associated epitope.

Mucus glycoproteins of human amniotic fluid were used to generate a monoclonal antibody (MAb) FW6, which stained the intestine of a 24 week stage fetus. In adults, 76% of colonic adenocarcinomas (13/17) showed strong expression of the FW6 epitope, but it was not detected in the histologically normal mucosae adjacent to the tumours or in normal left colon mucosa. In addition, MAb FW6 stained large cell carcinomas of the lung (2/3), gastric carcinomas (5/11), and ovary adenocarcinomas (3/4).

Anti-idiotype vaccine against Hodgkin's lymphoma: induction of B- and T-cell immunity across species barriers against CD30 antigen by murine monoclonal internal image antibodies.

Murine monoclonal antibody HRS-4 (Ab1), which defines the cell-bound and soluble CD30 antigen associated with Hodgkin's lymphoma, was used to generate monoclonal anti-idiotypic antibodies (Ab2) in syngeneic BALB/c mice. Murine monoclonal Ab2 14G9 and Ab2 9G10 directed against HRS-4 were shown to be anti-idiotypic Ab2 beta carrying the internal image of the CD30 antigen. These antibodies bound specifically to HRS-4 and effectively inhibited binding of HRS-4 to a CD30 antigen preparation at concentrations as low as 50 ng/ml.