Potential outcomes of modalities and techniques in radiotherapy for patients with hypopharyngeal carcinoma.

Background And Purpose: To determine potential improvements in treatment outcome for patients with hypopharyngeal carcinoma, T4N0M0, using proton and intensity modulated photon radiotherapy (IMRT) compared to a standard 3D conformal radiotherapy treatment (3D-CRT) in terms of local tumour control probability, TCP, and normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) for the spinal cord and the parotid glands using.

Patients And Methods: Using the three-dimensional treatment-planning system, Helax-TMS, 5 patients were planned with protons, IMRT, and 3D-CRT plans. The prescribed dose used was 30 fractions x 2.

A retrospective study focusing on clinical predictive factors in 126 patients with oesophageal carcinoma.

In Sweden, approximately 400 patients are diagnosed each year with oesophageal carcinoma. Despite the introduction of different treatment schedules, only modest improvements in survival have been accomplished. To be able to select patients in whom a more favourable outcome of radiation/-chemotherapeutic treatment could be expected, the present study reviewed the charts from 126 consecutive patients with oesophageal carcinoma.

A limiting factor for the progress of radionuclide-based cancer diagnostics and therapy--availability of suitable radionuclides.

Advances in diagnostics and targeted radionuclide therapy of haematological and neuroendocrine tumours have raised hope for improved radionuclide therapy of other forms of disseminated tumours. New molecular target structures are characterized and this stimulates the efforts to develop new radiolabelled targeting agents. There is also improved understanding of factors of importance for choice of appropriate radionuclides.

Durable carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)-specific humoral and cellular immune responses in colorectal carcinoma patients vaccinated with recombinant CEA and granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor.

Purpose: Previous studies have indicated that carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) might be a suitable immunotherapeutic target in colorectal carcinoma (CRC). The aim of the present study was to analyze the immunological and clinical effects of vaccination with CEA together with the adjuvant granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF).

Experimental Design: Twenty-four resected CRC patients without macroscopic disease were immunized seven times with recombinant CEA at four different dose levels over a 12-month period.

Identification of a new HLA-Cw*05 allele, HLA-Cw*0505*.

We have identified a new human leukocyte antigen-C allele in a Caucasian potential stem-cell donor. The new allele is identical to the other Cw*05 alleles in exon 2 but differs from Cw*0501 and *0503 at nucleotide position 379 in exon 3, where a C is substituted with a G. This results in an amino acid substitution from leucine to valine at residue 103 in alpha2 helix.

Patients above sixty years of age with Hodgkin's lymphoma treated with a new strategy.

In the Swedish National Care Programme for Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) a less intensive chemotherapy regimen with individualized dosing (LVPP/OEPA) was introduced in 1989. In total, 139 patients, 77 between 1985 and 1988 and 62 between 1989 and 1992, were studied. Mean ages were 72 and 71 years, respectively.

Interactions between chemotherapy, endocrine therapy and radiation.

In an investigation by the Swedish Cancer Society, an expert group described the present status, critical issues and future aspects and potentials for each of nine major areas of radiation therapy research. This report deals with interactions between chemotherapy, endocrine therapy, other anti-tumour drugs and radiation.

Therapy with radiopharmaceuticals.

In an investigation by the Swedish Cancer Society, an expert group described the present status, critical issues and future aspects and potentials for each of nine major areas of radiation therapy research. The present report deals with therapy with radiopharmaceuticals.

Sensitizing and protective substances in radiation therapy and predictive assays.

In an investigation by the Swedish Cancer Society, an expert group described the present status, critical issues and future aspects and potentials for each of nine major areas of radiation therapy research. The present report deals with the use of sensitizing and protective substances in radiation therapy and predictive assays on normal tissues and tumour response.

Functional HLA-DR T cell epitopes of CEA identified in patients with colorectal carcinoma immunized with the recombinant protein CEA.

A baculovirus-produced recombinant CEA (rCEA) protein comprising the extracellular region was used for vaccination of CRC patients with or without GM-CSF as an adjuvant cytokine. Ten patients with a significant proliferative T cell response against rCEA were selected for T cell epitope mapping. Fifteen-aa-long overlapping peptides covering the entire aa sequence of the external domain of CEA were used in a proliferation assay.

A systematic overview of radiation therapy effects in rectal cancer.

A systematic review of radiation therapy trials in several tumour types was performed by The Swedish Council of Technology Assessment in Health Care (SBU). The procedures for evaluation of the scientific literature are described separately (Acta Oncol 2003; 42: 357-365). This synthesis of the literature on radiation therapy for rectal cancer is based on data from 42 randomized trials and 3 meta-analyses.

Optimal heparin surface concentration and antithrombin binding capacity as evaluated with human non-anticoagulated blood in vitro.

Contact between blood and a biomaterial surface takes place in many applications and is known to activate the coagulation and complement systems. Heparin surface coatings have been shown to reduce blood activation upon contact with artificial surfaces. To establish the optimal heparin surface concentration, blood was incubated in a tubing loop model at 37 degrees C.

Optimization of ECG gating in quantitative femoral angiography.

Purpose: To determine which phase of the heart cycle would yield the highest reproducibility in measuring atherosclerosis-related variables such as arterial lumen volume and edge roughness.

Material And Methods: 35 patients with hypercholesterolemia underwent select- ive femoral angiography, repeated four times at 10-min intervals. The angiographies were performed with ECG-gated exposures.

Trastuzumab-conjugated boron-containing liposomes for tumor-cell targeting; development and cellular studies.

The goal of the present study was to investigate HER-2-targeted boron-containing liposomes as a potential drug delivery vehicle for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). Trastuzumab was conjugated to the distal end of PEG-DSPE-NHS in micelles and the Trastuzumab-PEG-DSPE were then transferred to preformed liposomes, either empty or loaded with water soluble boronated acridine (WSA), using the micelle transfer method. The final conjugates were referred to as Trastuzumab-liposome and Trastuzumab-liposome-WSA.

Expression of CCL5/RANTES by Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg cells and its possible role in the recruitment of mast cells into lymphomatous tissue.

HL is a malignant lymphoma characterized by a small number of malignant HRS cells among a major population of infiltrating reactive cells, e.g., lymphocytes and eosinophils.

Recurrent rectal cancer. The pre-irradiated primary tumour: can more radiotherapy be given?

Local recurrence of rectal cancer after combined radiation and adequate surgery is fortunately rare. It is difficult to manage and most patients have disseminated disease. The treatment possibilities were reviewed based upon a literature search and our own experience.

Immunization of colorectal carcinoma patients with a recombinant canarypox virus expressing the tumor antigen Ep-CAM/KSA (ALVAC-KSA) and granulocyte macrophage colony- stimulating factor induced a tumor-specific cellular immune response.

Purpose: Colorectal carcinoma cells express the tumor-associated antigen epithelial cellular adhesion molecule (Ep-CAM)/KSA. Passive immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies using this antigen has shown promising results. Ep-CAM might also be a target for active specific immunotherapy.

5-FU split dose; a phase I/II and pharmacokinetic study of a different schedule of the Nordic regimen in advanced colorectal carcinoma.

Purpose: Despite more than four decades of fluoro-pyrimidine treatment in different cancers, the optimal schedule is still not known. The plasma half-life of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) is extremely short and continuous infusion has gained popularity. In this study we explored whether repeated bolus 5-FU injections could improve the results.

p53 status and its in vitro relationship to radiosensitivity and chemosensitivity in lung cancer.

The following study was designed to investigate if mutations within the p53 gene are associated with radiation responsiveness or response to different cytotoxic drugs. Nine human lung cancer cell lines were examined (four SCLC and five NSCLC cell lines). cDNA-based sequencing of the entire p53 gene was performed.

The potential of proton and light ion beams in radiotherapy.

In an investigation by the Swedish Cancer Society, the present status, critical issues and future aspects and potentials were described by an expert group for each of nine major areas of radiation therapy research. The present report deals with the potential of proton and light ion beams in radiotherapy.

Role of adjuvant chemoradiotherapy for abdominal malignancies.

The rationale for combining surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy is discussed and the clinical results seen with surgery and adjuvant radiochemotherapy in three major abdominal malignancies are reviewed. A systematic approach to the literature was used. In rectal cancer, postoperative radiochemotherapy is an established treatment, although there is weak scientific support for the combined approach.

Treatment of cultured glioma cells with the EGFR-TKI gefitinib ("Iressa", ZD1839) increases the uptake of astatinated EGF despite the absence of gefitinib-mediated growth inhibition.

The EGFR-TKI (epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor) gefitinib ("Iressa", ZD1839), a reversible growth inhibitor of EGFR-expressing tumour cells, has been shown to enhance the antitumour effect of ionising radiation, and also to increase the uptake of radioiodinated EGF. Thus, combination of gefitinib treatment and radionuclide targeting is an interesting option for therapy of brain tumours that are difficult to treat with conventional methods. The aim of this study was to evaluate how pre-treatment with gefitinib affects binding of astatinated EGF ((211)At-EGF) to cultured glioma U343 cells, which express high levels of EGFR.

Palliative treatment of patients with colorectal cancer.

Background: Metastatic colorectal cancer has a poor prognosis, and the majority of patients are left with palliative measures. The development seen using palliative chemotherapy is reviewed.

Material And Methods: A systematic approach to the literature-based evidence was aimed at.

Targeting peptides and positron emission tomography.

Biologically active peptides have during the last decades made their way into conventional nuclear medicine diagnosis using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and gamma-camera. Several clinical trails are also investigating the role of radiolabeled peptides for targeting radionuclide therapy. This has raised the question as to whether positron emission tomography (PET) can be used in order to obtain better quantitative information of the peptide distribution in tumor and healthy organs, i.