Cancer incidence and geochemical factors in the environment.

Between 1961 and 1987, 9875 cases of cancer were registered in the district of Zdar nad Sazavou in southern Czechoslovakia; this district covers an area of 1627 km2 and has a population of 125,000 living within 197 identifiable communities. The age-standardized cancer incidence (standardized incidence rate, SIR) for selected cancers was calculated for each of the 197 communities. Five distinct geological areas were identified in the district; the percentages of the communities with a high incidence of cancer in each of these five areas were compared and statistically tested.

A series of 14 new monoclonal antibodies to keratins: characterization and value in diagnostic histopathology.

A series of 14 new mouse monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to keratins is described and the data suggesting their potential value in the differential diagnosis of human tumours are reported. The specificities of individual MAbs of the 'C-series' presented here range from monospecificity for keratin No. 7 (MAbs C-18, C-35, C-62, and C-68), keratin No.

Polyclonal antibodies to human milk caseins.

Preparations of total human casein and its individual fractions were isolated for production of specific polyclonal antibodies. Immunization procedures used differed in the schedule for antigen administration, antigen concentrations, degree of additional purification, and modification of the size of molecules. Immunoprecipitation techniques failed to provide an unambiguous proof of the presence of antibodies to human milk caseins in antisera even after immunization of animals phylogenetically considerably different from man.

Histological grading and DNA content as predictors of distant metastases in squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix.

Squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix with distant metastases can be treated by adjuvant chemotherapy. The at-risk patients are those with histologically proven metastases, the presence of tumour in paracervical tissue and parametrium, evidence of vascular invasion, a great depth of invasion, or poor tumour differentiation. Our studies lead us to believe that differentiation and DNA content are also important criteria.

Phyllogenetically conserved epitopes of the keratin 8 polypeptide recognized by a novel set of monoclonal antibodies.

In an attempt to raise a set of monoclonal antibody (MAb) probes for the study of biology and diagnostic value of human keratin No. 8, a series of hybridomas was prepared and their characteristics investigated by immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting. The polypeptide specificities of individual MAbs ranged from monospecificity for keratin No.

Effects of tissue fixation conditions and protease pretreatment on immunohistochemical performance of a large series of new anti-keratin monoclonal antibodies: value in oncopathology.

A comparative study with 21 recently raised monoclonal antibodies (3 of which are reported here for the first time) to human keratin polypeptides was performed on a wide range of paraffin-embedded tissues and tumors, aimed at the examination of effects of four different fixatives and protease pretreatment on the immunohistochemical detection of keratins. Our data demonstrated that: (a) formaldehyde-based fixatives modified by acidification and/or addition of methanol gave results superior to those achieved by routinely used formol saline; (b) relatively rare antibodies (4 out of 21) could be identified which gave reliable immunostaining patterns even on routine formalin-fixed material; (c) a proteolytic digestion step preceding the immunostaining was beneficial for the performance of the majority of antibodies in our panel. Additional options which could potentially lead to further improvement of keratin immunohistochemistry in paraffin embedded specimens are also suggested.

Do some malignant melanoma cells share antigens with the myeloid monocyte lineage?

Melanoma cells freshly isolated from 63 advanced primary lesions and 103 metastases were analyzed by staining with monoclonal antibodies MEM 28 directed against a 200 kDa antigen present on all leukocytes and tissue macrophages (CD 45), MEM 18 directed against a monocyte antigen of 53 kDa, anti CD 14--Immunotech, Marseille and 3.9 directed against a 150 kDa antigen expressed on monocytes and to even greater degree on most tissue macrophages (CD 11 c). All antibodies showed variable reactivity with melanoma cells, percentage of positive tumor cells ranged from 0 to 70.

Asymmetric PCR-based strategy for genetic analysis of the p53 tumor suppressor gene in cell lines and tumor tissues.

A novel strategy for genetic analysis of the p53 tumor suppressor gene is described, based on direct sequencing of the asymmetric polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products. A set of 10 PCR primers was designed which allows to amplify and sequence highly conserved regions of the molecule, i.e.

Patterns of expression of the p53 tumour suppressor in human breast tissues and tumours in situ and in vitro.

An extensive series of histological sections reflecting the various states of normal breast tissue, and a range of benign and malignant lesions, were examined for the expression of the p53 protein using a panel of anti-p53 antibodies. In 2 separate series the results of using frozen or methacarn-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections were compared. Strong positive staining for p53 was detected in over 50% of the malignant lesions when frozen sections were used.

Hypoxyradiotherapy of uterine cervix cancer to decrease of acute side-effects and treatment complications.

The authors have reported on preliminary results of hypoxyradiotherapy in the course of external irradiation in patients with uterine cervix cancer from a view-point of the occurrence of acute reactions and treatment complications. A mixture of nitrogen and oxygen containing 8.0 to 8.

Tumor response and treatment complications in radiotherapy of localized prostate cancer.

The response of primary tumor to definitive radiation therapy and treatment related morbidity has been analysed in a group of 35 patients. All of them were treated with 20 MeV photon beam to a total dose of 67 to 71 Gy to the prostate. The effect of radiotherapy to a primary tumor were evaluated by means of repeated CT examination of the tumor volume.

Complications of radiotherapy of uterine cervix carcinoma.

The retrospective analysis of 242 patients treated for uterine cervix cancer at VUKEO Brno within 1977-1982 has been realized. The patients being only treated with radiotherapy alone using the external 42 MeV X-ray betatron beam irradiation of the pelvis, and the vaginal and intrauterine application of 226Ra, were included in this study. The complications of therapy were evaluated in accordance with the grade of severity, location and time of their source.

Ovarian malignancies in the Czech Cancer Registry.

This report is a summary of epidemiological survey of ovarian cancer in the Czech Socialist Republic (CSR) during the period of 1977--1985; the incidence and mortality data have been recorded since the sixties up to the present. In 1985 we also described the morphology types and calculated the estimates of lifetime risk. All conventional epidemiological indicators are discussed and the geographic variations and international comparisons are presented together with the known risk factors and survival.

Calculation of radiation doses in critical organs compared with in vivo dosimetry during brachytherapy of carcinoma of the uterine cervix.

In a group of 38 patients with carcinoma of the uterine cervix, radiation doses were measured by thermoluminiscent dosimeters (TLDs) placed in catheters introduced into the urinary bladder and rectum during a 24 h uterovaginal application of 226Ra. The values of radiation doses registered by the TLDs were compared to those calculated from roentgenograms made after 24 h. To calculate the radiation doses, we used the program Brachy 9.

Multinucleated tumor cells and malignant melanoma.

Multinucleated cells (MC) were counted in cell preparations obtained by dissociation of representative part of tumor lesions immediately after excision. MC were present in almost all specimens examined (39 advanced primary lesions, 90 lymph node metastases and 33 dermal plus subcutaneous metastases); in one third of the samples they were very rare (less than 1% of all cells). There were no significant differences in quantity of MC between primary tumors, node metastases and dermal plus subcutaneous metastases, between node metastases seen early in the course of the disease and those seen later, and between regional node metastases taken from Stage II patients with rapidly progressing disease and regional node metastases taken from patients of the same stage whose disease-free intervals were longer.

A panel of monoclonal antibodies to keratin no. 7: characterization and value in tumor diagnosis.

Reactivity patterns of seven mouse monoclonal antibodies to human keratin 7 were compared using immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry on cultured cells and normal human and animal tissues. Differences in keratin specificities as determined by two-dimensional immunoblots and interspecies cross-reactivity data on 8 mammalian species suggest that at least six nonidentical epitopes of the keratin 7 molecule are recognized by this panel of reagents. Immunohistochemical examination of a panel of various human neoplasms with monoclonal antibodies monospecific for keratins 7, 18 and 19 revealed potential value of keratin subtyping in differential diagnosis of tumors in general and in subclassification of carcinomas in particular.

Effect of small doses of 252Cf on the tumour regression in cervix uteri during combined radiotherapy.

The results of a randomized study on the regression rate of the cervix uteri tumour for a group of 56 patients, investigated during and after radiotherapy with 2 Gy dose of the 252Cf neutron component applied by means of intracavitary therapy at the beginning of the therapeutic cure are presented and compared with the conventional 226Ra therapy. It was found that the tumour regression curve after 252Cf irradiation is significantly steeper than the curve of the control group. The quantitative evaluation of the results regarding the time required for a 50% regression of the original tumour shows that a group of patients treated by 252Cf needs a 27 days' cure in comparison with 40 days' cure for patients treated only by gamma radiation.

High dose alpha-2-recombinant interferon in the treatment of malignant lymphoproliferative diseases. A pilot study.

In the presented clinical study, 10 patients with malignant lymphoproliferative diseases (2 with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, 3 with Hodgkin's disease, and 5 with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma), resistant to standard therapy, were administered alpha-2-recombinant interferon at a dosage of 120 x 10(6) IU as a continuous 48 h i.v. infusion.

Epidemiological aspects of childhood cancer incidence in Czech regions.

In this descriptive epidemiological report a total of 5100 childhood malignancies registered in Czech regions during the period of 1963-1985 was analyzed. The incidence of these tumors compared in years of this time period has been relatively constant, we did not find any significant changes in trends. That is why the average annual incidence rate, i.

HLA-DR antigen expression on melanoma metastases and the course of the disease.

Melanoma cells freshly isolated from regional lymph node metastases of 59 stage II malignant melanoma patients were analyzed by indirect immunofluorescence staining with monoclonal antibody TAL 1B5, detecting the HLA-DR alpha chain. The expression of HLA-A,B,C antigens, using antibody W6/32, was also investigated in 45 of these cases. There were no substantial differences in the course of the disease with respect to the percentage of positive cells.

Complex biochemical analysis of human breast tumor tissue.

The quantitative biochemical analysis of tissue specimens from 76 human breast carcinomas consisted of examination for cytosolic estrogen receptors (cER), nuclear estrogen receptors (nER), progesterone receptors (PgR), 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol receptors (DR), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), alpha-lactalbumin (aLA), and gamma-glutamyl transferase (gGT). The highest incidence was found in CEA (76%), DR (70%), and aLA (62%). There was a high percentage of tumors containing only DR, in contrast to the tumors containing only cER or PgR.

Immunohistochemical localization of alpha-lactalbumin in human breast cancer tissue.

One hundred and eleven formalin-fixed breast cancer tissue samples were examined for the presence of alpha-lactalbumin using our polyclonal antibodies to this specific milk protein. Alpha-lactalbumin was shown to be present in 67 tumor samples (60%), in 15% of cases the occurrence of alpha-lactalbumin was questionable. No relationship was found between alpha-lactalbumin positivity and the histological type of the tumor, differentiation grading, type of invasivity, or stromal reactivity.

Phenotypic variability of chemically induced primary rat mammary tumors.

Rat mammary tumors induced by DMBA (7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene) or MNU (N-methyl-N-nitrosourea) were compared for frequency of histological types. Total tumor incidence in 50-day-old rats (Groups 3, 4, 5) was about 100% independently of the rat strain and carcinogen. There were found no distinct histological tumor types between DMBA and MNU carcinogenesis, although the distribution of fibroadenomas, adenocarcinomas and sarcomas varied markedly among rat groups.

Monoclonal antibodies recognizing different epitopes of cytokeratin No.18.

A comparative study of six mouse monoclonal antibodies against human 45 kDa keratin polypeptide (keratin No. 18) was undertaken using three experimental approaches: immunohistochemistry on normal human tissues, examination of interspecies cross-reactivity and identification of the target polypeptides in 1-D and 2-D immunoblots. The data suggest that at least five different antigenic sites of keratin 18 are recognized by this panel of reagents.

Novel monoclonal antibodies defining epitope of human cytokeratin 18 molecule.

Two monoclonal antibodies, DA7 and DC10, were obtained from fusions of mouse myeloma cells with splenic lymphocytes from mice immunized with human breast cancer cells of PMC 42 line. The indirect immunofluorescence studies performed on established tumor cell lines together with immunoperoxidase staining of normal human tissues showed that the components reacting with the antibodies were cytokeratins. Positive reaction was noted in all epithelia derived cultured cells and in all simple epithelial tissues known to express keratin 18.