The impact of radiation therapy on quality of life in patients with cancer.

Purpose: This study was conducted to evaluate the physical and mental status change during and after a course of radiation treatment in patients with cancer.

Description Of Study: Twenty-four patients with various malignant diseases were enrolled, including 9 men and 15 women, whose median age was 64.5, to receive radiation therapy.

Regulation of interleukin-13 receptor constituents on mature human B lymphocytes.

Human B cells stimulated through both their immunoglobulin and CD40 receptors up-regulate 745 +/- 51 interleukin (IL)-13 ligand binding sites with an affinity of 0.91 +/- 0.08 nM within 24 h.

Concurrent platinum-based chemotherapy and hyperfractionated radiotherapy with late intensification in advanced head and neck cancer.

Purpose: To determine whether a course of hyperfractionated radiation therapy concomitant with escalated radiosensitizing platinum compounds can be administered with acceptable morbidity and achieve a high rate of loco-regional control for Stage III and IV head and neck cancer and whether the patients can be tumor free at the primary site after initial therapy and cured by the additional chemoradiation without radical resection of the primary tumor.

Methods And Materials: Patients with Stage III/IV head and neck cancer were treated in this multicenter Phase II Study with 1.8 Gy fraction radiotherapy for 2 weeks, with escalation to 1.

Low acute gastrointestinal and genitourinary toxicities in whole pelvic irradiation of prostate cancer.

Purpose: This retrospective study was done to determine the frequency and severity of acute gastrointestinal (GI) and genitourinary (GU) toxicity associated with whole pelvic radiotherapy of localized prostate cancer.

Methods And Materials: Between 1989 and 1994, we treated 156 patients with localized prostate cancer, ranging in age from 54 to 86 (median 71), of which 86 were older than 70 years of age. No attempt at selection was made, and many were from the Veteran's Administration Hospital where they had been precluded from their surgical program because of comorbidities and/or advanced age.

CD45-associated protein is a lymphocyte-specific membrane protein expressed in two distinct forms.

CD45-AP is a recently identified CD45-associated protein. The two proteins interact specifically through their respective transmembrane segments. Northern hybridization analysis of CD45+ T lymphocytes and their CD45- variants demonstrated that the production of CD45-AP and CD45 mRNA is regulated independently.

Characterization of a new isoform of the NFAT (nuclear factor of activated T cells) gene family member NFATc.

The cyclosporin A (CsA)/FK506-sensitive nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) plays a key role in the inducible expression of cytokine genes in T cells. Although NFAT has been recently shown to be inducible in several non-T immune cells, the NFAT gene family members characterized to date have been isolated only from T cells. To further characterize NFAT function in human B cells and to demonstrate cytokine gene specificity of NFAT proteins, we report here the isolation and characterization of a cDNA clone from the Raji B cell line.

Characterization of the interaction between CD45 and CD45-AP.

CD45, a leukocyte-specific transmembrane protein tyrosine phosphatase, is required for critical signal transduction pathways in immune responses. To elucidate the molecular interactions of CD45 with other proteins involved in CD45-mediated signal transduction pathways, we have recently cloned a 30-kDa phosphorylated protein, CD45-AP, which specifically associates with CD45. Binding analysis employing several deleted or chimeric forms of CD45-AP and CD45 demonstrated that the potential transmembrane segment of CD45-AP bound to the transmembrane portion of CD45.

Phosphorylation of the transcription factor NFATp inhibits its DNA binding activity in cyclosporin A-treated human B and T cells.

Cyclosporin A (CsA) exerts its immunosuppressive effect by inhibiting the activity of nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT), thus preventing transcriptional induction of several cytokine genes. This effect is thought to be largely mediated through inactivation of the phosphatase calcineurin, which in turn inhibits translocation of an NFAT component to the nucleus. Here we report that CsA treatment of Raji B and Jurkat T cell lines yields a phosphorylated form of NFATp that is inhibited in DNA-binding and in its ability to form an NFAT complex with Fos and Jun.

Latent membrane protein-1 induces cyclin D2 expression, pRb hyperphosphorylation, and loss of TGF-beta 1-mediated growth inhibition in EBV-positive B cells.

The normal cell cycle is regulated by several molecules, such as the tumor-suppressor protein pRb, the G1 cyclins, the cyclin-dependent kinases, and their inhibitors. These regulators are targeted by negative growth regulatory signals, such as that provided by TGF-beta. Here, we show that the presence of either wild-type EBV or its transforming latent membrane protein-1 (LMP-1) results in the loss of TGF-beta 1-mediated growth inhibition in human B cells.

Concurrent cis-platinum and radiation with or without surgery for advanced head and neck cancer.

Purpose: This study was undertaken to assess the efficacy of concurrent cis-platinum and radiation in patients with advanced head and neck cancer and to determine if patients responding to the preoperative regimens may be cured without radical surgery.

Methods And Materials: One hundred and one patients with potentially operable Stage III and IV squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck received 45 Gy at 1.8 Gy fractions and continuous infusion cis-platinum 20 mg/m2 over 24 h on days 1 through 4 and 22 through 25 of the radiation schedule.

Tumor-associated antigens recognized by human monoclonal antibodies.

Background: Nonhuman monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) of desired specificities have been studied in cancer treatment and tumor targeting with minimal success. Attempts of using humanized chimeric antibodies have not improved significantly their clinical applications. We have engaged in the development of human MoAbs by incorporating the in vitro immunization protocols to the nodal lymphocytes of cancer patients.

AgSK1, a novel carcinoma associated antigen.

An IgM human monoclonal antibody (HuMAb) SK1 was generated from mesenteric nodal lymphocytes of a colon cancer patient that were fused with a human B-lymphoblastoid cell line SHFP-1. The reactivities of HuMAb SK1 to various human cell lines were screened by cell enzyme linked immunosorbent assay and immunocytochemical staining. The HuMAb SK1 reacted strongly with all 11 human carcinoma cell lines that were tested and had no detectable binding with noncarcinoma cell lines of the following origins: fibroblast; fetal lung; melanoma; soft tissue sarcoma; neuroblastoma; and glioblastoma.

Evidence for monomeric and dimeric forms of CD45 associated with a 30-kDa phosphorylated protein.

Glycoprotein CD45, a transmembrane protein tyrosine phosphatase of leukocytes, is topographically similar to the epidermal growth factor receptor, a transmembrane tyrosine kinase. Since the latter is thought to be allosterically regulated through conversion between monomeric and dimeric forms, we sought to determine whether CD45 undergoes similar oligomerization. Our analysis, employing a thiol-cleavable and homobifunctional chemical cross-linker, dithiobis succinimidyl propionate, revealed that CD45 indeed formed homodimers.

Loss of transforming growth factor beta 1 receptors and its effects on the growth of EBV-transformed human B cells.

Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) is a potent negative regulator of normal human B cell growth mediated by exogenous signals, including IL-2 and low m.w. B cell growth factor 12 kDa (BCGF-12 kDa).