ABSTRACT
Peripheral T lymphocytes from 31 patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), and from a group of controls of the same age range, were stained using monoclonal antibodies of the OKT series. The absolute number and the percentage of OKT3+ cells did not differ in patients compared with the controls. The percentage and absolute number of T-cell subsets with helper/inducer OKT4+ and suppressor/cytotoxic OKT8+ phenotype were not different from those of the controls, thus the OKT4/OKT8 ratio in the patients with MGUS was normal (1.60 versus 1.57 in normal controls). These results suggest that MGUS is a B-cell disorder without imbalance of peripheral T-cell subsets unlike B-cell malignancies such as multiple myeloma and B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
Subject(s)
Lymphoproliferative Disorders/immunology , T-Lymphocytes/classification , Aged , Antibodies, Monoclonal , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer/immunology , T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/immunologyABSTRACT
Two hundred and twenty-one hospitalized patients underwent serum determination of CA 19-9, a recently developed tumor marker assay, and CEA. Among these, 53 had a gastrointestinal (GI) cancer, 59 a GI benign disease, 52 a non-GI cancer, and 57 a non-GI benign disease. CA 19-9 assay was more accurate than CEA to detect malignancy, especially of GI source (69.8% sensitivity vs. 24.5% in GI patients); when a cutoff level of 41 ng/ml for CA 19-9 was considered, only 6 false-positive cases were found and both markers showed excellent specificity (94.9% for CEA and 89.9% for CA 19-9 in gastric, hepatobiliary and pancreatic cancer). We conclude that CA 19-9 is a useful GI tumor marker and it seems to be better than CEA in some pathologic situations.
Subject(s)
Antigens, Neoplasm/analysis , Carcinoembryonic Antigen/analysis , Neoplasms/diagnosis , Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate , Gastrointestinal Neoplasms/diagnosis , HumansSubject(s)
Carotid Sinus , Electrocardiography/methods , Pacemaker, Artificial , Syncope/etiology , Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Monitoring, Physiologic , Syncope/prevention & control , SyndromeABSTRACT
Anaplastic myeloma represents a rare variety of multiple myeloma, with poor prognosis and no response to therapy. 56 cases reported in the literature are reviewed and one case evaluated with immunohistochemical techniques is described. This case is of special interest in the following points: the anaplastic myeloma arose in extramedullary sites in a patient with typical multiple myeloma in remission; differential histological diagnosis between anaplastic myeloma and immunoblastic lymphoma was very difficult without immunohistochemical techniques; the anaplastic phase presented an atypical neurologic feature, the Collet-Sicard syndrome, and the treatment with radio-chemotherapy (including adriamycin) did not induce any clinical improvement.