[Cancer of the ovary. Comparative value of serum CA-125, immunochemistry and biological tests of inflammation]. / Cancer de l'ovaire. Intérêt comparé du Ca-125 sérique de l'immunohistochimie et des tests biologiques de l'inflammation.

The marker CA-125 is not specific of malignant ovarian tumors but, when its titration is positive, its evolution permits to follow correctly the development of the tumor. The authors report their experience with 180 titrations coupled with the titration of inflammation markers.

Transferrin receptors in cultured breast cancer cells.

Transferrin receptors were demonstrated on the cell membrane of breast cancer epithelial cells in primary or long-term culture. Diferric transferrin binding was saturable, specific and was not related to DNA content or clinical and histological features of the tumour. However a good correlation (p less than 0.01) was found between transferrin binding and thymidine incorporation. These results suggest the possibility of transferrin receptor measurement as a reflection of the proliferative activity of cultured breast tumour cells.

Lymphocytes T and pharmacokinetics after a single oral dose of levamisole in healthy and cancer subjects.

Levamisole, an anthelmintic drug with immunopotentiating activity, is shown to have variable effects on cell-mediated immunity. We have studied the effect of a single oral dose (2.5 mg/kg or 5 mg/kg) on early and spontaneous E rosettes percentages in healthy and cancer patients. Pharmacokinetic study of this compound was conducted in parallel. The results indicated that single administration of levamisole (2.5 mg/kg) in healthy men can promote an increase of early E rosettes with mean peak plasma level of 0.8 micrograms. ml-1. On the other hand, there was no change in the proportion of early E rosettes in cancer patients and in the proportion of spontaneous E rosettes in healthy and cancer subjects.

[Cytological diagnosis by punction of thyroid lesions. Histopathological correlations. Benign lesions (600 cases) (author's transl)]. / La cyto-ponction des lésions thyroïdiennes. Confrontations anatomo-pathologiques. Lésions bénignes (600 observations).

Because of its important and its soft consistency, the thyroid is not always convenient for punction. Many smears cannot be classified, others are disappointing. The analysis of 2,300 punctions of thyroid lesions, allowed the authors to realise 900 comparisons between histopathological and cytological results. Among 300 histological malignant lesions, 89 unknown cancers were found, 40 of which gave haemorragic smears. The real false diagnosis were especially linked to vesicular and papillary carcinomas. On the other hand, undifferentiated carcinomas and lymphomas usually led to a correct interpretation. A correct diagnosis was made in 70% of all smears and in 81% of interpretable smears. The best results are found in benign lesions. The interpretation is correct in 94% of 600 punctions. A false diagnosis of malignancy is made in 6.1% of cases. So, this method fails to recognize an important number of cancers. It is not sufficient to assert the diagnosis and must be followed by an histopathological per-operatoire study. On the other hand a cytological diagnosis of cancer is reliable as long as the cytologist is not impressed by some cellular changes which are not so significant, as far as thyroid lesions are concerned, as in other fields of cytology.