Early changes in flow cytometric DNA profiles induced by californium-252 neutron brachytherapy in squamocellular carcinomas of the uterine cervix.

Ninety-five squamocellular carcinomas of the uterine cervix, clinical Stages II and III, were treated by either four schedules combining 252-californium neutron-gamma-radiotherapy with different proportions of a neutron component (9, 6 and 3 Gy) or gamma-irradiation alone. Flow cytometric DNA profiles were obtainable in 72 cases before treatment and 56 cases were monitored for DNA content by flow cytometry (FCM) in weekly intervals by analysis of sequential microbiopsies for one month during and after radiotherapy. DNA aneuploidy was reduced from 40% (25/63) to 19% (9/47) one week within therapy in neutron-treated groups, but not after initial gamma-radiotherapy alone. Extinction of DNA aneuploid subpopulations occurred after neutron therapy in all remaining aneuploid tumors (9/9) during further monitoring, but only in 40% (2/5) of tumors after sole gamma-irradiation. In contrast, proliferation index by more than 50% was more often achieved in groups with a higher gamma-radiation component than after neutrons only. When all therapy-induced DNA flow cytometric events are taken together for evaluation of the effects of various radiotherapy schedules, it appears that the regimen with the maximal neutron dose may not be optimal for all tumors. It is hypothesized that the differences in the early flow cytometric DNA profiles may select the DNA aneuploid squamous cell uterine cervical carcinomas as candidates for combined neutron-brachytherapy, while highly proliferating DNA near-diploid tumors may profit more from treatment with a higher gamma-radiotherapy component. However, these early DNA flow cytometric findings need to be correlated with clinical course of the disease to validate this hypothesis, a process which will be completed at the end of the expected five-year clinical outcome in 2000.

Apoptotic damage of DNA in human leukaemic HL-60 cells treated with C2-ceramide was detected after G1 blockade of the cell cycle.

Apoptosis was induced by treatment of HL-60 cells with C2-ceramide. Apoptotic damage of DNA was detected according to the sub-G1 peak on a flow cytometer, according to the typical morphology and according to the DNA fragmentation "ladder" after gel electrophoresis. It was shown that the apoptotic cleavage followed after G1 blockade of the cell cycle. A high correlation coefficient (rs=0.957) was found between the percentages of G1 blocked cells and apoptotic cells. This high correlation together with the appearance of the sub-G1 peak suggests that the G1 blocked HL-60 cells were subject to apoptotic death. It is deduced that the mechanisms leading to G1 blockade of the cell cycle and activation of apoptosis in HL-60 cells are interconnected.

Significance of pre-treatment immunological parameters in colorectal cancer patients with unresectable metastases to the liver.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: In this study, we have compared the profiles of peripheral blood lymphocyte (PBL) subsets and serum cytokine levels of healthy individuals with those of patients with unresectable liver metastases from colorectal carcinoma before starting regional chemoimmunotherapy. Since the therapeutic responses are limited only to a subset of patients, we hypothesize that the initial status of immunity and individual immune response to a tumor might be significant to the therapeutic outcome. METHODOLOGY: Cellular and humoral immunological parameters were compared between 10 patients with colorectal cancer metastases to the liver responding and non-responding to regional intra-arterial chemo-immunotherapy, and 5 healty individuals. Analyses included a flow cytometric immunophenotyping of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (CD3, CD4, CD8, CD19, CD25, CD28, CD56, CD57, CD80 and HLA.DR), estimation of serum cytokine levels of interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-4 (IL-4), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), and other immunological parameters are soluble IL-2 receptor (sIL-2), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), gastrointestinal cancer-associated antigen (CA 19-9), and C-reactive acute phase protein (CRP). A significantly lower proportion of CD8 lymphocytes and a trend for decreased CD19, CD28 and CD80 was detected among colorectal cancer patients before liver-directed chemotherapy compared to healthy controls. RESULTS: The cancer patients showed a significantly increased population of peripheral NK cells as detected by both CD56+ and CD57+ phenotypes. Elevated serum levels of CRP, IL-4 and TNF-alpha, sIL-2R, but not IL-2, were also demonstrated in cancer patients as compared to controls. Activated CD25+ lymphocytes correlated negatively with CD28+ lymphocytes (r = -0.68, p < 0.01) and less significantly with CD4+ lymphocytes (r = -0.56, p < 0.05). The CD8+ cytotoxic cell subset might be negatively influenced by serum IL-4 (r = -0.57, p < 0.05). Positive correlation was found between sIL-2R and CRP (r = -0.78, p < 0.01), and between sIL-2R and TNF-alpha (r = 0.64, p < 0.05) serum levels in patients with progressive disease during the course of therapy, the initial proportions of CD4+, CD19+ and CD28+ lymphocytes were significantly lower than those among responders. Among humoral parameters, only sIL-2R showed a marginal correlation with therapeutic response, being more elevated among non-responding patients. Pre-treatment serum levels of CEA and CA 19-9 showed correlation with neither therapeutic response nor with any of the cellular or humoral immunological parameters analyzed. CONCLUSIONS: The results may serve as an initial guideline to open a discussion on the rationale of such a panel of tests, hopefully leading to standardized laboratory pre-selection and monitoring of patients treated with regional chemoimmunotherapy.

Oral spray immunization may be an alternative to intranasal vaccine delivery to induce systemic antibodies but not nasal mucosal or cellular immunity.

Sixty-five healthy adult volunteers were immunized four times at 1-week intervals with an inactivated whole-virus influenza vaccine based on the strain A/New Caledonia/20/99 (H1N1) without adjuvant. The vaccine was administered as nasal spray with a newly developed device to secure intranasal delivery (OptiMist, OptiNose AS, Oslo, Norway), as regular nasal spray, nasal drops or as an oral spray. Significant IgA-antibody responses in nasal secretions were induced in volunteers immunized intranasally but not after oral spray immunization. In saliva, IgA antibodies were only marginally amplified even after oral spray immunizations. At least 73% of the volunteers belonging to any group of vaccine delivery reached serum haemagglutination inhibition titres of 40 or higher, considered protective against influenza, after only two vaccine doses. Those who had the vaccine delivered intranasally also showed evidence from in vitro secretion of granzyme B that cytotoxic T cells had been stimulated. Although immunization with the breath-actuated OptiMist device and nasal drops were superior with respect to both mucosal and systemic immune responses, oral spray immunization might still be considered for studies of mucosal adjuvants that are not yet acceptable for intranasal use.

Immunoglobulin-A antibodies in upper airway secretions may inhibit intranasal influenza virus replication in mice but not protect against clinical illness.

Mice immunized intranasally with a formalin-inactivated A/PR/8/34 (H1N1) influenza whole virus vaccine adjuvanted with cholera toxin, outer membrane vesicles from group B meningococci or formalin-inactivated whole cell Bordetella pertussis were protected against replication of the homologous virus in the nasal cavity. Only some mice were protected against clinical illness measured as weight loss and lowered body temperature. All mice immunized subcutaneously with one-tenth the intranasal vaccine dose without adjuvant were protected against clinical illness but not against local mucosal viral replication. Replicating virus was primarily found in animals with low concentrations of immunoglobulin (Ig)-A antibodies in saliva regardless of concentrations of IgG antibodies in serum. Clinical illness was seen only in those with low serum antibodies regardless of antibody levels in saliva. Nonreplicating nasal vaccines may not be sufficiently protective unless they also have a substantial influence on systemic immunity.

Up-regulation of Fas (CD95) in human p53wild-type cancer cells treated with ionizing radiation.

Fas is a cell-surface protein which belongs to the tumor-necrosis-factor-receptor family. Signals through Fas are able to induce apoptosis in sensitive cells, and thus modalities for regulating the level of Fas expression on tumor cells are needed. We have studied cellular responses to gamma irradiation. The level of p53 tumor-suppressor protein was found to be elevated 3 hr after irradiation of p53wild-type MCF-7 breast-carcinoma cells. Interestingly, accumulation of p53 was followed by up-regulation of surface Fas levels between 4 and 8 hr after irradiation. The level of Fas up-regulation was dependent on dose and, whereas elevation in the level of p53 was transient, enhancement of Fas expression was stable. Fas up-regulation occurred coincidentally with induction of G1 cell-cycle arrest, a post-irradiation phenomenon known to be dependent on wild-type-p53 activity. We studied 9 other tumor lines, 2 with wild-type p53, 5 with mutant p53, and 2 expressing no p53. All lines expressing wild-type p53 were found to arrest in G1 and to up-regulate Fas after irradiation. In contrast, all 7 p53null and p53mutant lines failed not only to arrest their cell cycles in G1 phase, but also to up-regulate Fas levels in response to treatment. These findings demonstrate a direct correlation between wild-type-p53 activity and Fas up-regulation after treatment with ionizing radiation, strongly suggesting that post-irradiation Fas up-regulation is dependent on wild-type-p53 activity. Since low doses of radiation were sufficient to modulate Fas expression, up-regulation of the Fas death receptor may have clinical implications following radiotherapy.

Biomarkers for predicting response to regional chemo-immunotherapy in liver metastases from colorectal carcinoma.

Differences in therapeutic outcomes after regional chemotherapy or chemo-immunotherapy in liver metastases from colorectal carcinoma cannot be explained only by variations in the regimens of treatment. This study was undertaken to assess the potential of several tumor-associated markers of biological behavior (biomarkers) to predict therapeutic response in order to pre-select the best candidates for this demanding treatment. In a group of 21 patients, flow cytometric DNA ploidy provided the most accurate prediction, with a response rate of 88% in 8 DNA diploid tumors compared to 31% in 13 DNA aneuploid cases (P = 0.017) and a difference in overall survival of nine months (20.4 vs 11.3, P = 0.041). Only a slight trend towards improved response rate was observed when we immunohistochemically detected p53 anti-oncoprotein expression in 11 (52%) p53-positive tumors (P = 0.063). Other immunohistochemical biomarkers as P-glycoprotein (p170), p21/WAF, mdm2, c-erbB-2, and proliferative activity of tumor (detected either by anti-PCNA and anti-Ki67 monoclonal antibodies or as a flow cytometric proliferation index) were unrelated to the outcome of treatment. DNA ploidy and expression of p53 protein are potential biomarkers for predicting the response to regional chemotherapy of liver metastases from colorectal carcinoma.