Carcinoembryonic antigen levels of peripheral and draining venous blood in patients with colorectal cancer. Correlation with survival.

Correlations between preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels of peripheral (p-CEA) and draining blood (d-CEA), the CEA gradient between d-CEA and p-CEA (d-p CEA gradient) levels, and survival after resection of cancer lesions were examined in 94 patients with colorectal cancer. Survival rates of patients with normal p-CEA and d-CEA levels and d-p CEA gradient levels (less than 5 ng/ml) were significantly better than those of patients with abnormal levels (greater than or equal to 5 ng/ml), and the 5-year survival rates were, respectively, 62%, 69%, and 72% in the former and 42%, 41%, and 35% in the latter. The differences in the 5-year survival rates between patients with normal and abnormal d-p CEA gradient, d-CEA, and p-CEA levels were 37%, 28%, and 20%, respectively. Furthermore, the positive rates of d-CEA levels (64%) and d-p CEA gradient levels (48%) were higher than that of p-CEA levels (36%). However, some significant differences in background variables also were found between the respective groups of patients with normal and abnormal p-CEA and d-CEA levels and d-p CEA gradient levels. These results suggest that patients with poor prognoses are examined more effectively by determining their d-p CEA gradient and d-CEA levels than their p-CEA levels, and that CEA may be expressed as a quantitative sum total of various pathophysiologic variables of patients with colorectal cancer but not as an independent prognostic variable.     

Higher oxidation and lower antioxidant levels in peripheral blood plasma and bone marrow plasma from advanced cancer patients

BACKGROUND: Bone marrow (BM) is an important tissue in the generation of immunocompetent and peripheral blood cells. The precursors of hematopoietic cells in BM undergo continuous proliferation and differentiation and are highly vulnerable to acute and chronic oxidative stress. Little is known about the oxidant and antioxidant status in the BM of untreated patients with nonhematologic tumors. In this study, oxidative stress was evaluated in peripheral blood plasma (PBP) and BM plasma (BMP) from lung carcinoma (LC) and breast carcinoma (BC) patients. METHODS: The sample included 13 consecutive untreated LC patients, 15 BC patients, and 11 healthy controls. Luminol-dependent chemiluminescence was used to evaluate oxygen radical generation by peripheral blood neutrophils. Lipid oxidation, assessed by 2-thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), and alpha-tocopherol, beta-carotene, and total ubiquinol-10 levels were determined in PBP and BMP. RESULTS: In LC and BC patients, neutrophil chemiluminescence was higher (128% and 264%, respectively) than in controls (P < 0.05). In cancer patients, TBARS levels were higher in both PBP (51% and 243% for LC and BC patients, respectively) and BMP (66% and 305% for LC and BC patients, respectively) than in plasma from controls (P < 0.01). alpha-Tocopherol and total ubiquinol-10 levels were significantly lower in BMP from BC patients compared with controls. In BC patients, alpha-tocopherol content in PBP was significantly lower than in controls. CONCLUSIONS: Untreated cancer patients presented an imbalance between oxidant generation and lipid-soluble antioxidant levels in favor of the former.     

Prostate cancer and other xenografts from cells in peripheral blood of patients

Good models for the investigation of human prostate cancer are few. Cells from approximately 9.2-21 ml of peripheral blood from patients with metastatic prostate cancer or metastatic colon cancer were injected s.c. into nude mice. Prostate cancer from 2 of 11 patients and colon cancer from 1 of 3 patients were found to be growing as metastases in the lungs of the nude mice. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the formation of xenografts from carcinoma cells taken directly from the peripheral blood of patients. Expanding circulating cancer cells with this approach may have important translational applications including: (a) development of models of human cancers; and (b) sampling of cancers from specific patients for novel molecular and therapeutic approaches.     

胃癌患者外周血干扰素水平的变化及其临床意义

目的：检测胃癌患者外周血各类干扰素（Interferon,IFN）水平,探讨其与临床病理特征的关系。方法：收集天津医科大学附属肿瘤医院胃部肿瘤科2012年3月至2012年5月收治的47例初治胃腺癌患者外周血,以同期收集的25例健康人外周血为对照,ELISA法检测血清中IFN-α、IFN-β、IFN-γ、IFN-λ1以及IFN-λ2/3含量,分析各类IFN含量与患者性别、年龄、肿瘤分化程度、原发部位及各项生化指标间的相关性。结果：与健康对照相比,IFN-β在Ⅰ、Ⅱ期胃癌中表达升高（P=0009）,IFN-λ1在Ⅲ、Ⅳ期胃癌中表达下降（P<0.001）,而IFN-γ和λ2/3在Ⅲ、Ⅳ期胃癌中表达升高（P=0.029;P=0.004）。IFN-α、β含量与肿瘤发生部位有密切关系（P=0.003;P=0.004）;IFN-γ与LDH水平密切相关（P=0.013）。结论：胃癌患者外周血中不同IFN亚型呈现不同的表达变化,其变化与胃癌发生部位、分期及LDH水平相关,提示IFN家族成员可能对肿瘤的发生发展发挥各自的作用。     

Increase of regulatory T cells in the peripheral blood of cancer patients.

PURPOSE: T cells constitutively expressing both CD4 and CD25are essential for maintenance of self-tolerance and therefore have been referred to as regulatory T cells (Treg). Experimental tumor models in mice revealed that Tregs are potent inhibitors of an antitumor immune response. The current study was designed to determine whether cancer patients exhibit an expanded Treg pool. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: The frequency of Tregs in the peripheral blood of 42 patients suffering from epithelial malignancies and from 34 healthy controls was determined by flow cytometry. The immunoregulatory properties of CD4(+)CD25(+) and CD4(+)CD25(-) T cells were characterized by proliferation and suppression assays. Cocultures with natural killer (NK) cells were performed to determine the impact of Tregs on NK-mediated cytotoxicity. RESULTS: Patients with epithelial malignancies show an increase of CD4(+)CD25(+) T cells in the peripheral blood with characteristics of Tregs, i.e., they are CD45RA(-), CTLA-4(+), and transforming growth factor beta(+). Notably, CD4(+) T cells from cancer patients are characterized by an impaired proliferative capacity, which is restored to the extend of CD25-depleted CD4(+) T cells from control persons by prior removal of CD25(+) T cells. In contrast to CD4(+)CD25(-) T cells, isolated CD4(+)CD25(+) T cells from cancer patients were anergic towards T cell receptor stimulation. In addition, CD4(+)CD25(+) T cells suppressed the proliferation of CD4(+)CD25(-) T cells. When cultured together with CD56(+) NK-cells, CD4(+)CD25(+) T cells from cancer patients effectively inhibited NK-cell-mediated cytotoxicity. CONCLUSIONS: Thus, we provide evidence of an increased pool of CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory T cells in the peripheral blood of cancer patients with potent immunosuppressive features. These findings should be considered for the design of immunomodulatory therapies such as dendritic cell vaccination.     

N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase of peripheral blood lymphocytes in patients with cancer of the larynx.

In 20 men, age 35 to 55 years, with cancer of the larynx of N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase in peripheral blood lymphocytes was determined cytochemically according to Hayashi's method. Numbers of enzyme-positive cells were counted with regard to the type of cytochemical reaction (granular, granular-diffuse, or diffuse), and to the number of enzyme-positive lysosomal granules within a single cell. In comparison to 20 healthy men, age 20 to 30 years, the following changes were noted in the patients: 1) the decrease of the total count of enzyme-negative lymphocytes; 2) the decrease of the total count of lymphocytes with granular type of reaction; 3) the increase of the counts of lymphocytes with granular-diffuse and diffuse type of reaction. The authors suggest that these changes could be related to the immune reaction of specific tumor antigens.     

Comparison of carcinoembryonic antigen levels between portal and peripheral blood in patients with colorectal cancer. Correlation with histopathologic variables

Correlation between carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels of peripheral and portal blood, and eight histopathologic variables, was examined in 66 patients with colorectal cancer. The change in CEA levels in the portal blood of 40 patients during operation was also examined in relation to histopathologic variables. CEA levels of portal blood (with a mean of 26.6 ng/ml and positive rate greater than 5 ng/ml, 59.1%) were significantly higher than those of peripheral blood (8.1 ng/ml, 33.3%). Elevation of CEA levels in portal and peripheral blood was most highly correlated with the venous invasion. Although the levels in the portal blood were related to six other histopathologic variables including tumor size, tumor differentiation, node metastasis, lymphatic invasion, invasive layer of the colorectal wall, and Dukes' classification except tumor location. CEA levels rose from 19.4 ng/ml and 40% to 43.6 ng/ml and 90.2% respectively following operative stimuli to cancer lesions with venous invasion. However, the levels did not rise in the lesions without the invasion. CEA levels of peripheral blood were as low as 5 ng/ml in three out of eight patients with liver metastasis. However, the levels in portal blood were much greater than 5 ng/ml in all of the patients. These results suggest that CEA may be hematogenously drained by the portal system via the draining vein from the cancer cells in the invasive veins but not by the thoracic duct of the lymphatic system.     

端粒酶活性在肺癌患者外周血中的表达研究

目的:通过测定肺癌患者、良性肺病患者和健康人外周血的端粒酶活性(TA),探讨其对肺癌的诊断价值.方法:采用PCR-TRAP-ELISA法检测42例肺癌患者、20例良性肺病患者和15例正常人外周血单个核细胞的TA表达.结果:肺癌组29例TA阳性(69.05%),OD值为0.45±0.37,良性肺病组2例TA呈阳性,OD值为0.11±0.06,而15例正常人全部呈阴性,OD值为0.08±0.03.血白细胞计数与TA检测结果无相关性.该法检测肺癌组TA特异度达90%,灵敏度为69.05%,TA表达的高低与临床分期呈明显正相关(r=0.585),与病理类型无相关性.结论:肺癌患者外周血单个核细胞TA阳性率高,可应用于肺癌的诊断,指导肺癌的治疗、预后判断等.     

食管癌组织与外周血RASSF 1A甲基化的检测及其临床意义

目的:通过对食管癌组织及同一患者对应的术前外周血中RASSF1A基因甲基化的检测,加深食管癌变分子机制的了解并为食管癌早期诊断和高危人群预警提供候选指标.方法:采用甲基化特异性PCR方法,分别检测来自食管癌高发区的30例食管癌患者血浆、肿瘤组织及癌旁正常组织中RASSF1A基因启动子甲基化状况.结果:食管癌组织RASSF1A甲基化阳性率为40%(12/30),而这12例癌组织甲基化阳性的患者其外周血甲基化阳性共7例,癌组织和外周血RASSF1A甲基化阳性一致率为58%(7/12),18例癌组织甲基化阴性的患者其外周血也均为阴性,阴性一致率为100%(18/18).癌旁正常食管组织甲基化率为13%(4/30),明显低于癌组织(40%,12/30),P<0.05.7例外周血甲基化阳性的患者中,淋巴结转移阳性5例(55%,5/9),阴性2例(10%,2/21),两者差异有统计学意义,P<0.05.低分化鳞癌的RASSF1A甲基化阳性率(83%,5/6)明显高于中分化鳞癌(24%,5/21),P<0.05.结论:外周血RASSF1A甲基化可以反映同一个体食管鳞癌组织中RASSF1A基因甲基化的状态,可能是高危人群筛查重要候选分子标志之一.     

A reevaluation of bone scans in breast cancer

A retrospective analysis of 151 patients with breast cancer over 2 years was performed to assess laboratory values as predictors of metastatic disease demonstrated by technetium-99 bone scan. In 105 patients with normal alkaline phosphatase (AP) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) values, only one positive bone scan (0.95%) was obtained. If either the AP or LDH value was abnormal, 15 of 29 scans (51.7%) were positive. If both values were abnormal, six of nine patients (66.7%) had positive bone scans. Of 41 patients with either an elevated AP or LDH, 26 (63.4%) were shown to have metastatic breast disease. In our subgroup of 120 consecutive admissions for primary evaluation and treatment of breast cancer, the 95 patients with normal AP and LDH values had 41 negative bone scans and no evidence of distant metastases in any patient. According to these results, we recommend that breast cancer metastatic screening be done by alkaline phosphatase and LDH determinations, and that isotope scans should be reserved for those patients having normal values or symptoms that suggest metastases.     

Axillary versus peripheral blood levels of sialic acid,ferritin, and CEA in patients with breast cancer

Summary Serum levels of total sialic acid, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), ferritin, lactate dehydrogenase, and creatine phosphokinase were measured both in tumor drainage blood (axillary vein) and in peripheral blood obtained from 121 breast cancer patients during surgery. No significant differences between mean values in peripheral and tumor draining blood, between cancer patients and healthy controls, or between patients with or without axillary lymph node metastases were found for any of the markers. Both ferritin and CEA levels were higher in axillary and peripheral blood from patients with central breast cancer versus other sites but the difference was significant only for CEA (p < 0.05). CEA levels were significantly higher (p < 0.01) in patients with > 2 cm diameter carcinomas versus T1 stage patients in axillary but not in peripheral blood. When the cephalic vein was clamped before the axillary sample was taken, ferritin showed a significant increase (p < 0.05). We conclude that measurement of sialic acid, CEA, and ferritin in axillary venous blood in breast cancer patients is not of clinical benefit, although further data are needed to clarify whether other advantages can be derived.     

二甲双胍辅助化疗治疗对卵巢癌患者术后外周血相关因子水平的影响

目的探讨二甲双胍辅助化疗治疗对卵巢癌患者术后外周血D-二聚体、溶血磷脂酸(LPA)和白细胞介素-6 (IL-6)水平的影响。方法选取2017年1月至2018年6月间昆明医科大学附属肿瘤医院收治的100例卵巢癌术后患者,按照不同治疗方法分为顺铂组和联合组,每组50例。顺铂组患者采用顺铂联合紫杉醇(TC方案)化疗治疗,联合组患者采用二甲双胍辅助化疗方案治疗,比较两组患者的临床疗效和外周血D-二聚体、LPA及IL-6水平。结果顺铂组患者治疗有效率和控制率分别为28. 0%和68. 0%,联合组患者分别为46. 0%和80. 0%,联合组均高于顺铂组患者,差异均有统计学意义(均P <0. 05)。治疗后,联合组患者外周血D-二聚体、LPA和IL-6水平均优于顺铂组,差异均有统计学意义(均P <0. 05)。结论二甲双胍辅助顺铂对卵巢癌患者术后的预后作用积极,可提高临床疗效,改善外周血D-二聚体、LPA和IL-6水平,值得临床推行。     

Agglutination of peripheral blood lymphocytes from cancer patients and not from healthy controls, with the F2A1 histone fraction.

A simple, rapid histone agglutination test (HAT) is described. It consists of incubation in microplates or in microtubes of blood lymphocytes isolated from cancer patients and patients with non-malignant diseases with microquantities of histone fraction F2A1. Positive reaction is shown by massive agglutination of lymphocytes of the patients tested (126 subjects): this test was positive in 76% of cases. All controls (59 subjects) were negative.