Abnormalities of Immunologic Response of Lymphocytes in Patients With Cancer of the Digestive Organs

The lymphocyte functions of 174 patients with cancer of thedigestive organs were studied, with particular reference tothe percentage of T cells bearing receptors for the Fc portionof IgG (T_G cells), phytohemagglutinin (PHA) response of thelymphocytes and the helper activity of T cells. The percentageof T_G cells was 12.18±6.91% (mean±SD) before treatment,exceeding the upper limit of the normal value (8%) in 49.4%of the patients. However, it decreased significantly to 7.98±6.3%after surgical removal of the tumors (r=0.746, P<0.001).The possible correlations of this parameter with two otherswere investigated in order to find a more reasonable parameterfor tumor immunology. An increased percentage of T_G cells anda decreased PHA response of the lymphocytes were found in 5.8%of the cases of stage I, 42.8% of the cases of stage II, 33.3%of the cases of stage III and 48.9% of the cases of stage IVcancer. An increased percentage of T_G cells and a decreasedhelper activity of T cells were found in 20% of the cases ofstage I, 20% of the cases of stage II, 25% of the cases of stageIII and 33.3% of the cases of stage IV. When only gastric cancerpatients were considered, a decreased PHA response of the lymphocytesand an increased percentage of T_G cells were found in 12.5%of the patients with early stages. while this profile was observedin 25.5% of the patients with advanced stages of the disease.An increased percentage of T_G cells and a decreased helper activityof T cells were found in 18.7% of the patients with early stagesand 37.9% of the patients with advanced stages. These findingssuggest that if the three immunological parameters were usedin the above combinations, they might more accurately reflectchanges in immunity with the progress of cancer.     

Choroid Plexus Tumors: Experience of 10 Cases with Special References to Adult Cases

Choroid plexus tumors (CPTs) are rare intraventricular neoplasms accounting for about 0.3–0.6% of all intracranial tumors. This retrospective study on CPTs presents clinico-pathological features and management strategies based on a 20-year single-institutional experience. This series included 10 consecutive patients with pathologically proven CPTs; 5 choroid plexus papillomas (CPPs), 3 atypical CPPs (ACPPs), and 2 choroid plexus carcinomas (CPCs). Their clinical, radiological, and histopathological features as well as management including follow-up studies were reviewed. The patients included five males and five females, aging from 0 years to 61 years with median of 28 years. The affected site was lateral ventricle in two adults and fourth ventricle in eight patients; four children and four adults. The most common symptoms were gait disturbance and memory disturbance. All the patients underwent craniotomy with total, subtotal, and partial removals achieved in 50%, 40%, and 10% of the patients, respectively. The occurrence of the high grade subtypes was 50% in both the adult and pediatric groups. The Ki-67/MIB-1 index increased across the three histological subtypes, from CPP to ACPP and then to CPC. Adjuvant therapy was administered in three patients. The two patients (one adult and one child) with CPC died of whole central nervous system dissemination. At a median of 62-month follow-up, the other eight patients were alive, with only one patient having recurrence and reoperation. The results demonstrate that gross total resection is usually curative for CPP and ACPP, and adjuvant chemoradiotherapy would be required for CPC and incompletely resected ACPP.