ABSTRACT
The authors investigate within the framework of a multicentre, randomized and stratified investigation the influence of non-specific BCG immunotherapy in adult patients with Hodgkin's disease. The thus created data base was processed according to the Protocol of a prospective study. Supplementary BCG treatment was compared in a group of 112 patients with the fate of 114 patients in a control group without immunotherapy. Although the mean period of complete remission in the group of vaccinated patients regardless of the clinical stage of the disease was 94 months and in the control group 74 months, the difference was not statistically significant. The five-year survival was 93% in vaccinated patients and 91% in the control group. The probability of 10-year survival does not differ substantially in vaccinated patients (88%) and in non-vaccinated patients (85%). There was no difference in the work capacity of patients in the two groups. Immunotherapy was not selected, when testing prognostic factors by Cox' regression analysis, into any of the prognostically favourable models.
Subject(s)
BCG Vaccine/therapeutic use , Hodgkin Disease/therapy , Adult , Female , Hodgkin Disease/pathology , Humans , Male , Middle AgedABSTRACT
The authors examined systematically for three years in 38 patients with Hodgkin lymphomas the diagnostic value of nucleoli in lymphocytes of peripheral blood. A total of 241 examinations were made of 23 variables of the lymphocytic nucleolar test and other haematological values. Twelve healthy persons were subjected to the same examinations five times in two-week intervals. In untreated patients the authors proved in particular the diagnostically significant increase in the number of active nucleoli and micronucleoli, the elevated red cell sedimentation rate, the decline of lymphocytes in peripheral blood, uninucleolar lymphocytes and ring-shaped forms of nucleoli. These changes were potentiated in relapse and stagnate in remission of the disease. The authors introduced a new indicator--the percentage increase of red cell sedimentation after the second hour which is one of the most sensitive of the investigated variables.
Subject(s)
Cell Nucleolus/ultrastructure , Hodgkin Disease/blood , Lymphocytes/ultrastructure , Adult , Blood Sedimentation , Female , Humans , Male , Remission, Spontaneous , Time FactorsABSTRACT
In patients with Hodgkin's disease the excretion of pyrimidine deoxyribonucleosides in urine was followed up within the course of 92 chemotherapeutical series with cytostatics of COOP group. In 14-day chemotherapy series, the excretion of deoxycytidine, deoxyuridine, thymidine, and their sum was significantly increased. In this paper the results are analyzed and a possibility of utilization of this finding for the judgment in the clinical course of the disease is considered.
