Association of locally produced IL10 and TGFb1 with tumor size, histological type and presence of metastases in patients with lung carcinoma.

PURPOSE: Advanced lung carcinoma is charasterized with fast disease progression. Interleukin (IL)10 and transforming growth factor (TGF)b1 are immunosuppressive mediators and their role in lung carcinoma pathogenesis and in the antitumor response has not yet been elucidated. The purpose of this study was to correlate IL10 and TGFb1 levels in the serum and lung tumor microcirculation with clinical stage, disease extent, histological features and TNM stage. METHODS: The study included 41 lung cancer patients in clinical stage III and IV. Histological type was determined immunohistochemically, while tumor size, localization and dissemination were determined radiologically by multislice computerized tomography (MSCT). IL10 and TGFb1 levels were quantified with commercial flow cytometric test in serum and lung tumor microcirculation samples. RESULTS: Non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients had significantly elevated TGFb1 while small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients had significantly increased IL10 in tumor microcirculation. IL10 was significantly elevated in patients with the largest tumors, as well as in patients with III clinical stage and without metastases, both in the serum and tumor microcirculation. TGFb1 was significantly increased in serum and tumor microcirculation in patients with larger tumors. We found significant correlation between these two immunosuppressive cytokines, IL10 and TGFb1, in tumor microcirculation but not in patient serum samples. CONCLUSION: IL10 and TGFb1 in systemic and tumor microcirculation are significantly associated with particular histological type of lung cancer, tumor size and degree of disease extent.

[Symptoms, physical findings and bronchial hypersensitivity in patients with bronchial asthma and normal spirometry].

BACKGROUND/AIM: The diagnosis of bronchial asthma, a chronic inflammatory disease of the respiratory tract, is made on the basis of anamnesis, pathologic auscultatory findings of the lungs, lung function disturbances, skin tests, as well as the basic indices of immunologic condition in bronchial trunk. The aim of the study was to find out correlation of objective indices of the disease and than relation with the symptoms in the patients with bronchial asthma. METHODS: The study included 60 young male non smokers with long lasting symptoms of bronchial asthma including shortness of breath, wheezing, hard breathing, nonproductive or productive cough, weakness and night hard breathing. There were no symptoms of respiratory infection over the past two months and lung radiography and spirometry were normal Based on the results of nonspecific bronchoprovocative test two groups of the patients were formed, group I (n=30) with positive histamine test (average value of the inhaled histamine concentration with FEV1 drop by 20% in regard with the initial value (PC20) = 2.99 +/- 0.51 mg/ml of histamine) and group II (n=30) with negative histamine test (PC20(a) = 14.58 +/- 6.34 mg/ml of histamine). RESULTS: The obtained spirometry results revealed a statistically significant difference in values of FEV1 between groups: I group--FEV1 3.2%; II group--EV1 = 101.8%; (p .05, Wilcoxon test), although all the FEV1 values were normal Regarding the presence of the most common symptoms there was not statistically significant difference between the groups (p>0.05, chi-square test). Pathologic auscultatory lung findings were found in 73.4% of the patients in the group I and 27.5% of the patients in the group II. There was statistically significant difference (p<0.05, chi-squared test). A positive correlation between the degree of hypersensitivity and lung physical findings was confirmed (p<0.05 Spearman's rho), but there was no correlation with FEV1 values. CONCLUSION: There is a correlation with lung pathologic physical findings, lower values of FEV1 (in a range of normal values) and the degree of nonspecific bronchial sensitivity as objective indices of activity of bronchial asthma. There is no correlation of these parameters with patient's symptoms as subjective indices of bronchial asthma.