Comparison of the comet assay and the oxygen microelectrode for measuring tumor oxygenation in head-and-neck cancer patients.

PURPOSE: To compare the Eppendorf PO2 histograph and the alkaline comet assay as methods of measuring tumor hypoxia in patients with head-and-neck squamous cell carcinomas. MATERIALS AND METHODS: As part of a larger clinical trial, 65 patients with head-and-neck squamous cell carcinoma nodal metastasis underwent tumor oxygenation measurements with Eppendorf PO2 histographs and comet assays, performed on fine-needle aspirates at 1 and 2 min after 5 Gy. Fifty-four patients had sufficient tumor cells for comet analysis at 1 min and 26 at both 1 and 2 min. Individual cells were examined for DNA single-strand breaks by alkaline gel electrophoresis, and the distribution of values was quantified using median tail moment (MTM). Nonirradiated tumor cells from pretreatment fine-needle aspirates received 5 Gy in vitro to establish the oxygenated response. RESULTS: There was a significant correlation between the 1- and 2-min MTM (slope = 0.77 +/- 0.03). There was no relationship between DNA damage in tumor cells irradiated in vitro and in vivo. No correlation was found between Eppendorf PO2 measurements and comet MTM. There was a statistically significant correlation between the treatment response in the node studied and comet MTMs, whereas no correlation was observed between treatment response and Eppendorf measurements. CONCLUSIONS: Comet assays are reproducible, as shown by biopsies at 1 and 2 min. Intertumor variation in the MTM is not a result of intrinsic radiosensitivity but of tumor hypoxia. There was no correlation between Eppendorf PO2 measurements and comet MTM. Comet assays were better than Eppendorf in predicting treatment response as an end point for short-term outcome. Longer follow-up is needed to determine the role of the comet assay as a predictor for locoregional tumor control and survivals.

Modulation of bone ingrowth and tissue differentiation by local infusion of interleukin-10 in the presence of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) wear particles.

Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is a cytokine that plays a major role in suppressing the inflammatory response, particularly cell-mediated immunity that is characteristic of the TH1 response. The purpose of this study was to determine whether local infusion of IL-10 could mitigate the suppression of bone ingrowth associated with polyethylene wear particles. Drug test chambers were implanted in the proximal tibia of 20 mature New Zealand White rabbits. The DTC provided a continuous 1 x 1 x 5-mm canal for tissue ingrowth. After a 6-week period for osseointegration, the DTC was then connected to an osmotic diffusion pump. IL-10 at doses of 0.1-100 ng/mL (0.25 microL/h) was infused with or without ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene particles (0.5 +/- 0.2 microm diameter, 10(12) particles/mL) present in the chamber for a 3- or 6-week period. The tissue in the chamber was harvested after each treatment; sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin for morphometric analysis. Osteoclast-like cells were identified by immunohistochemical staining using a monoclonal antibody directed against the alpha chain of the vitronectin receptor, CD51. Osteoblasts were identified using alkaline phosphatase staining. In dose-response studies, infusion of 1 ng/mL IL-10 yielded the greatest bone ingrowth in the presence of particles. The addition of polyethylene particles evoked a marked foreign body reaction and fibrosis; bone ingrowth was significantly suppressed (p = 0.0003). Bone ingrowth was increased by over 48% with infusion of IL-10 for the final 3 weeks of a 6-week ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene particle exposure compared with particles alone (p = 0.027). IL-10 is a cytokine that plays a major role in suppressing the inflammatory response, especially cell-mediated immunity that is characteristic of the TH1 response. Local infusion of immune-modulating cytokines such as IL-10 may prove to be useful in abating particle-induced periprosthetic osteolysis.