Antimetastatic effect of thymus-dependent antigen (sheep erythrocytes) in C57BL/6 mice with Lewis carcinoma.

We revealed an antimetastatic effect of thymus-dependent corpuscular antigen (sheep erythrocytes) injected intravenously or intraperitoneally in sensitizing or high doses alone or in a complex with a course dose of cyclophosphamide to C57Bl/6 mice with Lewis carcinoma. Injection of the antigen appreciably reduced the number and volume of Lewis carcinoma metastases in the lungs, notably increased the therapeutic effect of cyclophosphamide, and restored hemopoiesis, particularly, the red blood stem suppressed by the tumor process and cytostatic treatment. The growth of primary tumors virtually did not change. High dose of sheep erythrocytes was more effective.

[The capacity of the cells of a human skin melanoma to be preserved long-term in an intact state in vitro]. / Sposobnost' kletok melanomy kozhi cheloveka dlitel'no sokhraniat'sia v nepovrezhdennom sostoianii in vitro.

Suspension of primary and metastatic skin melanoma cells isolated by the mechanical and enzymic methods was preserved in ampullae in the medium 199 at 4 degrees C. Native cells and cell preparations stained with trypan-blue solution and studied by the scanning electron microscopy method for 12, 20, 36 months have demonstrated the ability to keep their vitality for 3 years. Mechanism of such a "natural" conservation of cells is not yet clear. It may be assumed that the above cells are genetically stimulated mutants able under definite conditions to initiate an active proliferation in healthy tissues. The cells in a similar state may be a promising model in the experimental oncology.

[Active specific immunotherapy in patients with lung cancer following tumor removal]. / Aktivnaia spetsificheskaia immunoterapiia bol'nykh rakom legkogo posle udaleniia opukholi.

Total levels of lymphocytes, T-lymphocytes as well as concentrations of their theophylline-sensitive and theophylline-resistant fractions were measured in 63 lung cancer patients, 5 cases of benign pulmonary tumors and 16 healthy controls. A significant decrease in T-lymphocyte and theophylline-resistant lymphocyte levels was registered in lung cancer patients. Forty-six radically-operated patients received 3 subcutaneous injections of an autologous tumor cell vaccine. The procedure was free of complications. It was followed by an improvement in cell-mediated immunity and produced a higher 2-year survival rate.

[Cellular immunity indices in rectal cancer under surgical and combined treatment]. / Pokazateli kletochnogo immuniteta u bol'nykh rakom priamoi kishki pri khirurgicheskom i kombinirovannom lechenii.

The dynamics of cell-mediated immunity indices in 83 patients with rectal tumors who underwent surgery or received combined treatment (preoperative radiation + surgery) was followed. Cellular immunity was assessed on the basis of PHA-induced blastogenic reaction of lymphocytes (BRL) and spontaneous rosette-formation. In rectal tumor patients, particularly at stage IV, the level of PHA-induced BRL and the total number of rosette-forming cells (RFC) were lower than in healthy donors. Surgery did not produce any significant changes in cell-mediated immunity parameters: level of PHA-induced BRL decreased by 16,7%, while total RFC number increased by 17.2% in (mostly low-affinity forms). Preoperative radiation resulted in a significant decrease in lymphocyte ability to undergo PHA-induced blast-transformation (45%) and spontaneous rosette formation, high-affinity lymphocytes being most sensitive to ionizing radiation. Their fraction decreased by half.