Serum levels of the progesterone induced blocking factor do not precipitously rise in women with gynecologic cancer in contrast to women exposed to progesterone.

PURPOSE: To determine if an immunomodulatory protein (progesterone induced blocking factor [PIBF]) that is progesterone induced and found in higher concentration during pregnancy is similarly found with increased levels in women with gynecologic cancers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A newly developed enzyme linked immunoabsorbent assay (ELISA) assay was used to measure PIBF in the sera of six women with various gynecologic cancers and compare them to five controls (three with benign tumors and two having gynecologic procedures for non-tumors. RESULTS: The PIBF levels in women with gynecologic cancer did not rise precipitously as historical controls of women or men exposed to progesterone. The two highest PIBF levels of the 11 subjects were in women with gynecologic cancer. CONCLUSIONS: The data suggest that if PIBF helps cancer cells to evade immune surveillance, it probably operates through an intracytoplasmic presence. If an increase in sera PIBF could have been detected in women with gynecologic cancer, then this ELISA test could have been used to detect tumor recurrence. Future studies may concentrate on evaluating intracytoplasmic PIBF to possibly help determine which tumors may respond to progesterone antagonist receptors.

A simple system for detecting patient movement during radiation therapy.

The authors described a system which detects patient movement while that patient is undergoing radiation treatment. The system consists of simple and inexpensive electronic circuitry using the laser localization lights commonly used with an isocentric linear accelerator. If the patient moves, a visual or audible signal alerts the radiation-therapy technologist who can interrupt treatment and reposition the patient. The verification of proper patient position using this technique compares favorably with the routine use of cerification radiographs.

A device for insuring the congruency of opposed irregularly blocked fields.

A device for insuring the congruency of opposed irregularly blocked fields has been developed which permits the treatment of both fields of a parallel opposed pair without the realignment of any field-shaping standard non-divergent blocks. The device is an adaptor which attaches directly to the shadow tray or wedge holder and provides 2 channels for 1 Lucite shadow tray. A mirrow-image field is obtained without disturbing the position of the blocking array. Set-up times are decreased.

A table for the rapid determination of RET and TDF values.

A table has been devised to allow rapid determination of the RET and TDF values for five-day a week therapy schemes which might be included in realistic treatment planning. 2. The table allows easy comparison of the RET and TDF values for different fractionation schemes or, conversely, the devising of equivalent fractionations for similar RET and TDF values. 3. Utilizing the decay tables of Orton and Ellis, it is possible to utilize the table for determining rapidly the total TDF for interrupted or split course treatment regimens. 4. In those departments which treat four days, rather than five days, per week, a table devised on the four-day treatment schedule could easily be devised.