Gianluigi Cetto

Immuno-histological analysis of bone marrow involvement in lymphoproliferative disorders

Summary. Cryostat sections from bone marrow biopsies submerged in gum‐sucrose solution and snap‐frozen can be stained with various antisera to detect both the membrane and cytoplasmic antigens on normal and malignant populations in their tissue environments. This technique seems to be the method of choice to analyse the degree of BM involvement in cases of non‐Hodgkins lymphoma where conventional histology provides equivocal results. The uniform expression of only one type of light chain in B lymphoma and the analysis of the T cell infiltrate in T‐CLL using monoclonal antibodies is demonstrated.

The medical oncologist's role in palliative care: AIOM's position

1UOC Oncologia, Ospedale SG Calibita, Rome; 2UOC Oncologia Medica, AO Civile, Piacenza; 3Divisione Clinicizzata Oncologia Medica, Policlinico GB Rossi, Verona; 4UOC Oncologia, IDI, IRCCS, Rome; 5UOC Oncologia Medica, AO Universitaria, Parma; 6UOC Oncologia, AO MorgagniPierantoni, Forli; 7UOC Oncologia, AO S. Orsola Malpighi, Bologna; 8UOC Oncologia, Ospedale SS. Giovanni e Paolo, Venice; 9DH Oncologia, Policlinico Umberto I, Rome; 10UOC Oncologia, Ospedali Riuniti, Bergamo; 11UOC Oncologia Medica, Ospedale S. Salvatore, L’Aquila; 12Terapia del dolore e cure palliative, Dip Oncologia, ULSS6, Vicenza; 13AIOM’s President. *Coordinator

Alpha-interferon activated cytotoxic lymphocytes in hairy cell leukemia patients: evaluation of cytotoxic events.

To further define the mechanisms responsible for the alpha-interferon (alpha-IFN) efficacy in the treatment of hairy cell leukemia (HCL), experiments were carried out to specify the cytotoxic events taking place following this type of therapy. Although an increased natural killer (NK) activity was demonstrable after alpha-IFN treatment, evidence has been provided that hairy cells were not specifically lysed either by fresh autologous/allogenic NK lymphocytes or by lymphokine activated killer (LAK) cells. This property could not be induced in vitro by alpha-IFN or by interleukin-2 (IL-2). Our data favour the hypothesis that the increase of NK cell activity observed following alpha-IFN therapy has not a direct antineoplastic effect but is likely to be of relevance for a non-specific enhancement of the host immune system. In alpha-IFN treated HCL this latter property may account for the better resistance to infections which usually represents the major cause of mortality in these patients.

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia after Radiotherapy and Adjuvant Chemotherapy (CMF) for Breast Cancer

Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, defined by immunological markers as a non-T, non-B, which occurred in a patient with breast cancer 2 years after the end of radiotherapy and CMF adjuvant chemotherapy, i

A new method for the determination of sodium and potassium in human red blood cells, using indocyanine green as a marker for trapped plasma

A new method for the determination of trapped plasma in packed red cells, using Indocyanine green as a marker, is described. The method was applied to measure sodium and potassium content in human red blood cells. The means of the three parameters studied, calculated from duplicate determinations on 39 normal subjects, are included in the following ranges with a confidence coefficient of 95%: Trapped plasma % = 7.10 ± 2.47; Na+ mequiv/1013 cells = 7.45 ± 3.72; K+ mequiv/1013 cells = 91.15 ± 22.41. Statistical evaluation of the data confirmed the reliability of the method. The results were reproducible and agree well with those obtained by other authors who used radioactive markers. Furthermore the new technique is cheap and requires a short time to set up.

Assessment of liver and spleen involvement in Hodgkin's disease.

Prognosis and proper treatment in Hodgkins disease (HD) are strictly related to staging accuracy: liver and spleen involvement is of particular importance in this regard. We have evaluated, in 113 consecutive patients, the accuracy of clinical parameters to detect histologically documented HD involvement by comparing hepatosplenomegaly, liver function tests, liver and spleen scan, inspection of liver and spleen surface at laparoscopy with histologic findings. Our data suggest that of all the parameters studied, laparoscopy has the highest sensitivity and specificity values (about 100 %). Laparoscopy may precede laparotomy as a staging procedure in HD and may give, in patients not submitted to laparotomy whatever the reasons, very reliable information.