Karo Nakamuro

Improvement of long-term prognosis in patients with ovarian cancers by adjuvant sizofiran immunotherapy: a prospective randomized controlled study.

The effect of immunotherapy using sizofiran (SPG) on the prognosis of patients with ovarian cancers was prospectively studied in a total of 68 patients, who were randomly assigned to either a cisplatin, adriamycin and cyclophosphamide (PAC) therapy group or a PAC plus SPG combination therapy group.The survival rate was significantly higher in patients with stage Ic, II or III cancers treated with the PAC plus SPG combination, compared with the patients treated with PAC alone. In the SPG-receiving patients with stage Ic or more advanced cancers who were treated with four cycles or more of PAC, the outcome was improved (Cox-Mantel, p=0.074; generalized Kruskal-Wallis, p=0.032). Similar improvement was also observed in the patients with non-serous adenocarcinomas (Cox-Mantel, p-0.076; generalized Krukal-Wallis, p=0.045). No side effects attributable to SPG were recorded.The present results suggest that the use of SPG in combination with long-term chemotherapy improves the postoperative prognosis in ovarian cancer patients.

Immunosuppressive Factors in Ascites Fluids From Ovarian Cancer Patients

ABSTRACT: The nonspecific immunosuppressive effect of ascites fluids from ovarian cancer patients was examined and compared with that of noncancerous abdominal effusion and sera from ovarian cancer patients. The malignant ascites fluids produced a noncytotoxic, dose‐dependent suppression of DNA synthesis of phy‐tohemagglutinin‐stimulated human peripheral blood lymphocytes. The suppression was higher than that observed in sera from cancer patients. No suppressive effect was seen in control abdominal effusion. The factors responsible for inhibition of in vitro lymphocyte function were partially purified from ascites fluid by lentil lectin affinity chromatography and gel filtration. Major active factors had a high molecular weight (440–1500 kilodaltons), an affinity to lentil lectin, and were stable against heat and acid treatment.

QUANTITATIVE ESTIMATION OF ALLOANTISERA AGAINST MOUSE HISTOCOMPATIBILITY ANTIGENS ON MOTILITY OF SPERMATOZOA

Publisher Summary This chapter presents quantitative estimation of alloantisera against mouse histocompatibility antigens on motility of spermatozoa. In an earlier study, 6.5% of the sera from sterile women had antisperm antibodies, which were detected by sperm immobilization test; however, the control sera from pregnant women and unmarried women showed negative results. The human major histocompatibility antigens (HLA) are located on all the nucleated cells, including spermatozoa. If female possesses the antibodies against male HLA antigens, these antibodies can have the cytotoxic effect on spermatozoa and make the female sterile. In a study described in the chapter, alloantisera against mouse histocompatibility antigens were prepared in inbred strain mice. The antibodies against sperm specific antigens, completely immobilized the mouse spermatozoa under the existence of complement. The antisperm antibodies immobilize the syngeneic spermatozoa and also the allogeneic ones. The smaller amount of histocompatibility antigens on mouse spermatozoa can be one of the reasons why anti H-2 antibodies have no cytotoxic effect on spermatozoa.