Effects of radiotherapy on immunity in patients with localized carcinoma of the cervix uteri. [/sup 137/Cs interstitial therapy + megavoltage external pelvic irradiation]

Journal Article · Mon Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1979 · Cancer; (United States)

OSTI ID:6242093

Hancock, B W; Bruce, L; Heath, J; Sugden, P; Ward, A M

To assess the effects of radiotherapy on immune status, a wide range of assessments have been performed on patients with localized carcinoma of the cervix uteri undergoing and initially responding clinically to radical pelvic radiotherapy. neutrophil function was essentially unchanged by treatment. Absolute neutrophil and lymphocyte counts fell after treatment and remained depressed 3 and 12 months following treatment. The proportions of T and B cells dropped with treatment but recovered to near-presentation levels during the follow-up period even though absolute counts remained depressed. In vitro tests of cellular immunity were depressed by treatment and remained so 3 and 12 months following treatment whereas skin test responses remained normal throughout the assessments. Inhibitory plasma effects were observed in photohaemagglutinin lymphocyte transformation studies on 4 untreated patients; at follow-up these effects were not evident. A variable response in immune indices has therefore been observed in patients in remission after treatment of localized carcinoma cervix stressing the importance of assessing several aspects of immune function and implying that persistent depression of certain indices does not adversely affect the host tumor response. In two patients relapsing after apparently good initial response, all aspects of immunological assessment (except serum immunoglobulin levels and neutrophil function) deteriorated.

• Research Organization: Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, England
• OSTI ID: 6242093
• Journal Information: Cancer; (United States), Journal Name: Cancer; (United States) Vol. 43:1; ISSN CANCA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ALKALI METAL ISOTOPES
ANIMAL CELLS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
BIOLOGICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
BLOOD
BLOOD CELLS
BODY
BODY AREAS
BODY FLUIDS
CARCINOMAS
CESIUM 137
CESIUM ISOTOPES
CONNECTIVE TISSUE CELLS
DISEASES
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
EXTERNAL IRRADIATION
FEMALE GENITALS
GAMMA RADIATION
GLOBULINS
HEMIC DISEASES
IMMUNE REACTIONS
IMMUNITY
IMMUNOGLOBULINS
IMPLANTS
IONIZING RADIATIONS
IRRADIATION
ISOTOPES
LEUKOCYTES
LEUKOPENIA
LOCAL IRRADIATION
LYMPHOCYTES
LYMPHOPENIA
MEDICINE
NEOPLASMS
NEUTROPHILS
NUCLEAR MEDICINE
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANS
PATHOLOGICAL CHANGES
PATIENTS
PELVIS
PROTEINS
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIATION SOURCE IMPLANTS
RADIATION SOURCES
RADIATIONS
RADIOINDUCTION
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIOLOGY
RADIOTHERAPY
SIDE EFFECTS
SOMATIC CELLS
SYMPTOMS
THERAPY
UTERUS
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES