The antibody response after vaccination against tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) was studied in patients with breast cancer. Although sex- and age-matched control persons produced high titers of anti-TBE antibodies 2 to 4 weeks after the second of two consecutive vaccinations, patients with breast cancer who were first vaccinated after the start of adjuvant chemotherapy consisting of cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil (CMF) failed to do so. The lack of anti-TBE antibody production was found not only in patients under CMF chemotherapy, but also in those primarily vaccinated 6 to 12 months after the termination of CMF treatment. Patients with breast cancer who had been vaccinated either before or after the onset of disease, but before the initiation of chemotherapy, were shown to have developed significant anti-TBE antibody titers which persisted throughout the course of adjuvant treatment and could be boostered by revaccination during the course of CMF administration. The authors conclude that patients with breast cancer undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy experience a serious and prolonged defect in primary antibody production, whereas secondary immune responses remain unimpaired.
Monocyte-mediated antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) was tested in 23 patients with histologically proven Hodgkin's disease and 29 healthy normal controls. Seven patients presented with active and 16 with inactive disease. The lytic capacity of the individual monocytes was significantly (P < 0.02) higher in patients with Hodgkin's disease than in normals. However, no significant difference was found between the numbers of monocytes in both groups of individuals, as determined by non-specific esterase staining. No correlation was found between the lytic capacity of monocytes and the activity of the disease.
The spectrum of intrapulmonary findings of Hodgkin's disease is illustrated by 75 pulmonary episodes of 22 patients with Hodgkin's disease (duration of illness up to 14 years). Both the typical and frequent, as well as the rare pulmonary manifestations are discussed. We analysed the time correlation between pulmonary changes and clinical manifestations, and the effect of therapy. This retrospective investigation showed that more than 55% of the observed 75 pulmonary episodes have been diagnosed correctly by the initial radiological examination. By simultaneous appearance of different forms of disease propagation, sideeffect of therapy and superimposed diseases, diagnosis may be impaired.
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