Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0011570 (depression)
 172,036 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A group of 67 patients with head and neck cancer has been studied of which 40 have received immunologic transfer factor from a normal donor pool. Examination of these patients revealed that lymphocyte reactivity to nonspecific mitogrens is depressed in patients who have head and neck cancer to a much greater extent than is seen in patients with other types of tumors. Furthermore, the depression is more prevalent among patients who have been treated with radiation. Patients in the head and neck group who have received transfer factor show an initial decreased response to PHA stimulation in culture. This is not seen in a control group of head and neck cancer patients or in patients with nonsquamous cander. Thymus-derived lymphocytes are depressed in patients with head and neck cancer, irrespective of whether they have received radiation. Th T-lymphocyte levels increased in eight of 38 patients who received nonimmune transfer factor, but 7 of these were in the group who had not received radiation. The leukocyte adherence inhibition (LAI) test has been used to determine tumor immunity in the patient test group. Changes in tumor immunity did not occur in those patients who received normal nonimmune transfer factor. Studies are presently in progress which provide for treatment of patients with head and neck cancer with specific squamous carcinoma immune transfer factor.
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PMID:Transference of cell mediated immunity in patients with head and neck cancer. 30 43

Numerous investigators have observed a depression of cell-mediated immunity in patients with carcinoma of the head and neck using a variety of in vitro and in vivo assays. This report presents the data obtained when a group of head and neck cancer patients were evaluated for reactivity in an in vitro lymphocyte blastogenesis assay using polyclonal mitogens and specific antigens, numbers of peripheral blood T-lymphocytes, and levels of circulating immune complexes. Such an immunological monitoring protocol revealed a depressed reactivity of the cancer patients in the lymphocyte blastogenesis assay when compared to normal age-matched controls. We also observed that 75% of these patients had circulating soluble immune complexes in their sera before and after therapy. These preliminary data indicate that further research is needed to examine the potential role of soluble immune complexes in modulating the host's immune response.
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PMID:Immune monitoring protocol for patients with carcinoma of the head and neck. Preliminary report. 30 48

Patients with squamous cancer of the head and neck have unique perturbations of the immune system. These patients have marked depression of cellular immunity even in the early stages of disease. The known facts about the immunobiology and the immunodeficiencies that commonly occur are discussed. Also reviewed are the relationships of the immunologic deficits to stage of disease, to prognosis, and to the suspected etiologic factors of smoking, alcoholism, and malnutrition. Highlights are given of current immunotherapeutic trials. To date, most of the successful efforts in both immunologic research and immunotherapy of head and neck cancer have dealt with general, rather than specific, immune reactions. Further development in the area of specific immune responses may permit more meaningful measurements of tumor-specific reactions, thus yielding useful tools for immunodiagnosis as well as providing more effective and precise methods of immunotherapy.
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PMID:Immunobiology of head and neck cancer: basic concepts. 40 Jun 59

Cellular immunity was assessed in patients with operable squamous cell cancer of the head and neck using in vivo skin tests and in vitro lymphocyte stimulation tests. An expansion of a previous study continued to show that 30 per cent of patients with T1N0M0 lesions were DNCB-negative and that with more advanced lesions there was further impairment. A similar finding was observed in the blastogenic response to phytohemagglutinin and concanavalin A but not pokeweed mitogen. Overall, 40 per cent of patients with resectable cancer had a significant depression of the blastogenic responses to conconavalin A and phytohemagglutinin. This depression ranged from 15 per cent in patients with T1N0M0 lesions to 71 per cent in those with T3N0M0 lesions. Although this depression was more severe in patients with palpable cervical node metastases, it was related more to the size of the primary tumor than to the nodes per se. An exception occurred in patients with large fixed nodes in whom the depression of lymphocyte stimulation was most severe. The absolute T-cell count was also depressed in patients with head and neck cancer. This depression parallelled the lymphocyte stimulation results with phytohemagglutinin and conconavalin A and was progressive with increasing stage of disease. A correlation exists between DNCB negativity and early recurrence and shortened survival. Clinical follow-up study is too short to assess the correlation of in vitro immune function with these clinical prognostic factors.
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PMID:T-cell deficiency in patients with squamous cell cancer of the head and neck. 110 24

When lasting pain occurs after surgery of head and neck cancer, tumoral recurrence should be considered. In addition to curative treatment, relief of pain is often provided by opioid analgesics. Doses vary according to tolerance and patient. Other than digestive routes of administration may be required. Here are two clinical reports: the first case with cervical epidural analgesia by ambulatory autoadministration device (Patient control analgesia), the other one with intrathecal in C7-T1 catheter with port access in which morphine was injected every 24 hours resulting in efficient analgesia, in metastatic Pancoast's syndrome. Surgical or radiotherapy sequelae sometimes bring about pain; bilateral cervicalgy described as burns associated with pain-related depression, 18 months after glotto-subglottic partial laryngectomy, requires psychological support and carbamazepine for desafferation pain removed within 6 months. When the only treatment left appears to be analgesia after surgery of head and neck cancer, follow-up in a multidisciplinary pain treatment centre allows a therapeutical management with optimum tolerance and efficiency.
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PMID:[Evaluation and treatment of chronic pain after cervicofacial cancer surgery]. 148 51

The role of the immune system in the pathogenesis and treatment of cancer remains to be determined. Impairment of humoral and cellular immunity has been associated with various factors implicated in head and neck cancer--tobacco, alcohol, and malnutrition. Whether these immune dysfunctions are causative or a secondary effect is not known. Patients with head and neck cancer have well-documented defects in immune function. In general, depression in cellular immunity has been noted, which can be correlated with stage of disease and prognosis. Conversely, increased humoral immune responses are seen, especially salivary IgA and circulating immune complexes. It may be that IgA or immune complexes are capable of suppressing the cellular immune response. Clinical trials utilizing biologic response modifiers in head and neck cancer have begun. Preliminary studies with heavily pretreated patients have demonstrated antitumor activity, suggesting that immunotherapy may provide a treatment alternative. In conclusion, the weight of evidence suggests that the immune response to head and neck cancer does play a role in the pathogenesis of the disease. A better understanding of the host-tumor interaction will allow for improved utilization of biologic response modifiers in the treatment of head and neck cancer.
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PMID:Immunobiologic aspects of head and neck cancer. Clinical and laboratory correlates. 171 50

The authors' experience with seven patients with intractable pain that was treated by continuous intraventricular infusion of morphine through an implanted Infusaid pump is reported. The pain was caused by head and neck cancer in six patients and was associated with postpolio syndrome in one. The average follow-up was 7 months. Pain was effectively managed through intraventricular administration of a combination of morphine and mild oral narcotic analgesics. Complications included one case of transient respiratory depression, one pump pocket infection, and one pump failure. The morphine dose required to maintain analgesia increased over time in all patients treated. This is a safe and effective method of pain management in patients with head and neck cancer. It is useful as well in patients who have intractable pain that cannot be managed through an intrathecal route because of a contraindication to lumbar puncture or an inaccessible subarachnoid space.
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PMID:Long-term intraventricular infusion of morphine for intractable pain in cancer of the head and neck. 232 Feb 8

In a clinical phase-II trial, 62 previously untreated patients suffering from unresectable stage III (4 patients) and IV (56 patients) squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck were treated with a simultaneous chemoradiotherapy consisting of a 5-fluorouracil/folinic acid/cis-platinum combination and of an accelerated split-course radiotherapy. As results, 3 patients died from tumor arrosion bleeding during the treatment. The median follow-up time of the surviving patients is 27+ months (range 18-44 months). Forty-eight out of 62 patients (77%) achieved complete remission, and 11/62 patients (18%) partial remission. Presently, 32 patients (52%) are without evidence of disease. The actuarial 3-year overall survival rate (Kaplan-Meier method) out of 62 patients is 53%. The actuarial disease-free survival and local tumor control rates at 3 years are 58% and 72%. Toxicity on oral mucosa was severe but tolerable, bone marrow depression was marked but not life-threatening. In conclusion, this combined simultaneous modality approach is highly effective in locally advanced head and neck cancer. It appears to provide superior survival and local control rates as compared to conventional radiotherapy or sequential chemo-radiotherapy.
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PMID:Simultaneous chemo-radiotherapy with 5-FU/folinic acid/cis-platinum and accelerated split-course radiation in advanced head and neck cancer. 265 89

Patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma commonly have depressed cell-mediated immunity which is known to correlate with ultimate prognosis. Selective immune studies were conducted in 27 head and neck cancer patients to determine the potential of interleukin-2 as an immune restorative agent. Patients showed the expected depression of lymphocyte proliferation to phytohemagglutinin and had borderline depressed natural killer cell activity and relatively normal interleukin-2 production. Addition of interleukin-2 at 100 units/ml markedly enhanced natural killer cell activity to normal levels. Serum from head and neck patients was also immune-suppressive. Heat-inactivated serum depressed lymphocyte proliferation and natural killer cell activity of control leukocytes. Lymphocyte incubation with interleukin-2 significantly counteracted immune suppressive serum effects and restored depressed lymphocyte function to normal levels. The effective in vitro interleukin-2 dose is potentially achievable by infusion at approximate doses of 3 X 10(6) units/M2.
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PMID:Immune restoration with interleukin-2 in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. 280 41

Cellular immunity was assessed in 85 patients with head and neck cancer with monoclonal antibodies to lymphocyte surface antigens that identify total T cells, helper cells, and suppressor cells. The control group consisted of 22 healthy volunteers. Nine patients who had surgical procedures for benign diseases were also studied. Compared with the controls, the patients with cancer who received radiation therapy had a significant decrease in total lymphocytes, T cells, helper cells, suppressor cells, and decreased helper/suppressor cell ratio. Significant decreases in lymphocyte subpopulations were not detected in patients tested before treatment or in patients treated with surgery alone. The immune deficits observed were prolonged in duration, with some present in the patients studied up to 11 years after radiation therapy. This long-lasting immune depression may have relevance to tumor recurrences and second primaries in patients with head and neck cancer treated by radiation therapy and to attempts at increasing cure rates with adjuvant agents that improve immune reactivity.
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PMID:Effects of radiation therapy on T-lymphocyte subpopulations in patients with head and neck cancer. 293 70


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