Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0242379 (lung cancer)
 71,905 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The effect of intrapleural instillation of recombinant human interferon gamma (IFN gamma) at increasing doses of (1-12) x 10(6) U was examined in six patients with cytologically positive pleural effusion due to lung cancer. Intrapleural instillation was repeated up to three times. Clinically, no reaccumulation of pleural effusion was observed in one patient and disappearance of lung cancer cells from the pleural effusion was seen in two other patients. No severe side-effects were observed. Considerable levels of IFN gamma remained in the pleural effusion as well as in patients' serum up to 7 days after instillation of 2 x 10(6) U and higher doses. The total cell number showed a transient decrease on day 1 of therapy. Levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin(IL)-1 beta and IL-6, in the pleural effusion remained almost stable after IFN gamma instillation. On the other hand, intrapleural IL-1 receptor antagonist levels were remarkably elevated by the instillation of IFN gamma. IL-2- and IL-12-inducible killer activity of pleural mononuclear cells tended to increase slightly. Despite the inability of IFN gamma to control pleural effusion in this treatment schedule, IFN gamma instilled by an intrapleural route had a potential local antitumor activity. Moreover, since IFN gamma persists in pleural effusions for a long time after a single instillation, such a therapy in combination with other fibrogenic biological response modifiers can be promising.
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PMID:Intrapleural instillation of interferon gamma in patients with malignant pleurisy due to lung cancer. 939 Feb

A case in which the enterotoxins of Staphylococcus aureus may have served as bacterial superantigens is presented. This 71-year-old man developed proteinuria and renal dysfunction after contacting pneumonia caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), coagulase type II. The infection occurred after surgery for recurrent lung cancer. Staphylococcus enterotoxins B, C, and TSST-1 were detected from the bacillus. Ten days after the onset of pneumonia, proteinuria was noted; urinary protein was as high as 1.8 g/day. The serum creatinine was elevated from 1.0 mg/dl to 3.7 mg/dl. Several immunological reactions were detected; the serum levels of IgG and IgA were increased, and the selective usage of T-cell receptor V beta (TCRV beta) was observed. Serum levels of IL-1 beta, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-12, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) were also elevated. Examination of the renal biopsy specimen by light microscopy showed minor to mild mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis. Immunofluorescence microscopy demonstrated the deposition of IgG, IgA, and C3, mainly along the capillary walls. Electron microscopy revealed electron dense deposits, mainly in the subepithelial areas, and injury to the glomerular basement membrane. When the pneumonia improved following antibiotic therapy, the renal function also improved, and proteinuria decreased. The levels of immunoglobulins and the usage of TCRV beta also decreased. Because staphylococcus enterotoxins act as superantigens, we believe this to be a typical case of superantigen-related glomerulonephritis.
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PMID:A case of superantigen-related glomerulonephritis after methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection. 940 16

IL-2 and IL-12 are the main antitumor cytokines in humans. Endogenous IL-2 production is generally low in metastatic cancer patients. In contrast, preliminary data suggest a possible increased secretion of IL-12 in a subgroup of metastatic cancer patients, of which the prognostic significance is still to be established. This preliminary study was performed to investigate the survival time in relation to IL-12 blood levels in patients with untreatable metastatic solid tumors. The study included 40 patients (lung cancer: 16; gastrointestinal tumors: 24). Abnormally elevated serum levels of IL-12 were observed in 15/40 (37%) patients, without any apparent relation with tumor histotype. The 1-year survival rate was significantly higher in patients with elevated IL-12 baseline values than in those with normal concentrations (8/15 vs 3/25, p < 0.01). The results of this preliminary study, which need to be confirmed in a greater number of patients by monitoring the clinical course of the neoplastic disease, seem to suggest that abnormally high baseline serum levels of the antitumor cytokine IL-12 may have a favorable prognostic significance, as they appear to be associated with a longer survival time.
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PMID:Increased blood concentrations of interleukin-12 are associated with a longer survival in untreatable metastatic solid tumor patients: preliminary observations. 947 95

Despite several years of experimental observations, the clinical application of the neuroimmunomodulation is still at the beginning. The pineal gland plays a main role in mediating the link between psychoneuroendocrine and immune systems. Melatonin (MLT), which is the main pineal hormone produced during the night, has appeared to amplify IL-2 anticancer activity. Other pineal hormones, however, would have immunomodulatory activity, in particular 5-methoxytryptophol (5-MTT), which is mainly produced during the light phase of the day. Previous clinical studies have shown that low-dose IL-2 plus MLT may have therapeutic efficacy in advanced cancer patients with neoplasms generally resistant to IL-2 alone, with a tumor regression rate generally less than 20% and an acceptable toxicity. The present study was carried out to evaluate the efficacy of low-dose IL-2 in association with both MLT and 5-MTT. The study included 14 untreatable advanced solid tumor patients (lung cancer: 4; gastric cancer: 3; mesothelioma: 2; hepatocarcinoma: 2; pancreatic cancer: 1; melanoma: 1; colon cancer: 1). IL-2 was injected subcutaneously at 3 MIU/day for 6 days/week for 4 weeks, by repeating a second cycle after a 21- day rest period. Both MLT and 5-MTT were given orally at 40 mg/day in the evening and at 1 mg/day at noon. The clinical results, as evaluated by WHO criteria after each cycle, consisted of partial response (PR) in 4/14 (29%) (lung cancer: 2; hepatocarcinoma: 1; mesothelioma: 1), stable disease (SD) in 6 and progressive disease in the last 4 patients. The treatment was extremely well tolerated in all patients, and in particular no fever greater than 38 degrees C occurred. These preliminary results show that the neuroimmunotherapy with low-dose IL-2 plus two pineal hormones, MLT and 5-MTT, is a well tolerated and potentially effective cancer therapy of untreatable advanced solid tumor patients, with results apparently superior with respect to those previously described with IL-2 plus MLT alone.
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PMID:Anticancer neuroimmunomodulation by pineal hormones other than melatonin: preliminary phase II study of the pineal indole 5-methoxytryptophol in association with low-dose IL-2 and melatonin. 949 62

Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) specific for HLA-A2-binding MAGE-3 peptide (FLWGPRALV) were generated by repetitive stimulation of PBMC with the peptide in the presence of EBV-transformed B blasts and IL-2. Using these CTL, we investigated the expression of the HLA-A2-binding MAGE-3 peptide on lung cancer cell lines. Of 14 cell lines investigated, 1-87, PC-9, OU-LC-KI, 11-18 and LK87 were derived from HLA-A2 positive patients. But cytofluorometry analysis showed that 1-87, PC-9 and OU-LC-KI, but not 11-18 or LK87 expressed the HLA-A2 antigen. All five cell lines expressed MAGE-3 gene mRNA. Twelve of thirteen CTL lines from two HLA-A2 positive donors showed no cytotoxicity against any of the 14 lung cancer cell lines. CTL line TI-1 showed cytotoxicity against 1-87 but not against any of the other cell lines. Treatment of 1-87 with IFN-gamma greatly augmented the cytotoxicity of TI-1 and induced it in the other 12 CTL lines, confirming the expression of the peptide on 1-87. No cytotoxicity was induced by IFN-gamma treatment of PC-9 or OU-LC-KI. However, PC-9 and OU-LC-KI pulsed with the peptide were killed efficiently by all of the CTL lines, suggesting no expression of the peptide on those cells. A low level of cytotoxicity was induced on 11-18 but not LK87 by IFN-gamma treatment, although expression of the HLA-A2 antigen was not observed by cytofluorometry. These findings showed that expression of the HLA-A2-binding MAGE-3 peptide recognized by CTL was variable on lung cancer cell lines.
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PMID:Variable expression on lung cancer cell lines of HLA-A2-binding MAGE-3 peptide recognized by cytotoxic T lymphocytes. 953 36

Recently, the use of macrolides is suggested to be therapeutically effective in prolonging the survival of patients with inoperable non-small cell lung cancer. The purpose of this study was to examine therapeutic effects of a macrolide, clarythromycin (CAM) on the metastastic developments of two different human non-small cell lung cancers (squamous cell lung carcinoma RERF-LC-AI, and adenocarcinoma PC-14) in severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice depleted or undepleted of natural killer (NK) cells, respectively. CAM, injected subcutaneously at doses of 5 and 10 mg/kg body weight/day from day 7 to 41 after i.v. inoculation of human lung cancer cells, was not effective in inhibiting their distant organ metastases in SCID mice. CAM at concentrations of less than 10 micrograms/ml did not have a direct influence on the proliferation of these tumor cells in vitro. Although CAM alone was not effective in augmenting NK activity, it augmented the IL-2-induced killer (LAK) activity against Daudi cells in vitro. These results suggest that CAM alone may not be enough to control the spread of non-small cell lung cancer in the patient with T cell dysfunction.
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PMID:Effect of clarythromycin on the distant metastases of human lung cancer cells in SCID mice. 959 10

Interleukin (IL) 15 is a novel cytokine with IL-2-like activity. In this study, we examined the effect of IL-15 on induction of non major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-restricted killer activity and of type 2 cytokine production by peripheral blood and pleural mononuclear cells (MNCs), from 34 lung cancer patients and 20 control subjects. IL-15 induced significant killer activity in blood MNCs from lung cancer patients as well as control subjects against a small-cell lung cancer cell line (SBC-3). Effective killer induction by IL-15 was observed even in blood MNCs and pleural MNCs from the site of tumour growth in advanced lung cancer patients. IL-12 had an additive effect with a suboptimal dose of IL-15 in induction of killer activity. In the case of MNCs from lung cancer patients, IL-10 production was more prominent when cells were incubated with IL-2 than with IL-15. IL-5 production was observed in MNCs from lung cancer patients stimulated with IL-2, but not with IL-15. These observations suggest that IL-15, by virtue of its lesser induction of type 2 cytokine, may be a better candidate than IL-2 for lung cancer immunotherapy.
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PMID:Comparative analysis of interleukin 15 and interleukin 2 for induction of killer activity and of type 2 cytokine production by mononuclear cells from lung cancer patients. 974 1

We examined the effect of OK-432 on induction of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) directed against autologous tumor cells (ATC) and lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells from mononuclear cells separated from regional lymph node cells (RLMNCs) of 49 lung cancer patients. We also examined the phenotypic changes of RLMNCs during incubation with or without OK-432. Significant CTL activity and LAK activity against ATC developed from RLMNCs after stimulation with OK-432 or IL-2. Sequential treatment with OK-432 plus IL-2 or IL-2 plus OK-432 also developed significant CTL activity and LAK activity from RLMNCs. The CTL activity produced by OK-432 alone was as high as the CTL activity developed by IL-2 alone, OK-432 plus IL-2, or IL-2 plus OK-432. There was no significant difference in the CTL activities achieved by these four treatments. The proportion of CD25+ cells in RLMNCs after incubation with OK-432 was twice that before incubation. Although OK-432 increased IL-2 receptor expression on RLMNCs, it showed no synergistic effect with IL-2 in developing CTL and LAK activity. After incubation with OK-432, the proportion of HLA-DR + cells was also increased significantly. Moreover, the proportions of HLA-ABC+ and HLA-DR+ (class I and class II major histocompatibility complex antigens) cells in ATC were significantly larger than in Daudi cells. OK-432 alone could develop CTL activity against ATC from the RLMNCs of lung cancer patients that was as high as that developed by IL-2 alone or by sequential treatment with OK-432 plus IL-2 or IL-2 plus OK-432. The CTL developed from the RLMNCs of lung cancer patients may recognize class I and/or II antigens on the surface of ATC. These results indicated that treatment with OK-432 might be therapeutically useful for lung cancer patients as a CTL inducer rather than a LAK inducer.
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PMID:OK-432 develops CTL and LAK activity in mononuclear cells from regional lymph nodes of lung cancer patients. 977 99

The possibility of natural cancer therapy has been recently suggested by advances in the knowledge of tumor immunobiology. Either cytokines such as IL-2, or neurohormones, such as the pineal indole melatonin (MLT), may activate anticancer immunity. In addition, immunomodulating substances have also been isolated from plants, particularly from Aloe vera. Preliminary clinical studies had already shown that MLT may induce some benefits in untreatable metastatic solid tumor patients, whereas, for the time being, no clinical trial has been performed with aloe products. We have carried out a clinical study to evaluate whether the concomitant administration of aloe may enhance the therapeutic results of MLT in patients with advanced solid tumors for whom no effective standard anticancer therapies are available. The study included 50 patients suffering from lung cancer, gastrointestinal tract tumors, breast cancer or brain glioblastoma, who were treated with MLT alone (20 mg/day orally in the dark period) or MLT plus A. vera tincture (1 ml twice/day). A partial response (PR) was achieved in 2/24 patients treated with MLT plus aloe and in none of the patients treated with MLT alone. Stable disease (SD) was achieved in 12/24 and in 7/26 patients treated with MLT plus aloe or MLT alone, respectively. Therefore, the percentage of nonprogressing patients (PR + SD) was significantly higher in the group treated with MLT plus aloe than in the MLT gorup (14/24 vs. 7/26, p < 0.05). The percent 1-year survival was significantly higher in patients treated with MLT plus aloe (9/24 vs. 4/26, p < 0.05). Both treatments were well tolerated. This preliminary study would suggest that natural cancer therapy with MLT plus A. vera extracts may produce some therapeutic benefits, at least in terms of stabilization of disease and survival, in patients with advanced solid tumors, for whom no other standard effective therapy is available.
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PMID:Biotherapy with the pineal immunomodulating hormone melatonin versus melatonin plus aloe vera in untreatable advanced solid neoplasms. 978 22

High levels of soluble lymphocyte antigens have been described in a large number of tumors and, particularly, in hematopoietic neoplasms. As previously reported, many antitumor immune responses are IL-2 dependent: clinical observations indicate that a worse survival in advanced tumor patients is related with a decrease of soluble IL-2 levels. A soluble form of CD8 has been described: as found in Hodgkin's disease and acute lymphoblastic leukemia, sCD8 levels have a prognostic value. To explain the significance of these soluble molecules in solid tumors, we a) determinated sIL-2R and sCD8 in 84 patients; b) correlated the expression of p55 chain of IL-2R and CD8 antigen on the cell-surface of peripheral lymphocytes to sIL-2R and sCD8 levels; c) analyzed endogenous IL-2R levels in patients with lung cancer. An increase of sIL-2R was found in 82% of cases, while high levels of sCD8 were observed in 32%; no correlation was observed between sIL-2R and the expression of p55 on the surface of peripheral lymphocytes: IL-2 levels in patients with NSCLC were significatively reduced, when compared to healthy controls, with an inverse relationship between endogenous IL-2 concentration and sIL-2R levels. Whatever may be the physiopathological mechanism of the increase of sIL-2 observed in solid tumors, this rise may contribute to the immunodepression correlated to neoplastic disease. Therefore, higher levels of sIL-2R/IL-2 ratio has a negative biologic prognostic significance. We think that determinating CD8 antigen in the serum can offer a more sensitive and specific measurement of activation of suppressor/cytotoxic T-lymphocytes.
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PMID:Soluble interleukin-2 receptor and soluble CD8 antigen levels in serum from patients with solid tumors. 985 47


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