The study of 186 cases (bed rests) of patients who have had a therapeutical radiotherapy shows that: those who have received a thoracic irradiation (neo-breast) do not release an appreciable hypereosinophilia (2% of cases); those who have received a pelvic irradiation (neo uterus, testicle, ovary) set a mode-rate hypereosinophilia (from 450 to 1 000 eosino/mm3) in 90% of cases; in Hodgkin's disease, 15% of the patients have an hypereosinophilia before any treatment; it increases to 34% after radiotherapy (cobalt 60); No difference has been shown either with the site of radiation (up or under the diaphragmatic) or with the age of the patients. On the other hand, a significative prognosis (survival greater than or equal to 5 years). From these observations, the authors propose some physiopathological hypothesis on the signification of hypereosinophilia in the course of therapeutical irradiations and Hodgkin's disease.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Association between H-ras minisatellite and colorectal cancer risk.

BACKGROUND: The H-ras locus has been suggested to play an important role in susceptibility to cancer. However, the results remain controversial. METHODS: In order to elucidate the potential role of the H-ras locus in colorectal carcinogenesis, 142 colorectal tumors with matched normal samples were studied for genomic instability and loss of heterozygosity (LOH), and 143 healthy samples of white blood cell DNA were examined by PCR, for H-ras allelic polymorphism. RESULTS: Nine percent of colorectal cancer patients constitutionally presented at least one rare allele versus 1.4% of healthy individuals (P = 0.0034). The risk of developing colorectal cancer increased significantly with the presence of rare H-ras alleles (odds ratio = 7.10 and 95% confidence interval = 1.92-26.35). The genotype associating one common allele and one rare allele was overrepresented in cancer patients (P < 0.01). No associations were observed between the rare alleles and tumor site or with the aggressiveness of cancer. Low frequencies of LOH (5%) and genetic instability (0.7%) at the H-ras locus were found in our colorectal cancer set. CONCLUSIONS: Consequently, the presence of uncommon alleles at the H-ras locus appeared to be an informative genetic marker.

Adenocarcinoma↗