M van Luyn | PubMed Health

PubMed1984

Small cell lung cancer and the influence of chemotherapy on CFUcs in bone marrow.

To determine the optimal moment for the harvesting of bone marrow for autologous transplantation, the authors did serially colony forming units in culture (CFUc) counts in a group of 42 patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) before and after remission induction chemotherapy and subsequent maintenance chemotherapy. Disease stage did not influence the CFUc count except in patients with bone marrow metastases; this resulted in either abnormally low or abnormally high CFUc counts, probably dependent on the degree of invasion. After 2 courses of induction chemotherapy, the number of CFUcs was 3.1-fold higher than before therapy. After 4 courses, the CFUcs number was comparable to the pretreatment value. An inverse correlation was found between the degree of hematologic toxicity (expressed as leucocytes count) and the increase of CFUcs after induction chemotherapy. The number of CFUcs decreased during prolonged chemotherapy to low levels after 1 year. Harvesting of bone marrow is probably done best shortly after induction chemotherapy.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗

PubMed1983

Lymphocytes with parallel tubular structures: morphologically a distinctive subpopulation.

Peripheral blood lymphocytes were fractionated in T, B and Null cell enriched subsets by means of sheep red blood cell rosette (ESRBC) sedimentation and nylon wool adherence. The ultrastructural features of these subpopulation were investigated. The T cell fraction in which the sheep erythrocytes were removed from the ESRBC rosette-forming cells (ESRBC-RFC) by lysis with ammonium chloride, consisted mainly of two morphologically distinctive subsets. The majority of the cells (80%) displayed a smooth surface membrane and had a high nuclear to cytoplasmic ratio with few cytoplasmic organelles. The other cell type (18%) had a relatively rough surface membrane, a low nuclear to cytoplasmic ratio, often an indented nucleus and numerous cytoplasmic organelles such as characteristic amorphous granules and sometimes parallel tubular structures (p.t.s.). If the T cells were obtained after mechanical vibration of the ESRBC-RFC, the majority of these cells appeared morphologically identical to this latter cell type. Cells with p.t.s. and amorphous granules were also demonstrated within the Null and B cell enriched fractions (50% and 25% respectively), though in the B cell enriched fraction this cell type is probably due to a contamination of Null cells. Previous observations had already demonstrated that these cells in the three fractions represent the Fc gamma receptor-bearing lymphocytes. The similarities suggest that the Fc gamma receptor-bearing and p.t.s. containing lymphocytes form a morphologically distinct subpopulation.

Humans↗