Interaction of stroma and tumor cells within a carcinoma can influence tumor growth and progression. We investigated possible influences of allogeneic and autologous fibroblasts on established squamous cell head and neck carcinoma lines (SCHNCL) and freshly isolated cells from such tumors. Tumor cells were compared in their colony-forming ability, starting from low cell counts, in their ability to form multicellular spheroids (MCS) and in their capacity to form tumors in the subrenal capsule of nu/nu mice. All tumor cell lines tested had a weak plating efficiency, whereas the capacity to form MCS as well as growth and progression in the xenotransplantation model showed large differences. The fibroblasts produced soluble factor(s) which increased colony formation of all tumor cell lines tested to the same extent, whereas admixture of fibroblasts exhibited a different influence on the MCS size and growth. They accelerated growth of the slowly growing MCS but did hardly alter growth of the fast growing ones. Tumor cells growing invasively in the xenotransplantation model were not influenced by coinoculation with fibroblasts; other tumor cells did not produce detectable tumors in nude mice or formed nodules well separated from the renal tissue: adding fibroblasts to these cells caused invasive growth of xenografts. The growth-promoting effects of fibroblasts in these extracorporeal systems might be of prognostic or even therapeutic benefit if intervention of these properties were successful.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Effectiveness of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in patients with acute and chronic cochlear disorders.

Over the course of 18 months 359 patients with defined acute and chronic inner ear disorders who had not responded to treatment with medication were given hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy. The inner ear diseases of the patients were divided, based on the duration of their conditions, into four symptomatic groups. Of the patients who had had hearing loss for less than 3 months, noticeable improvement or complete recovery was seen in 13% (20 dB in at least three test frequencies); 25.2% showed an improvement between 10 and 20 dB. Changes up to 10 dB or less were not considered to be positive. Patients with a pretreated hearing loss for more than 3 months had markedly less benefit from HBO therapy. Two percent regained normal hearing function. In 30% an improvement of more than 10 dB was achieved. For patients who had suffered from tinnitus for less than 3 months excellent improvement was seen in 6.7% and noticeable improvement in 44.3% expressed by means of a visual analog scale. In 44.3% the tinnitus was described as unchanged. Patients who had had tinnitus for more than 3 months before HBO therapy showed a less favorable response to HBO. In none of the patients did the tinnitus disappear; 34.4% of the patients described a noticeable improvement in their complaints.

Acute Disease↗