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B Serrou

Publications and source records attributed to B Serrou.

166 records · Page 10Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Complications of BCG treatment in patients bearing solid tumors.

We treated one hundred patients who had various high risk solid tumors (malignant melanomas, osteosarcomas and lung cancers) by immunostimulation alone or with a sequential and synchronized chemotherapy as a complement treatment. Institut Pasteur BCG (150 mg) was administered either by scarifications (10 X 10 of 5 cm each) or multiple puncture technique (Gun), or in the case of 12 patients, by intra-tumor injections. The following complications were observed: chills and high fever during 1 to 30 days after scarifications or gun technique. In some cases an allergic loco-regional cutaneous reaction was noted after the gun technique. Nevertheless these complications were well tolerated. However, severe reactions were observed after the intra-tumor injections: malaise, chills, sweating, hyperthermia, nausea, vomiting and changes in blood pressure. In 1 case a prolonged high fever (3 weeks) was offset only by the use of corticosteroids. In another case the patient developed hepatitis. A percutaneous liver biopsy revealed noncaseating granulomas and the presence of acid fast organisms in the liver (by means of staining by auramine and observation by fluorescence). In this patient BCG has been replaced by Corynebacterium parvum (2 X 2 mg a week). This type of adjuvant was used in 2 patients and produced the same complications as the BCG. We believe that caution must be exercised in the use of such intra-tumoral treatments. BCG must be given in the hospital and patients must receive antihistaminic preparation before and after immunostimulation.

BCG Vaccine↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Use of concanavalin A to analyse the mechanism of memory cell differentiation into killer cells.

The renewing by ConA of the cytolytic activity evaluated in a short-term chromium release assay in a population of memory cells obtained in a long-term mixed lymphocyte culture is shown to be largely dependent upon the dose of ConA used; a three staged phenomenon in terms of dose response and kinetics is analysed and suggests that at least for low concentration of ConA (0.5 micrograms/ml) the lectin acts on the same subpopulation and through the same mechanism as the specific antigen, as shown by DNA-synthesis inhibition experiments. Preincubation with ConA at doses giving the best secondary-like response strongly inhibits further response to the primary alloantigen. Experiments using mixtures of ConA and alloantigens as stimulators show that both agents can compete in differentiating memory cells into killer cells. All these data suggest an important overlap of the structures on memory cells which are triggered by ConA or specific antigen.

Animals↗