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Biomedical subjects

B W Hancock

Publications and source records attributed to B W Hancock.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1983

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in Sheffield 1971-1980.

Data from a study of 342 patients with histologically proven non-Hodgkin's lymphoma treated in Sheffield between 1970-1979 is presented. The Working Formulation for Clinical Usage (National Cancer Institute, 1982) has been applied to histology reviews. The overall 5 year survival was 34.2%. Analysis of data by two factor contingency table analysis of possible prognostic indices showed the favourable effects of low grade histology, localized extranodal staging, asymptomatic (A) status, complete response to initial therapy, high haemoglobin and normal ESR. Unfavourable markers were stage IV disease, histology other than low grade, older age, low haemoglobin and elevated ESR. One hundred and ten cases initially referred to our centre as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma were not histologically acceptable as such, one third of these showed reactive hyperplasia only. A broad spectrum of extra nodal lymphoma was seen in the series (78 patients, 23%); the commonest sites being Waldeyer's ring, gastrointestinal tract, thyroid and skin. Necropsy (50 patients) confirmed that infection, usually bronchopneumonia, in association with persistent lymphoma was the commonest cause of death.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Inflammatory fibrous histiocytoma.

The name inflammatory fibrous histiocytoma (FH) is applied to a rare group of disorders which is not well known to surgeons but which may require surgical treatment. The name is misleading in that although there may be features of inflammation, the clinical progress, absence of causative organism and fatal outcome seem to place it within the sphere of malignancy. The condition is fully described by Kyriakos and Kempson (1976) and a case with a periorbital lesion managed by multiple surgical excisions, the "berry-picking" technique, is documented by Jones et al., (1979). The average age is over 50 years and the sex distribution about equal. In this paper a patient much younger than average is presented to illustrate the problems of diagnosis and management. During the course of treatment an observation was made on the "take" of a free graft on the cortex of the sternum.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Serum ferritin as a third marker in germ cell tumours.

Serial measurements of serum ferritin have been assessed as an additional marker in a study of 12 patients with germ cell tumours. The standard markers, serum AFP and beta HCG, were also assessed serially. During treatment elevated levels of serum ferritin were detected in 10 patients, elevated AFP in 10 patients and elevated beta HCG in 6 patients. A poor prognosis was associated with persistently raised serum ferritin and either, or both, elevated AFP and beta HCG levels. Decreasing levels of serum ferritin indicated favourable response to treatment; rising values were associated with recurrence or dissemination of tumour. Even if serum ferritin cannot be classed specifically as a tumour product, it may be useful in the early detection of residual or recurrent tumour.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Depressed spontaneous natural killing and interferon augmentation in patients with malignant lymphoma.

A substantial proportion (44%) of peripheral blood lymphocyte samples from 41 patients with malignant lymphoma have been shown to have depressed or undetectable levels of natural cytotoxicity against the leukaemic cell line K562 in a 4-hr [51Cr]-release assay. No correlation was found between low levels of natural killer (NK) cell activity and either the age of the patients, total or differential white blood counts, or the type or stage of disease. Furthermore, pre-treatment of lymphocytes with human lymphoblastoid (Namalva) interferon failed to enhance NK levels in 5/11 patients with Hodgkin's disease and 5/8 patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and was in contrast to the response of control peripheral blood lymphocytes assayed under the same test conditions. The lack of responsiveness to interferon of peripheral blood NK cells from lymphoma patients was not wholly associated with those patients shown to have low levels of spontaneous NK activity.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Immunity in Hodgkin's disease: status after 5 years' remission.

Immunological indices have been reassessed in 27 patients in remission from Hodgkin's disease for 5 years after treatment and the findings correlated with initial treatment and splenectomy status. Neutrophil counts were lower and lymphocyte and monocyte counts higher at 5 years' remission than at presentation; the increases in lymphocyte count were mainly a feature of the splenectomized patients. Neutrophil function (nitro-blue tetrazolium) was unchanged in remission but cellular immunity (leucocyte migration inhibition and lymphocyte transformation) was depressed at 5 years and progressive falls in serum immunoglobulins were noted. Low values of IgG and IgM were particularly found in patients who had splenectomy and chemotherapy; there was however no excess of infections in this small group.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Herpesvirus colitis: a new cause of diarrhoea in a patient with Hodgkin's disease.

A 57 year old woman developed severe diarrhoea during chemotherapy for Hodgkin's lymphoma. Extensive colonic ulceration was observed at necropsy and electron microscopy showed intranuclear virions consistent with herpesvirus infection. Antibody titres and immunoperoxidase studies indicated that the virus was probably herpes simplex.

Colitis↗
PubMed1982

Serum ferritin in normal individuals and in patients with malignant lymphoma and chronic renal failure measured with seven different commercial immunoassay techniques.

A comparison of serum ferritin determination by seven different commercial immunoassay techniques gave mean coefficients of variation of 57% for normal individuals, 41 . 4% for patients with malignant lymphoma and 43 . 1% for patients with chronic renal failure. One of the immunoradiometric assays gave consistently higher serum ferritin values in both normal and patient groups; mean values were increased (greater than 100% for normal males, greater than 50% for normal females) with respect to the other assays. Underestimation of serum ferritin by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was also evident. Results were affected by storage conditions, but not by dilution of samples, in two kits. Solutions of ferritin purified from normal and malignant human and mouse tissues, and lymphoma isoferritins, were used for reference. There were overestimations of normal human liver ferritin and the most basic isoferritin. Mouse ferritin displayed minimal reactivity in all kits, and human lymphoma ferritin was often underestimated. Variability in serum ferritin determination chiefly reflects the lack of a universal standard for ferritin measurement.

Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay↗
PubMed1982

Lymphopenia: a bad prognostic factor in Hodgkin's disease.

Pretreatment peripheral blood lymphocyte counts have been recorded in 181 consecutive untreated patients with histologically proven Hodgkin's disease and the patients followed prospectively to determine the relationship of lymphopenia to survival. Lymphocyte counts at presentation did not correspond with histology type but were lower in stage 4 disease. Survival in the 77 patients with lymphocyte counts of less than 1.5 X 10(9)/l was 49.7% which was significantly worse (P less than 0.0001) than the 74.2% survival of those with 'normal' counts. This difference was maintained even after adjustment for other acknowledged prognostic variables including sex, age, stage, symptom status, histology type, and response to treatment. The study provides evidence that the lymphocyte count can be used as a meaningful marker in the clinical staging of Hodgkin's disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Hypercalcaemia in malignant lymphoma.

Three patients with malignant lymphoma complicated by hypercalaemia without radiological bone abnormality are described. The medical literature has been reviewed and the possible underlying mechansims discussed. The early diagnosis of this potentially fatal complication is important since this may respond (together with the underlying disease) to appropriate chemotherapy.

Aged↗
PubMed1979

The effects of radiotherapy on immunity in patients with localized carcinoma of the cervix uteri.

To assess the effects of radiotherapy on immune status, a wide range of assessments have been performed on patients with localized carcinoma of the cervix uteri undergoing and initially responding clinically to radical pelvic radiotherapy. Neutrophil function was essentially unchanged by treatment. Absolute neutrophil and lymphocyte counts fell after treatment and remained depressed 3 and 12 months following treatment. The proportions of T and B cells dropped with treatment but recovered to near-presentation levels during the follow-up period even though absolute counts remained depressed. In vitro tests of cellular immunity were depressed by treatment and remained so 3 and 12 months following treatment whereas skin test responses remained normal throughout the assessments. Inhibitory plasma effects were observed in phytohaemagglutinin lymphocyte transformation studies on 4 untreated patients; at follow-up these effects were not evident. A variable response in immune indices has therefore been observed in patients in remission after treatment of localized carcinoma cervix stressing the importance of assessing several aspects of immune function and implying that persistent depression of certain indices does not adversely affect the host tumor response. In two patients relapsing after apparently good initial response all aspects of immunological assessment (except serum immunoglobulin levels and neutrophil function) deteriorated.

Cell Migration Inhibition↗
PubMed1979

Ferritin, a sensitizing substance in the leucocyte migration inhibition test in patients with malignant lymphoma.

The nature of the factor in Hodgkin's disease involved spleen to which many patients with malignant lymphoma react in the leucocyte migration inhibition test has been investigated. Our results suggest that ferritin from Hodgkin's disease involved spleens is antigenically different to that prepared from normal spleen. Isoelectric focusing shows the presence of more acidic 'isoferritins' in ferritin prepared from Hodgkin's disease involved spleen than in that prepared from normal spleen. Further observations using the leucocyte migration inhibition test suggest that sensitization to the abnormal ferritin, acting as an onco-fetal tumour associated substance, may be responsible for the reaction of patients with malignant lymphoma in this test.

Antigens, Neoplasm↗