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P Aiginger

Publications and source records attributed to P Aiginger.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Macrocytic anemia and thrombocytosis associated with thymoma: a case report.

Thymomas are often associated with autoimmune disorders. We report on a 45-year-old female patient with thymoma and hypogammaglobulinemia (Good's syndrome) who developed symptomatic macrocytic anemia (Hb 4.4 g/dl, MCV 112 fl) and thrombocytosis (Plt 442 G/l). Besides hypogammaglobulinemia (IgG 589 mg/dl), an inverted ratio of CD4(+)/CD8(+) cells was seen. The bone marrow biopsy showed a slightly hypercellular bone marrow with normal granulopoiesis, normal megakaryopoiesis and a mild dyserythropoiesis without any ring-sideroblasts. The in-vitro stem cell culture from the bone marrow revealed an atypical growth of macroclusters, reduced BFU-E and CFU-GEMM colony growth, whereas the CFU-GM colony growth was within the normal range. The chromosomal analysis showed a normal karyotype. The plasma vitamin B(12) and folate levels were within normal ranges, and we could not detect any autoantibodies. These findings excluded the differential diagnoses pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) and pernicious anemia. After resection of the thymoma of mixed cell type, the macrocytic anemia and thrombocytosis disappeared. The clinical course was complicated by a cerebral palsy and a life-threatening fungal septicemia after surgery. In the third year after thymectomy, hyporegenerative macrocytic anemia and thrombocytosis reappeared and an immunosuppressive treatment with prednisolone (1 mg/kg BW) was started. After initiation of the prednisolone therapy, reticulocyte counts increased and macrocytic anemia as well as thrombocytosis disappeared. The normalization of these laboratory parameters during glucocorticoid therapy suggests that in rare cases the constellation of macrocytic anemia, thrombocytosis and hypogammaglobulinemia may be due to an underlying immunologic mechanism.

Agammaglobulinemia↗
PubMed1991

Risk factors for bilateral testicular germ cell tumors. Does heredity play a role?

Twenty-three bilateral testicular germ cell tumors (four synchronous and 19 sequential tumors) were investigated for potential risk factors. The incidence of maldescensus testis was not found to be higher than in patients with unilateral disease. The histologic findings of the first tumor did not have any effect on the incidence of the second tumor. In 21 patients (four synchronous and 17 sequential tumors), histocompatibility antigens (HLA) were determined; HLA-B14 was increased significantly in the sequential tumor group. Tendencies toward an increase of HLA-DR5 and HLA-DR7 also were found. The HLA-DR1, HLA-DR3, and HLA-DR4 showed a tendency toward a decreased frequency. Therefore genetic factors might be important in the development of sequential bilateral testicular cancers.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

HLA-antigen distribution in seminoma, HCG-positive seminoma and non-seminomatous tumours of the testis.

Histocompatibility antigens play a certain role in the development of testicular tumours. 151 patients with testicular cancer (86 non-seminomatous germ cell tumours--NSGCT--and 65 pure seminoma) were typed for the HLA-antigens of the A, B, C and DR locus. 24 patients of the pure seminoma group and 50 patients of the NSGCT group had an elevated serum HCG level preoperatively. The antigen DR-5 was elevated in the seminoma group whereas the incidence of B-13 was increased in the NSGCT group. In terms of antigen distribution HCG-positive seminoma resembles seminomatous tumours rather than NSGCT.

Chorionic Gonadotropin↗
PubMed1989

Diagnostic value of mucin-like carcinoma-associated antigen (MCA) in breast cancer.

The diagnostic value of mucin-like carcinoma-associated antigen (MCA) was compared to that of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and/or CA 15.3 in patients with breast cancer. A total of 368 patients with breast cancer were studied, of whom 253 were free of metastases, whereas 94 had either skeletal or visceral metastases or diffuse metastatic disease. The diagnostic sensitivity of MCA proved to be comparable to that of CA 15.3 and superior to that of CEA in patients with metastatic breast cancer. In contrast, the specificity of MCA was superior to that of CA 15.3. Finally, the diagnostic sensitivity of each of the tested tumour markers, i.e. MCA, CEA and CA 15.3, could be improved by their combined use. We conclude that MCA, either alone or in combination with CA 15.3 and CEA, can improve the monitoring of disease progression in patients with metastatic breast cancer.

Antigens, Neoplasm↗
PubMed1988

Shift in phenotype of acute T-lymphocytic leukemia to eosinophilic leukemia: a case report.

Acute T-lymphocytic leukemia diagnosed in a 14-year old boy on the basis of typical cell morphology, as well as by membrane antigen analysis with monoclonal antibodies, shifted to the phenotype of an acute eosinophilic leukemia 5 months after the initiation of chemotherapy. The transformation was evident by a change in morphology of cells derived from bone marrow aspirates, by cytochemistry and by a shift in the membrane antigen pattern.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Prognostic value of tumor marker determinations in testicular cancer patients.

This report is based on the observation of 109 patients with testicular cancer over a period of 6 years. At the time of orchiectomy metastases were present in 54 patients. In 13 patients with an initially nonmetastatic disease, secondaries occurred later. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of serum levels of human chorionic gonadotropin (beta-HCG) and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) in the prognosis for achieving a complete remission. The importance of serial serum AFP and beta-HCG determinations for the early detection of tumor metastases was also evaluated. Remission rates were lowered significantly in patients with serum AFP levels above 500 micrograms/liter (8%, P less than 0.0005) and serum beta-HCG concentrations exceeding 5,000 U/liter (27%, P less than 0.05). For an early detection of metastases the best results (efficiency 0.92) were achieved with the combination of beta-HCG with AFP and X-ray examination of the chest.

Chorionic Gonadotropin↗
PubMed1986

Assessment of the sensitivity of leukaemic cells to cytotoxic drugs by bioluminescence measurement of ATP in cultured cells.

A short-term test in vitro is described, which can be used to detect resistance to cytostatic agents in leukaemic cells. Leukaemic cell suspensions were incubated with cytostatic agents and the resulting intracellular ATP concentrations were measured by a bioluminescence ATP assay. There was a clear dose-effect relationship in acute leukaemia and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia cells for drugs used in the treatment of leukaemias. A good correlation was found between the ATP content of leukaemic cells and cell viability as determined by the trypan blue dye exclusion test. Preliminary individual clinical correlations suggest a correlation between the chemosensitivity in vitro and the response patterns in vivo in leukaemia patients. This simple, fast and sensitive method may have application for determination of drug-induced cytotoxicity in leukaemic cells in vitro.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1986

CSF cytology of a patient with conversion of an acute lymphatic leukemia to an acute eosinophilic leukemia.

The course of leukemic disease in a male adolescent with meningeal leukemia is described. The bone marrow aspirates showed a conversion from an acute lymphatic leukemia to an eosinophilic leukemia. Four weeks after the peripheral shift of phenotype two different cell clones were detected in one CSF smear. While under ultrahigh dose araC therapy the patient died 3 months after conversion. Possible explanation for the shift of phenotype and the peculiar leptomeningeal infiltration are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

[Significance of hormone receptors of breast cancer cells for the duration of a disease-free interval].

The importance of the presence of hormone receptors of cells derived from breast cancer tissue for the duration of the relapse-free interval was evaluated in 41 patients with stage II breast cancer. After modified radical mastectomy with axillary lymphadenectomy the patients received radiotherapy and adjuvant polychemotherapy and/or hormone therapy. There was no indication of metastases in any patient at the time of operation. There was a significant correlation of the relapse-free interval to tumor size (p less than 0.05), to the number of involved lymph nodes (p less than 0.0005), and also to the presence of the progesterone receptor (PgR), which seemed to play a more important role in this context than the oestrogen receptor (ER) (p less than 0.001). We conclude from this study that the evaluation of the PgR in breast cancer cells is important for the prognosis of the duration of the relapse-free interval.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗
PubMed1985

CHOP-firstline treatment in NHL with unfavorable prognosis--evaluation of therapeutic response and factors influencing prognosis.

58 NHL-patients (9 large cell centrocytic, 18 centroblastic, 16 immunoblastic, 15 lymphoblastic lymphomas) were treated immediately after diagnosis with CHOP-chemotherapy regardless of the extent of disease. Because of the advanced age of the majority of patients (median age 61 years, range 22-85 years) a reduced dose in the first two cycles was administered. Statistically significant prognostic variables influencing survival were the following: histologic subtypes according to the Kiel-classification (p less than 0,05), B-symptoms (p less than 0,001), blood sedimentation rate (p less than 0,02) and LDH (p less than 0,0005). With regard to prognosis there was no difference between patients over 60 years of age and younger ones (p less than 0,4). Patients achieving complete remission survived significantly longer (p less than 0,0001). Ann Arbor stages were of limited value, since patients with CS II disease and accumulation of risk factors (B-symptoms, abdominal disease, bulky tumor masses) showed a poorer outcome than patients with CS III who did not have these risk factors. A risk factor score summarizing features influencing prognosis is described and might be a useful tool in stratifying the heterogeneous group of NHL with unfavorable prognosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Acute-phase-proteins and parameters of humoral immunity in patients with advanced Hodgkin's disease.

Serum concentrations of acute-phase-proteins C-reactive protein (CRP), alpha 1-antitrypsin (AAT), alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) as well as levels of immunoglobulins G, A and M and of complement components C3 and C4 were evaluated in 15 patients with advanced (stages III and IV) Hodgkin's disease. Of these patients 9 suffered from B symptoms including pruritus, night sweats and fever. While all patients had highly increased concentrations of CRP and AAT and 11 patients also had elevated levels of AGP in their sera, these concentrations were significantly (P less than 0.001) reducible by the administration of chemotherapy. Patients with B symptoms also had significantly higher concentrations of CRP (P less than 0.02), AAT (P less than 0.05) and AGP (P less than 0.05) in their sera than patients without. Plasmapheresis which was performed in 3 patients did not achieve a long-lasting reduction of serum concentrations of any acute-phase-protein tested. Complement components C3 and C4 exhibited a similar behaviour as acute-phase-proteins in that they were elevated in patients with B symptoms and reducible by the administration of chemotherapy (P less than 0.001 and P less than 0.02, respectively). We conclude that serum concentrations of CRP, AAT and AGP can serve as useful markers for the assessment of tumour activity in patients with advanced Hodgkin's disease. Whereas the concentrations of immunoglobulins G and A in patients were comparable to normal controls, IgM was significantly (P less than 0.05) reduced in patients who had received chemotherapy, but not in those who were newly diagnosed and had not received any treatment. Thus, chemotherapy lowered serum concentrations of IgM without influencing levels of IgG and IgA.

Acute-Phase Proteins↗