Summary The radiosensitivity of solid tumours in anaemic rats treated with recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO, epoetin beta) was studied. Anaemia was induced by a single dose of carboplatin (45 mg kg-' i.v.), resulting in a reduction in the haemoglobin concentration by 30%. In a second group, the development of anaemia was prevented by rhEPO (1000 IU kg-1) administered s.c. three times per week starting 6 days before the carboplatin application. Three days after carboplatin treatment, DS-sarcomas were implanted subcutaneously onto the hind foot dorsum. Neither carboplatin nor rhEPO treatment influenced tumour growth rate. Five days after implantation, tumours were irradiated with a single non-curative dose (10 Gy), resulting in a growth delay with a subsequent regrowth of the tumours. In the rhEPO-treated group, the growth delay lasted significantly longer (9.5 days vs. 4.5 days) and the regrowth was slower (6.0 days vs. 4.1 days) compared with the anaemic group. These data suggest that the correction of chemotherapy-induced anaemia by rhEPO (epoetin beta) treatment increases tumour radiosensitivity, presumably as a result of an improved oxygen supply to tumour tissue.

Chemiluminescence produced by normal cells was reduced in response to zymosan which was opsonized with serum from patients on prophylactic lithium therapy, compared to control serum from normal subjects (68 +/- 3.1 vs. 93 +/- 3.4 mV/5 X 10(5) cells). Preincubation of normal cells with serum from patients also resulted in reduced chemiluminescence activity when the cells were stimulated with autologous serum-coated zymosan (47 +/- 4.5 vs. 64 +/- 6.3 mV/5 X 10(5) cells). Spontaneous complement conversion was increased in the serum of patients on lithium therapy (46.3 +/- 3.8 vs. 25.3 +/- 2.5% conversion). These studies demonstrated that lithium, at safe therapeutic levels (0.4-0.9 mmol/liter), significantly altered complement conversion and had a marked affect on chemiluminescence activity by normal cells.

Summary A female patient who presented for the first time at the age of 19 with oculomucocutaneous syndrome was found to have an absolute deficiency of neutrophil peroxide production. Neutrophil peroxide production as measured by chemiluminescence was zero on stimulation with opsonized zymosan. Direct membrane stimulation with FMLP and calcium ionophore also failed to elicit peroxide production. The diagnosis of chronic granulomatous disease should be considered in young patients with oculomucocutaneous syndrome.

We reviewed the relative incidence of histological sub-types of thyroid carcinoma at St. Vincent's Hospital between 1970 and 98 Vol. 162 No. 3 1991 and compared survival rates. The findings were compared with previous reports between 1946 and 1970.Patients with thyroid carcinoma from 1970 through 1991 were identified and pathological and clinical data retrieved.Of 141 patients identified, 113 were female and 28 male. Fiftyseven patients had papillary, 41 follicular, 24 anaplastic and 6 medullary carcinoma. There were 10 lymphomas and 3 thryoid metastases. The 10-year actuarial disease-free survival for papinary carcinoma was 93%, follicular 80% and medullary 37%. The median overall survival for anaplastic carcinoma was 5 months. The number of cases seen increased from 2.2 per year between 1946 -1965 to 7.6 per year between 1982-1991 . From 1946to 1991 the relative incidence of papillary carcinoma increased from 19% to 57%.Of interest is the change in relative incidence of the histological sub-types. Follicular carcinoma is associated with endemic goitre and increased iodine intake may explain its reduced incidence. Increased radiation may explain the increase in papillary carcinoma. There is a need for a National Tumour Registry to see if this local trend is reflected nationally. PROTEOLYTIC ENZYMES AS PROGNOSTIC MARKERS IN BREAST CANCER