Effect of Cobalt-60 Irradiation upon Cell-Mediated Immunity

Hematologic and immunologic status in Hodgkin's disease 5 years after radical radiotherapy

“…While there is no absolute change in the proportion of patients demonstrating cutaneous hypersensitivity reactions before and after treatment in this study, several instances of conversion from non-reactivity to reactivity were noted and vice-versa. Brown et al3 and Young et al28 have already described the relative rarity of anergy in patients with untreated Hodgkin's disease at our institution, as compared to the lower incidence of reactivity reported by Eltringham and Kaplan.11 The conversion of cutaneous hypersensitivity from negative to positive after treatment has previously been noted by others for both Hodgkin's disease and other types of malig-nancy.l.7.26 Similarly, depression of hypersensitivity reactions has also been observed not only experimentally10 but clinically for Hodgkin's diseasela and in patients receiving postoperative irradiation for carcinoma of the breast.7 Gross et al 13 documented findings similar to our own, with both improvement and deterioration in responsiveness following irradiation. It would thus appear that one can demonstrate both a correction of an underlying immune defect, as reflected in absence of delayed hypersensitivity skin reactions in some patients, and an apparent depression of such reactivity in other patients lasting 5 years or more following irradiation.…”

The combined effect of radiotherapy and neuraminidase‐treated tumor cells on 3‐methylcholanthrene‐induced fibrosarcoma

“…1972;Meyer, 1970;Tarpley et al, 1975), but therapeutic doses of irradiation d o not adversely affect inflammatory responses (Ghossein et al, 1975), or cell-mediated irnmunity as measured by in vitro delayed hypersensitivity t o several skin test antigens (Clement and Kranier. 1974;Gross et al, 1973;Ghossein et al, 1975). In fact, delayed hypersensitivity and inflammatory response may improve following radiotherapy (Ghossein et al, 1975;Clement and Kranier, 1974).…”

Immunocompetence in patients with solid tumors undergoing cobalt 60 irradiation

“…I n vitro testing of this immune system in cancer patients has yielded contradictory results, quite possibly due to the inherent limitations of the in vitro tests themselves. 7 T h e delayed hypersensitivity response used in this study changes the investigation from an in vitro to an in vivo one. It must be noted that positive reactions to these tests generally require not only the viability of immunologically competent cells but also prior exposure to the antigen (immunologic memory).…”