Lung cancer, immune status, histopathology and smoking

Anthony, Honor M.; Madsen, Kayla; Mason, M. K.; Templeman, G H

doi:10.1016/s0007-0971(81)80006-x

Cited by 7 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…This is unlikely to have been caused by inadequate intake alone and is difficult to explain, unless vitamin C is being used by some mechanism associated with the lymphocytosis. Lymphocytosis was first reported to be associated with resistance to spontaneous tumours by Murphy (1926) and has been linked to longer survival of inoperable patients with squamous bronchial carcinoma, the correlation being unaffected by controlling for other factors (Anthony et al, 1981). Significantly less vitamin C was present in the mononuclear-cell fraction of presenting patients who were subsequently resected than in those of patients of poorer prognosis, but there was less difference in buffy-coat vitamin C. The better-prognosis group also had higher lymphocyte counts.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This includes infiltration of the tumour by mononuclear cells (Joachim et al, 1976;Di Paola et al, 1977), eosinophils or macrophages (Kolb & Muller, 1979), reactivity of the draining lymph nodes (Kaufmann et al, 1977;Di Paola et al, 1977) and peripheral lymphocytosis (Anthony et al, 1981), which have all been shown to indicate a better prognosis. In one study (Di Paola et al, 1977) a host defence factor derived from tumour infiltration and node reactivity was more closely linked to survival than the traditional assessments of the malignancy of the tumour, making it unlikely that the associations described were only secondary phenomena.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Severe hypovitaminosis C in lung-cancer patients: the utilization of vitamin C in surgical repair and lymphocyte-related host resistance

Anthony¹,

Schorah²

1982

Br J Cancer

106

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Summary.-Plasma and buffy-coat vitamin C were estimated in 158 samples from 139 lung-cancer patients, at all stages of the disease. Most samples showed hypovitaminosis C in both estimations: 64% had plasma, and 25% buffy-coat values below the thresholds for incipient clinical scurvy (0.3 mg% and 10 jg/108 cells respectively).Levels were diet-dependent and could be increased by oral supplements. Levels were low both in tumour-bearing patients and in those clinically free of disease after resection. The latter had particularly low values during the first 6 months, indicating the utilization of vitamin C in surgical repair.The vitamin C content of 13 primary lung tumours was assayed: tumours had a higher vitamin C content (mean 1116 +551 ,ug/g tissue) than normal lung (58.5 + 20-4 ,ug/g).Mononuclear cells from normal individuals show a higher vitamin C content than polymorphs, but in lung -cancer patients the expected correlation of buffy-coat vitamin C with the proportion of lymphocytes in peripheral blood was obscured by an inverse correlation in patients with relative lymphocytosis (.25% lymphocytes), confirmed by an inverse correlation of the proportion of lymphocytes in peripheral blood with mononuclear-cell vitamin C in 14 patients in whom this was measured. These correlations were unaffected by controlling for plasma values, and indicate the utilization of vitamin C in lymphocyte-related anti-tumour mechanisms.Vitamin C is necessary for phagocytosis and for the expression of cell-mediated immunity. In view of the increasing circumstantial evidence that immune mechanisms exert some measure of control on tumour extension and metastasis in man, the effect of supplementation with vitamin C in lung-cancer patients on survival should be tested in a clinical trial.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Severe hypovitaminosis C in lung-cancer patients: the utilization of vitamin C in surgical repair and lymphocyte-related host resistance

Anthony¹,

Schorah²

1982

Br J Cancer

106

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“…The correlation noted between a function of the lymphocyte and basophil counts and resectability may be evidence that the resistance mechanisms they reflect are exerting some control over tumour extension as indicated for lymphocytes in a previous study (Anthony et al, 1981). However, it could also result from earlier diagnosis in patients with chronic basophil release due, for instance, to exacerbation of the presenting dyspnoea by a degree of bronchospasm due to histamine (Bhat et al, 1976).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 56%

Blood basophils in lung cancer

Anthony¹

1982

Br J Cancer

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Summary.-Peripheral-blood basophils were counted, in thick smears, in samples from patients with primary bronchial carcinoma, from patients in the same wards and from normal individuals. The median counts for patients with other chest conditions (15-5/4d) and bronchial-carcinoma patients free of tumour months to years after resection (16/1l) did not differ from those for normal individuals (19/1,u), but tumour-bearers showed higher counts (median 33/1z), 24/41 having counts above the highest count in normal individuals (29/1l): P<0.002).The highest values were in patients with squamous bronchial carcinoma, apparently reflecting spontaneous challenge of an anti-tumour immune response. In those tested at the time of diagnosis, higher values in both lymphocyte and basophil counts were related to surgical resectability.

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“…Canter and his associates are developing methods for the recognition and validation of multiple variables based on Facet Theory;49 they are currently working on the application of these methods to clinical trial^.^^,^^ These methods have advantages over the combination of partial correlation analysis based on non-parametric matrices5' and log-rank survival analy~is,~' which I have used in the past in studies of lung cancer patients. 41 Other methods may also be applicable, but on the whole distribution-free methods are preferred because of the nature of many of the variables. Establishing standard accepted strategies for handling large numbers of variables in clinical trials would encourage researchers to adopt this approach.…”

Section: Practical Considerationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Some methodological problems in the assessment of complementary therapy

Anthony

1987

Statistics in Medicine

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The increased interest of the public and the medical profession in complementary forms of therapy introduces an urgent need for proper assessment of efficacy. This growth in popularity suggests that complementary therapies are effective in some circumstances, but without objective assessment neither the public nor the medical profession can be sure. Rigorous scientific assessment is required, but the nature of complementary therapy is such that double-blind randomized controlled trials, as usually conducted, are rarely applicable, and alternative approaches are needed. At its best, complementary therapy is designed individually for each patient, and few treatments can readily be applied 'blind'. These are the main problems in trial design but complementary therapists are also aware of the importance of body-mind interactions: they see the 'placebo effect' as an integral part of treatment which needs investigation, and they question the validity of clinical trials in which the patient's will is not fully engaged through lack of information, and of those not asking the patients if they feel better. The problems are examined and alternative approaches suggested. The paper raises the question of whether they are only problems for complementary medicine.

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Lung cancer, immune status, histopathology and smoking

Cited by 7 publications

References 27 publications

Severe hypovitaminosis C in lung-cancer patients: the utilization of vitamin C in surgical repair and lymphocyte-related host resistance

Severe hypovitaminosis C in lung-cancer patients: the utilization of vitamin C in surgical repair and lymphocyte-related host resistance

Blood basophils in lung cancer

Some methodological problems in the assessment of complementary therapy

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