Tumours, malignant, treatment

Morphological clarification of the findings is necessary if differential diagnosis of a hepatic space-occupying lesion is unclear. Cytological or histological confirmation of tumour malignancy is likewise required prior to palliative therapy, even in patients with no chance of curative treatment. 

A study of 148000 subjects by Lanza and colleagues (1987) reported 36 individuals with myeloperoxidase deficiency, 10 of whom were completely deficient a further 2 individuals with total deficiency were identified from familial studies. Of the 12 patients with total deficiency, 7 had either benign or malignant tumours, but none was undergoing radio- or chemotherapy at the time of analysis hence, the myeloperoxidase deficiency could not be attributed, in these cases, to the therapy used for treatment of the malignant disease. These findings imply either that the tumour somehow affects the expression of myeloperoxidase in these patients, or that myeloperoxidase-deficient individuals perhaps have an increased incidence of tumours. Much follow-up work is needed for these studies on myeloperoxidase-deficient neutrophils in order to evaluate these proposals. 

Benign tnmonrs are nsnally only a problem when they impair the fnnction of organs or canse metabolic stress. They can be removed by snrgery or radiation therapy. Malignant tnmonrs are mnch more of a problem, since the cells can escape from the primary tnmonr to other sites in the body, where they settle and develop into secondary tumours (metastases). Then, chemotherapy is the only treatment available. The process is known as metastasis. 

Groups of 60 male and 60 female Swiss mice, nine weeks of age, were exposed by inhalation to 0, 1000 or 5000 ppm [0, 3540 or 17 700 mg/m ] chlorodifluoromethane (FC 22 purity, 99.98%) for 4 h per day on five days per week for 78 weeks. The animals were kept under observation until spontaneous death [survival unspecificdj. Full necropsy was performed on all animals. No effects were found on survival or body weight. No difference related to treatment was found in the incidence of benign or malignant tumours (Maltoni et al., 1988). 

Remarkable claims have been made for violet leaves in the treatment of malignant tumours. The case of Lady Margaret Marsham, of Maidstone, was reported in the Daily Mail for November 14th, 1901. This lady, suffering from cancer of the throat, used an infusion, which was left to stand for twelve hours, of a handful of fresh violet leaves to a pint of... 

R13. Ronnblom, L. E., Aim, G. V., and Oberg, K. E., Possible induction of systemic lupus erythematosus by interferon-alpha treatment in a patient with a malignant carcinoid tumour. J. Intern. Med. 27, 207-210 (1990). 

Deterministic irradiation is applied in nuclear medicine for therapeutic purposes (chapter 19). For tumour treatment, large doses are delivered to selected tissues. Gamma rays emitted by °Co (up to 2 lO " Bq) or Cs (up to 2 lO Bq) are preferred for irradiation of deeply located organs. The doses transmitted to malignant tumours vary between about 10 and 100 Sv, and the individual responses of patients to certain radiation doses may vary appreciably. 

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