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stage IV dlseasc.Only 3 patients survive. Median burvival ofallpaticnts was 7.5 months. Median survival of patients whose tumor w’as surgically rcscctcd was 17.5 months. Advanced stage of disease at the time of diagnosis character&d this group of young patients with primary cancer of the lung. The brief duration of symptoms and the poor survival suggest this is a more aggrcssivc tumor in younger patients than in older natients.

Chemiluminescence and antibody-dependent, cell-mediated cyto- toxicity hehveen human alveolar macrophage and peripheral blood monocytes in smokers, nonsmokers, and lung cancer patients Lin C-C, Huang W-C, Lin C-Y. Chest Section, Department ofInternal Medicine, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei. Chest 1989;95:553-7.

Some evidence suggests a capability of peripheral blood monocytes to destroy tumor cells, while this ability by human alveolar macroph- ages, the main defense cells in the alveoli, is still debatable. We measured the chemiluminesccnce and antibody-dependent, cell-medi- atcd cytotoxicity in the PBMs and HAMS of 12 lung cancer patients and 20 healthy subjects; the latter included ten smokers and ten nonsmokers. The PBMs were prepared by using a Ficoll-Hypaque density gradient, then separated by Petr-dish adherence. The HAMS were taken during the bronchoalveolar lavages. The chcmilumincsccnce in the HAMS of smokerswassignificantly higherthannonsmokers,(p<O.O5),whichdid not occur in the PBMs. Chcmiluminescencc in HAMS from the lung cancer patients was also significantly higher than the smoker control subjects (p < 0.01). However, the lung cancer pabents had significantly lower ADCC activity than the smokers in the control group (4.52 * 2.96 vs 8.27 - 2.83 percent; p < 0.05). The chcmiluminescence in the PBMs showed no statistical difference between the lung cancer patients and smoker control, but PBMs of the lung cancer patienti had significantly lower ADCC activity than the smoker normal control group. The HAMS from lung cancer patients produced more superoxidc anion, for an increased chemiluminesccncc reaction was noted, although ADCC activity was lower than in smokers, ie, HAMS were incffcctive in killing tumors. Environmental factors such as cigarette smokmg affect HAMS’ function by causing an increase of superoxidc anion production. The chemilumincscencc and ADCC activity in the PBMs does not always correspond to the HAMS findings. These results suggest that PBMs can not accurately reflect or predict the HAMS’ function in lung diseases.

Pleural fluid neuron-specific enolase. A useful diagnostic marker for small cell lung cancer pleurisy Shlmokata K, Niwa Y, Yamamoto M, Sasou H, Morishita M. Depart- ment of Medicine, Nagoya University School of Medicine, Showa-ku. Nagoya 466. Chest 1989;95:60?-3.

We studied the value of pleura1 fluid neuron-specific cnolase as a possiblediagnosticmarkcrforp1eurisyofsmallcclllungcancerbyusing enzyme immunoassay. Pleural fluid NSE levels in 12 patients with carcinomatous pleurisy due to small cell lung cancer were compared with those in 37 paticn& with carcmomatous pleurisy due to non-small cell lung cancer and 39 patients with tubcrculous pleurisy. The pleural fluid NSE level was elevated in nmc of 12 (75 pcrccnt) patients with SCLC. Howcvcr,onlytwoof37(5 percent) patients with NSCLCandto of 39 (5 percent) patients with t~.tbcrculous plcurtsy had an elevated pleural fluid NSE lcvcl. Morcover, none of ten SCLC patients with cytology-negatlvc pleural effusions showed elcvatcd pleural fluid NSE level. Thus, determinauon of plcural fluid NSE levels stems to be an cffcct~ve means to diffcrcntiatc carcinomatous pleurisy due to SCLC from that due to NSCLC, tubercuIou3 pleurisy and cytology-ncgativc pleural effusion in SCLC.

Serum levels of ILcarotene, vitamin A, and zinc in male lung cancer cases and controls KuneC.A.KuneS. WatsonL.F.ctal.Depurtmentofl’horacicMedicine,

Universtty of Melbourne, Reputrtarion General Ilo,spital, Heidelberg. Vie. 3081. Nutr Cancer 1989;12:169-76.

The mean serum lcvcls of H-carotene and vitamin A in a multivarlate analysis of data from 64 histological confirmed male lung cancer cases were statistically significantly lower than those from 63 randomly selected male hospital controls, who were admitted for small surgical operations (p values for both B-carotene and vitamin A <O.OOl). The mean serum levels of zinc were not statistically significantly different between cases and controls (p = 0.10). The levels of O-carotcnc, vitamin A, or Lint were not statistically significantly influenced by either the cxtenl of the cancer (p = 0.45) or the cancer ccl1 type (p = 0.06). The possibility biological significance of these findings is discussed briefly.

High amylase levels in neoplasm-related pleural effusion Kramer MR, Saldana MJ, Cepero RJ, Pitchcnik AE. Pathology Depart- ment, Jackson Memorial Medical Center, Miami, FL33136. Ann Intern Mcd 1989; 1 l&567-9.

Wereport thecaseofapatrcnt in whom extremely high amylase levels m pleural effusion contributed to rhagnosis of a lung neoplasm. We also review 33 additional renorts in the litcraturc.

In viva diagnosis and therapy of human tumors with monoclonal antibodies: Selection of antibodies and preliminary clinical studies in small cell carcinoma of the lung Mulshine J.L. Avis I. Treston A.M. et al. National Cancer Institute, Navy Medical Oncology Branch Clinical Oncology Program, Division of Cancer Treatment, Naval Ilospital. Bethesda, MD 20814. Nucl Med Biol,IntlRadiatAppl lnstrum Part B. 1989:16:159-62.

Initial monoclonal antibody therapy trials include an attempt to control malignant proliferation of small cell lung cancer by blocking the autocrinc stimulation of gastrin rclcasing peptide. A critical issue is the adequacy ofantibodypenetration into the tumor bed toeffcct immunol- ogic blockade of the mitogenic pcptide. The use of an indium-1 I1 antibody chelatc which is coadministcrcd with the first therapeutic antibody administration facilitates analysts of the pharmacokinctic dynamics for this trial. If this approach is successful with gastrin rclcasing pcptide, other pcptide hormones with autocrinc effects could also be targctcd. A combination of anti growth factor therapies could lead to successful thcrapcutic control of this lethal disease.

Pulmonary carcinoma: Lung scintigraphy for early diagnosis DacoslaNA,PatclS,KinareS,RangnckarR,DacoslaHJ.BreachCandy MedicalResearch Center. Bombay400 026. Nut Compact 1989;20:50- 2.

This pilot study on 24 subjects rcvcals lung scintigraphy to be a facile. rapid and economic method for the visualic.ation of early anatomic lesions,determinationofthebiopsy sitcandTNM stagmgofpulmonary carcinomas. The results suggest that the procedure could bebeneficially included in the routine diagnosuc armamcntarium of patients at risk and those suspected of this neoplasm.

Clinical evaluation of NSE, TPA and CEA in comparison toconven- tional clinical diagnostic methods for patients with small-cell cancer of the lung Oehr P, Schwabe H, Utzat H Barzcn S. lnstitut fur Klin. und Exp., Nuklearmedizin der Universitat Bonn, D-5300 Bonn 1. Nut Compact 1989;20:6@1.

1. Neuron-Specific Enolasc (NSE) was clcvatcd in 100% ofpatrents with small-cellcancerofthelung,TPA in40% andCEA in46%. 2. NSE and TPA seem to reflect the effectivity of chemotherapy by marker elevations(‘markerinductionpeaks’)inplasmawhicharecausedbycell death. 3. CEA gives information on reduction of tumor mass. 4. NSE, TPA and CEA reveal high sensitivity for benign diseases of the lung.