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Background. The aim of this pilot study was to assess tumour hypoxia in patients with cervical cancer before, during and after combined radio-chemotherapy and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) guided brachytherapy (BT) by use of the hypoxia Positron Emission Tomography (PET) tracer 18F-fluoroazomycin-arabinoside (18FAZA ). Material and methods. Fifteen consecutive patients with locally advanced cervical cancer referred for definitive radiotherapy (RT) were included in an approved clinical protocol. Stage distribution was 3 IB1, 1 IB2, 10 IIB, 1 IIIB, tumour volume was 55 cm3 (+/− 67, SD). Dynamic and static 18FAZA -PET scans were performed before, during and after external beam therapy (EBRT) and image guided BT +/− concomitant cisplatin. Dose was prescribed to the individual High Risk Clinical Target Volume (HR CTV) taking into account the dose volume constraints for adjacent organs at risk. Results. Five patients had visually identifiable tumours on 18FAZA -PET scans performed prior to radio-chemotherapy and four patients before brachytherapy. One of five 18FAZA PET positive patients had incomplete remission three months after RT, one had regional recurrence. Four of ten 18FAZA-PET negative patients developed distant metastases. The one patient with incomplete remission received 69 Gy (D90) in the HR CTV, whereas all other patients received mean 99 Gy (+/−12, SD). Conclusion. PET imaging with 18FAZA is feasible in patients with cancer of the uterine cervix. However, its predictive and prognostic value remains to be clarified. This applies in particular for the additional value of 18FAZA-PET compared to morphologic repetitive MRI within the setting of image guided high dose radiotherapy which may contribute to overcome hypoxia related radioresistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to evaluate the possible changes in CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell cytokine production patterns in Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) with elevated calcitonin (CT). Fourteen consecutive patients with verified HT were included in the present study. Patients were divided into two groups. Group I: 7 HT patients with elevated CT levels (>10 pg/ml); Group II: 7 HT patients with CT levels <10 pg/ml). All patients underwent intracellular cytokine detection in CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) by flow cytometry. Patients with elevated CT levels (group I) had significantly higher percentages of CD8+ cells producing IFN-gamma compared to healthy donors. A detailed analysis of cytokine production patterns revealed that this was accompanied by an increased frequency of single IFN-gamma positive cells, i.e., cells not expressing most of the other cytokines tested. Similarly, patients in group I also showed higher percentages of CD8+ TNF-alpha positive cells than healthy donors. In this case, cells co-expressing TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma were found at significantly higher frequencies. No increase in Th1 type cytokines, such as IFN-gamma or TNF-alpha, was detectable in CD4+ T-cells. In contrast, CD4+ T-cells from group I patients showed significantly higher percentages of cells producing Th2 cytokines, such as IL-4 or IL-13. The lack of increased Th1 cytokine production accompanied by an increased Th2 cytokine production seems to be a special feature of HT patients with elevated CT levels that may reflect a pathogenetic mechanism for tumor initiation.