“The management of lung cancer presents one of the greatest challenges of modern medicine”—the preface sets the scene for the whole problem of this disease. In the editor's opinion, curative treatment can only be obtained by surgical resection; radiotherapy and chemotherapy, whilst used for palliation, are capable of inducing iatrogenic effects and their injudicous use can be detrimental.

Annals of the New York Academy of SciencesVolume 420, Issue 1 p. 219-228 Fluorescent Probes for the Detection of Malignant Disease a J. A. V. PRITCHARD, J. A. V. PRITCHARD Immunology Department Radiation Science Laboratories South Wales Radiotherapy and Oncology Service Velindre Hospital, Whitchurch Cardiff South Wales United KingdomSearch for more papers by this authorW. H. SUTHERLAND, W. H. SUTHERLAND Immunology Department Radiation Science Laboratories South Wales Radiotherapy and Oncology Service Velindre Hospital, Whitchurch Cardiff South Wales United KingdomSearch for more papers by this authorJ. E. SIDDALL, J. E. SIDDALL Immunology Department Radiation Science Laboratories South Wales Radiotherapy and Oncology Service Velindre Hospital, Whitchurch Cardiff South Wales United KingdomSearch for more papers by this authorA. J. BATER, A. J. BATER Immunology Department Radiation Science Laboratories South Wales Radiotherapy and Oncology Service Velindre Hospital, Whitchurch Cardiff South Wales United KingdomSearch for more papers by this authorJ. J. KERBY, J. J. KERBY Immunology Department Radiation Science Laboratories South Wales Radiotherapy and Oncology Service Velindre Hospital, Whitchurch Cardiff South Wales United KingdomSearch for more papers by this authorT. J. DEELEY, T. J. DEELEY Immunology Department Radiation Science Laboratories South Wales Radiotherapy and Oncology Service Velindre Hospital, Whitchurch Cardiff South Wales United KingdomSearch for more papers by this author J. A. V. PRITCHARD, J. A. V. PRITCHARD Immunology Department Radiation Science Laboratories South Wales Radiotherapy and Oncology Service Velindre Hospital, Whitchurch Cardiff South Wales United KingdomSearch for more papers by this authorW. H. SUTHERLAND, W. H. SUTHERLAND Immunology Department Radiation Science Laboratories South Wales Radiotherapy and Oncology Service Velindre Hospital, Whitchurch Cardiff South Wales United KingdomSearch for more papers by this authorJ. E. SIDDALL, J. E. SIDDALL Immunology Department Radiation Science Laboratories South Wales Radiotherapy and Oncology Service Velindre Hospital, Whitchurch Cardiff South Wales United KingdomSearch for more papers by this authorA. J. BATER, A. J. BATER Immunology Department Radiation Science Laboratories South Wales Radiotherapy and Oncology Service Velindre Hospital, Whitchurch Cardiff South Wales United KingdomSearch for more papers by this authorJ. J. KERBY, J. J. KERBY Immunology Department Radiation Science Laboratories South Wales Radiotherapy and Oncology Service Velindre Hospital, Whitchurch Cardiff South Wales United KingdomSearch for more papers by this authorT. J. DEELEY, T. J. DEELEY Immunology Department Radiation Science Laboratories South Wales Radiotherapy and Oncology Service Velindre Hospital, Whitchurch Cardiff South Wales United KingdomSearch for more papers by this author First published: December 1983 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.1983.tb22207.x a Supported by Tenovus. South Glamorgan Area Health Authority (T) and the South Wales Cancer Research Council AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL References 1 ADLER, W. H., T. TAKIGUCHI & R. T. SMITH. 1971. Phytohaemagglutinin unresponsiveness in mouse spleen cells induced by methylcholanthrene sarcomas. Cancer Res. 31: 864– 867. 2 BALDING, P., P. A. LIGHT & A. W. PREECE. 1980. Response of human lymphocytes to PHA and tumour-associated antigens as detected by fluorescence polarisation. Br. J. Cancer 41: 73– 85. 3 BATER, A. J. & J. A. V. PRITCHARD. 1980. Analysis of the lymphocyte separation techniques used in the double band SCM test. ICRS Med. Sci. 8: 165. 4 CERCEK, B. 1980. Comments on:- Response of human lymphocytes to PHA and tumour associated antigens as detected by fluorescence polarisation. Br. J. Cancer 42: 207– 208. 5 CERCEK, L. & B. CERCEK. 1975. Apparent tumour specificity with the SCM Test. Br. J. Cancer 31: 252– 253. 6 CERCEK, L. & B. CERCEK. 1977. Application of the phenomenon of changes in the structuredness of cytoplasmic matrix (SCM) in the diagnosis of malignant disorders: A review. Eur. J. Cancer 13: 167– 171. 7 CERCEK, L & B. CERCEK. 1980. The SCM test for cancer. An evaluation in terms of lymphocytes from healthy donors and cancer patients. Br. J. Cancer 42: 947– 948. 8 CERCEK, L., B. CERCEK & C. I. V. FRANKLIN 1974. Biophysical differentiation between lymphocytes from healthy donors, patients with malignant diseases and other disorders. Br. J. Cancer 29: 345– 352. 9 CERCEK, L., J. A. V. PRITCHARD & W. H. SUTHERLAND. 1980. Response of human lymphocytes to PHA and tumour associated antigens as detected by fluorescence polarization. Br. J. Cancer 42: 208– 211. 10 HALLIDAY, G. M., R. C. NAIRN M. A. PALLETT J. M. ROLLAND & H. A. WARD. 1979. Detection of early lymphocyte activation by the fluorescent cell membrane probe N-phenyl-I-naphthylamine. J. Immunol. Methods 28: 381– 390. 11 HASHIMOTO, Y., F. TAKAKU & T. YAMANAKA. 1979. Changes in the structuredness of cytoplasmic matrix in single stimulated lymphocytes from healthy donors and patients with non-malignant and malignant diseases. Br. J. Cancer 40: 156– 160. 12 HASHIMOTO, Y., T. YAMANAKA & F. TAKAKU. 1978. Differentiation between patients with malignant diseases and non-malignant diseases or healthy donors by changes of fluorescence polarisation in the cytoplasm of circulating lymphocytes. Gann. 69: 145– 149. 13 HOCKING, G. R., J. M. ROLLAND, R. C. NAIRN, E. PIHL, A. M. CUTHBERTSON, E. S. R. HUGHES & W. R. JOHNSON. 1982. Lymphocyte fluorescence polarization changes after phytohaemagglutinin stimulation in its diagnosis of colorectal cancers. J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 68(4): 579– 583. 14 HUBER, C., K. ZIER, G. MICHLMAYR, H. RODT, K. NILSSON, H. THEML & D. LUTZ. 1978. A comparative study of the buoyant density distribution of normal and malignant lymphocytes. Br. J. Haematol. 40: 93– 103. 15 KREUTZMANN, H., T. M. FLIEDNER, H. J. GALLA & E. SLACKMAN. 1978. Fluorescence polarisation changes in mononuclear blood leucocytes after PHA incubation: differences in cells from patients with and without neoplasia. Br. J. Cancer 37: 797– 805. 16 MITCHELL, H., P. WOOD, C. R. PENTYCROSS, E. ABEL & K. D. BAGSHAWE. 1980. The SCM test for cancer. An evaluation in terms of lymphocytes from healthy donors and cancer patients. Br. J. Cancer 41: 772– 777. 17 NAIRN, R. C. & J. M. ROLLAND. 1980. Fluorescent probes to detect lymphocyte activation. Clin. Exp. Immunol. 39: 1– 13. 18 NAIRN, R. C. & J. M. ROLLAND. 1981. Fluorescent probes: a new way to study lymphocyte activation. Endeavour 5(4): 167– 172. 19 NAIRN, R. C., J. M. ROLLAND, G. M. HALLIDAY, I. M. JABLONKA & H. A. WARD. 1978. Fluorescent probes to monitor early lymphocyte activation. In Lmmunofluorescence & Related Staining Techniques. W. Knapp, K. Holubar & G. Wick, Eds.: 57– 66. Elsevier/North Holland. 20 ORJASAETER, H., G. JORDFALD & I. SVENDSEN. 1979. Response of T lymphocytes to phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) and to cancer-tissue-associated antigens, measured by the intracellular fluorescence polarisation technique (SCM test). Br. J. Cancer 40: 628– 633. 21 PRITCHARD, J. A. V. & W. H. SUTHERLAND. 1978. Lymphocyte response to antigen stimulation as measured by fluorescence polarisation (SCM test). Br. J. Cancer 38: 339– 343. 22 PRITCHARD, J. A. V., J. E. SIDDAL, A. J. BATER, I. J. KERBY, W. H. SUTHERLAND & T. J. DEELEY 1981. Cancer-dependent hydrophobicity changes in membranes of phytohae-magglutinin stimulated lymphocytes. IRCS Med. Sci. 9: 711. 23 PRITCHARD, J. A. V., J. E. SEAMAN, J. H. EVANS, K. W. JAMES, W. H. SUTHERLAND, T. J. DEELEY, I. J. KERBY, I. C. M. PATERSON & B. H. DAVIES. 1978. Cancer-specific density changes in lymphocytes after stimulation with phytohaemagglutinin. Lancet II: 1275– 1277. 24 PRITCHARD, J. A. V., W. H. SUTHERLAND, J. E. SIDDALL, A. J. BATER, I. J. KERBY, T. J. DEELEY, G. GRIFFITH, R. SINCLAIR, B. H. DAVIES, A. RIMMER & D. J. T. WEBSTER. 1982. A clinical assessment of fluorescent polarisation changes in lymphocytes stimulated by phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) in malignant and benign disease. Eur. J. Cancer Clin. Oncol. 18: 651– 659. 25 ROLLAND, J. M., R. L. BETTS, G. M. HALLIDAY, G. R. HOCKING & R. C. NAIRN. 1981. Early changes in concanavalin A-stimulated lymphocytes deleted by the probe N-phenyl-I-naphthylamine. Cell Tissue Res. 214: 119– 130. 26 SCHNUDA, N. D. 1980. Evaluation of fluorescence polarisation of human blood lymphocytes (SCM) test in the diagnosis of cancer. Cancer 46: 1164– 1173. 27 STEWART, S., K. I. PRITCHARD, J. W. MEAKIN & G. B. PRICE. 1979. A flow system adaptation of the SCM test for detection of lymphocyte response in patients with recurrent breast cancer. Clin. Immunol. Immunopath. 13: 171– 181. 28 TAKAKU, F., T. YAMANAKA & Y. HASHIMOTO. 1977. Usefulness of the SCM test in the diagnosis of gastric cancer. Br. J. Cancer 36: 810– 813. 29 TSUDA, H., H. MAEDA & S. KISHIMOTO. 1981. Fluorescence polarization with FDA in leukaemic cells: A clear difference between myklogenous and lymphocytic origins. Br. J. Cancer 43: 793– 803. Volume420, Issue1Defined Immunofluorescence and Related Cytochemical MethodsDecember 1983Pages 219-228 ReferencesRelatedInformation

Although needle biopsy has been known for many years, there has been some reluctance to use it in peripheral lung lesions because of the possibilities of complications—bleeding and spread along the needle track—and the belief that the amount of tissue obtained is inadequate for histological diagnosis. There have been many reports of the results of needle biopsy of the lung, demonstrating that this is a very useful technique in the diagnosis of peripheral lesions.

The modified double-zone SCM technique, developed in these laboratories as an in vitro test for cancer, is based on the differential response to PHA of lymphocytes harvested from two regions of a Ficoll-Triosil gradient. Lymphocyte responses are measured by changes in intracellular fluorescein fluorescence polarisation. We report its continued clinical evaluation in patients hospitalised with malignant and non-malignant diseases, including a blind trial of 78 patients with disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, breast and lung. Overall "false' negative and "false' positive rates from 336 blood samples were 1.8 and 3.3% respectively.

A previous study of the MOD-MEM test showed promising results. We have attempted to repeat the study using a blind coded series of 210 blood samples from normal subjects and patients with either benign or malignant disease. Using standard criteria the false negative rate for cancer patients averaged 43% and the false positive rate for non-cancer patients averaged 34%. The results indicate that the test at the present time, under routine laboratory conditions, is not reliably reproducible and does not have the ability to effectively discriminate between benign and malignant disease. It is suggested that blind coded studies be used more frequently in assessment of tests with cancer detection potential.

A fluorescence polarisation technique ("S.C.M. test") for detecting responses to phytohæmagglutinin revealed that the responsive lymphocytes from patients with malignant disease had an abnormal distribution after centrifugation through lymphocyte separation medium. In a small blind series the technique accurately distinguished patients with histologically proven malignancies from those with non-malignant disease and normal people.

In 1957 the General Registry Office published a summary of statistics relating to cancer mortality and survival (McKenzie, Case and Pearson, 1957). This new volume extends most of the tables in the original publication up to 1970.

It is a pleasure to see the recent interest in this depressing malignancy; instead of being ignored because the prognosis is poor we are now appreciating more publications dealing with the oncological approach. The number of patients who are cured is disappointingly small, and although admittedly some advances have been made in therapeutic procedures, these have probably reached the maximum.

With regard to cancer, it is not only necessary to observe the effects of climate and local situation, but to extend our views to different employments, as those in various metals and manufactures; in mines and collieries; in the army and navy; in those who lead sedentary or active lives; in the married or single; in the different sexes, and many other circumstances. Should it be proved that woman are more subject to cancer than men, we may then inquire whether married women are more liable to have the uterus or breasts affected; those who have suckled, or those who did not; and the same observations may be made of the single (‘The Society for Investigating the Nature and Cure of Cancer,' Edinburgh Medical and Surgical Journal , 1806).

This monograph is the report of the proceedings of the San Francisco Cancer Symposium held in November 1973. The problems of breast cancer are outlined in a keynote chapter and then detailed in three sections. The first deals with new developments in diagnosis and pathology. The pathologist suggests that breast cancer is not merely a lump but a diffuse disease of mammary tissue as a whole.

Fifty cases of Hodgkin's disease have been investigated using the lymphocyte transformation response to phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) as a mesure of their immunological reaction. The average response of all the cases was lower than that of the controls and lower than that of cases of carcinoma from all sites. Cases of Hodgkin's disease which had been treated previously with radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy had a markedly lower response than that of the untreated cases. There was no definite correlation between the stage of the disease and the lymphocyte response with PHA. Seven cases were also tested with pokeweek mitogen (PWM) and the response of the lymphocytes to PWM was found to parallel that of the PHA.

It is fashionable for the book-reviewer to determine to whom a book is addressed and then to express some surprise at the wide range of people that the editor hopes to interest. Oncology embraces a wide variety of medical specialties having one thing in common, the study of malignant diseases. Thus, any book on bladder cancer must appeal to a wide audience of medical practitioners, scientific and ancillary workers. The publishers inform us that this monograph is “intended for urologists, radiotherapists, general surgeons, pathologists and research workers, who have to manage patients, diagnose the disease, or are engaged in programmes leading to its control”.

The best treatment for a carcinoma of the breast is still a matter for discussion; numerous publications have appeared in recent years and it is sometimes difficult to form an opinion from the conflicting advice contained in them.

This book makes no attempt at presenting a comprehensive account of oncology. As the editor states, “In selecting subjects for consideration in this volume, it was necessary to omit some aspects of malignant disease which are the subject of many standard texts. Histopathology, cytology, epidemiology, carcinogenesis, radiotherapy, surgical management and disease staging are not included as topics in their own right, although they are discussed as facets of the many subjects which have been brought together. Even without these, the area of cancer studies is vast and its long and active frontiers provide ample apportunity for original minds which are less attracted by the well-trodden paths of the long-established medical specialities.” Those aspects chosen for discussion are grouped into four sections, general aspects of cancer, diagnosis, principles of therapy and the treatment of some specific cancers.

The interaction of the highly purified basic protein “antigen”, calf thymus histone F2A1 fraction, with peripheral lymphocytes isolated from patients with cancer and from normal subjects has been studied. Analysis, by SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the basic protein remaining in the supernatant fluid after interaction with low concentrations of lymphocytes from patients showed the presence of a component(s) of molecular weight smaller than the original histone F2A1 fraction. Similar experiments using lymphocytes derived from normal subjects indicated that this component(s) is absent, or at least is present in only small amounts. This difference could be partially abolished by using high concentrations of cell preparations. It is suggested that the observed difference is due at least in part, to differences in protease activity between the two preparations. The possible significance of these findings in relation to the macrophage electrophoretic mobility test for cancer is discussed.

The fourth edition of Moss brings some changes. Firstly, the title—I cannot improve upon the preface—“The change in the title from Therapeutic Radiology to Radiation Oncology is in keeping with the original aim outlined in the preface to the first edition: to serve as an introduction to selected clinical problems in cancer care and to express a philosophy of radiotherapy that will lead to improved patient care ‥.