Local immunotherapy of recurrent glioblastoma multiforme by intracerebral perfusion of interleukin-2 and LAK cells

A non randomized pilot study has been undertaken to evaluate the feasibility of local immunotherapy (IT) of recurrent glioblastoma multiforme (GM) by continuous intracerebral perfusion of recombinant interleukin-2 (rIL-2, Eurocetus) with and without lymphokine activated killer (LAK) cells. At time of surgical removal of the tumor, a catheter was implanted in the cavity left by tumor debulking allowing continuous perfusion of rIL-2. Five patients received 18 x 10(6) IU/day or rIL-2 for five days. At days 1, 3, and 5 after surgery, rIL-2 perfusion was briefly interrupted for the injection of LAK cells. Eight other patients received rIL-2 alone, either 24 x 10(6) IU/day (five patients) or 54 x 10(6) IU/day (three patients). Capillary leak syndrome, which is the main side effect of systemic infusion of rIL-2, was never observed, but local immunotherapy induced fever, confusion, and cerebral edema in all patients. Despite local IT, tumor progression was diagnosed by CT scan 4 to 12 weeks after the treatment.

Risk factors for cytomegalovirus infection in BMT recipients transfused exclusively with seronegative blood products

Risk factors for developing cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and pneumonitis were analysed in 100 unselected consecutive patients undergoing allogenic BMT. This series is homogeneous because of the same diagnostic procedures, BMT technique and supportive care (exclusive seronegative blood products, no CMV immunoglobulin, no prophylactic antiviral). The incidence of CMV infection and CMV interstitial pneumonitis (CMV-IP) were 44% and 13% respectively, of whom five patients died. Variables such as age, sex, underlying disease, conditioning regimen and occurrence of GVHD were not found as significant risk factors. We confirm that the only major factor was recipient's serology as CMV infection and IP occurred in 4% and 0% respectively among negative recipients (R-) compared with 79% and 25% among positive R. In contrast to some studies among R+, neither donor's immunity nor recipient's CMV humoral response improved the clinical outcome. This study validates the good predictive value of viremia and urinary virus excretion for the occurrence of CMV-IP (respectively positive in 11 and 13 patients out of 13 with IP), always preceding IP by a median of 37 and 27 days. The highest risk patients for lethal CMV-IP were older recipients (> 30 years). Thus, prospective prophylactic trials with antiviral agents are suggested in such viremic or viruric patients. Furthermore, the use of seronegative blood products is highly effective and sufficient to prevent CMV infection in R-patients.

A multicenter study on the efficiency of white cell reduction by filtration of red cells

To evaluate accurately the current performance of filtration, the French Produits Sanguins Labiles study group, composed of 21 transfusion teams, conducted a large-scale 6-month study involving over 1400 filtrations and 3000 controls. Some 745 standard red cell concentrates (RBC concentrates) and 690 concentrates previously white cell (WBC)-reduced by removal of buffy coat (BC-poor RBC concentrates) were filtered using six commercially available filters: at least 170 results were collected per filter, spread among a minimum of three teams. Prefiltration controls show that the removal (manual and automated) of the buffy coat results in an initial WBC reduction of approximately 63 percent, along with a hemoglobin loss of 4 g (7%). After filtration, residual WBCs were counted in the Nageotte manual counting chamber. The reliability of this counting method, which is simple and adapted to low WBC concentrations, was characterized in this study by a 25-percent coefficient of variation (CV) for a concentration of 2.5 WBCs per microL (i.e, 0.6 x 10(6) WBCs/filtered unit). The analysis of the results shows that, for five of six filters (1 filter was excluded), the postfiltration median value of residual WBCs was 1.1 x 10(6) in filtered RBC concentrates (n = 590), whereas it was 0.34 x 10(6) in filtered BC-poor RBC concentrates (n = 581). The difference is significant (p less than 10(-8), Wilcoxon test). Hemoglobin loss due to filtration varies according to the filter, from 5.7 +/- 2.2 to 17.3 +/- 2.5 g.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)