Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Journal of Clinical Pathology logoLink to Journal of Clinical Pathology
. 1996 May;49(5):381–385. doi: 10.1136/jcp.49.5.381

Monocyte activation in patients with non-seminomatous germ cell tumour of the testis before and after tumour eradication.

A Trulson 1, S Nilsson 1, P Venge 1
PMCID: PMC500476  PMID: 8707951

Abstract

AIMS: To investigate the kinetics of normalisation of monocyte oxidative activity following tumour eradication. METHODS: Whole blood lucigenin enhanced chemiluminescence was studied in patients with non-seminomatous germ cell tumours. Group 1 comprised 14 patients who had been "cured" of their cancer (the term "cured" as used in this report denotes a relapse free period of at least three years). Group 2 comprised 15 patients who were followed from diagnosis to up to two years after the start of treatment. RESULTS: Lucigenin enhanced chemiluminescence of whole blood in the "cured" patients was similar to that of controls and lower than that in patients who had not yet received chemotherapy (group 2). After treatment, chemiluminescence decreased slowly and did not normalise until 18 months after the start of treatment. Tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) concentrations were normal in "cured" patients but were raised in those who had not yet received treatment. TNF alpha was normalised 12 months after start of treatment. Alpha-fetoprotein concentrations were raised in most patients but normalised rapidly after tumour eradication. CONCLUSIONS: The activity of blood monocytes, as measured by whole blood lucigenin enhanced chemiluminescence, is increased in cancer. This activity may be a consequence of the presence of tumour cells. Immunocompetent cells remain active for over a year after eradication of the tumour.

Full text

PDF
381

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Allen R. C., Stjernholm R. L., Steele R. H. Evidence for the generation of an electronic excitation state(s) in human polymorphonuclear leukocytes and its participation in bactericidal activity. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1972 May 26;47(4):679–684. doi: 10.1016/0006-291x(72)90545-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Balkwill F. R., Burke F. The cytokine network. Immunol Today. 1989 Sep;10(9):299–304. doi: 10.1016/0167-5699(89)90085-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Balkwill F., Osborne R., Burke F., Naylor S., Talbot D., Durbin H., Tavernier J., Fiers W. Evidence for tumour necrosis factor/cachectin production in cancer. Lancet. 1987 Nov 28;2(8570):1229–1232. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(87)91850-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Beutler B., Cerami A. Cachectin and tumour necrosis factor as two sides of the same biological coin. Nature. 1986 Apr 17;320(6063):584–588. doi: 10.1038/320584a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Beutler B., Cerami A. The biology of cachectin/TNF--a primary mediator of the host response. Annu Rev Immunol. 1989;7:625–655. doi: 10.1146/annurev.iy.07.040189.003205. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Camussi G., Albano E., Tetta C., Bussolino F. The molecular action of tumor necrosis factor-alpha. Eur J Biochem. 1991 Nov 15;202(1):3–14. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1991.tb16337.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Davies B., Edwards S. W. Chemiluminescence of human bloodstream monocytes and neutrophils: an unusual oxidant(s) generated by monocytes during the respiratory burst. J Biolumin Chemilumin. 1992 Oct;7(4):229–238. doi: 10.1002/bio.1170070402. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. DeMarco R., Ensor J. E., Hasday J. D. Tumor-stimulated release of tumor necrosis factor-alpha by human monocyte-derived macrophages. Cell Immunol. 1992 Apr;140(2):304–318. doi: 10.1016/0008-8749(92)90198-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Faulkner K., Fridovich I. Luminol and lucigenin as detectors for O2.-. Free Radic Biol Med. 1993 Oct;15(4):447–451. doi: 10.1016/0891-5849(93)90044-u. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Fidler I. J., Schroit A. J. Recognition and destruction of neoplastic cells by activated macrophages: discrimination of altered self. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1988 Nov 15;948(2):151–173. doi: 10.1016/0304-419x(88)90009-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Hasday J. D., Shah E. M., Lieberman A. P. Macrophage tumor necrosis factor-alpha release is induced by contact with some tumors. J Immunol. 1990 Jul 1;145(1):371–379. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Javadpour N. Current status of tumor markers in testicular cancer. A practical review. Eur Urol. 1992;21 (Suppl 1):34–36. doi: 10.1159/000474885. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Jänicke R., Männel D. N. Distinct tumor cell membrane constituents activate human monocytes for tumor necrosis factor synthesis. J Immunol. 1990 Feb 1;144(3):1144–1150. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Kumaratilake L. M., Ferrante A., Bates E. J., Kowanko I. C. Augmentation of the human monocyte/macrophage chemiluminescence response during short-term exposure to interferon-gamma and tumour necrosis factor-alpha. Clin Exp Immunol. 1990 May;80(2):257–262. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2249.1990.tb05244.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Le J., Vilcek J. Tumor necrosis factor and interleukin 1: cytokines with multiple overlapping biological activities. Lab Invest. 1987 Mar;56(3):234–248. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Martin J. H., Edwards S. W. Interferon-gamma enhances monocyte cytotoxicity via enhanced reactive oxygen intermediate production. Absence of an effect on macrophage cytotoxicity is due to failure to enhance reactive nitrogen intermediate production. Immunology. 1994 Apr;81(4):592–597. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Nara K., Odagiri H., Fujii M., Yamanaka Y., Yokoyama M., Morita T., Sasaki M., Kon M., Abo T. Increased production of tumor necrosis factor and prostaglandin E2 by monocytes in cancer patients and its unique modulation by their plasma. Cancer Immunol Immunother. 1987;25(2):126–132. doi: 10.1007/BF00199952. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Nathan C. F. Secretory products of macrophages. J Clin Invest. 1987 Feb;79(2):319–326. doi: 10.1172/JCI112815. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Pericle F., Giovarelli M., Colombo M. P., Ferrari G., Musiani P., Modesti A., Cavallo F., Di Pierro F., Novelli F., Forni G. An efficient Th2-type memory follows CD8+ lymphocyte-driven and eosinophil-mediated rejection of a spontaneous mouse mammary adenocarcinoma engineered to release IL-4. J Immunol. 1994 Dec 15;153(12):5659–5673. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Philip R., Epstein L. B. Tumour necrosis factor as immunomodulator and mediator of monocyte cytotoxicity induced by itself, gamma-interferon and interleukin-1. Nature. 1986 Sep 4;323(6083):86–89. doi: 10.1038/323086a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Saarinen U. M., Koskelo E. K., Teppo A. M., Siimes M. A. Tumor necrosis factor in children with malignancies. Cancer Res. 1990 Feb 1;50(3):592–595. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Scheibenbogen C., Andreesen R. Developmental regulation of the cytokine repertoire in human macrophages: IL-1, IL-6, TNF-alpha, and M-CSF. J Leukoc Biol. 1991 Jul;50(1):35–42. doi: 10.1002/jlb.50.1.35. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Shimizu H., Wyatt D., Knowles R. D., Bucana C. D., Stanbridge E. J., Kleinerman E. S. Human monocytes selectively bind to cells expressing the tumorigenic phenotype. Cancer Immunol Immunother. 1989;28(3):185–192. doi: 10.1007/BF00204987. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Tono-Oka T., Ueno N., Matsumoto T., Ohkawa M., Matsumoto S. Chemiluminescence of whole blood. 1. A simple and rapid method for the estimation of phagocytic function of granulocytes and opsonic activity in whole blood. Clin Immunol Immunopathol. 1983 Jan;26(1):66–75. doi: 10.1016/0090-1229(83)90174-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Trulson A., Nilsson S., Brekkan E., Venge P. Patients with renal cancer have a larger proportion of high-density blood monocytes with increased lucigenin-enhanced chemiluminescence. Inflammation. 1994 Feb;18(1):99–105. doi: 10.1007/BF01534602. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Trulson A., Nilsson S., Venge P. Lucigenin-enhanced chemiluminescence in blood is increased in cancer. Am J Clin Pathol. 1989 Apr;91(4):441–445. doi: 10.1093/ajcp/91.4.441. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Urban J. L., Shepard H. M., Rothstein J. L., Sugarman B. J., Schreiber H. Tumor necrosis factor: a potent effector molecule for tumor cell killing by activated macrophages. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1986 Jul;83(14):5233–5237. doi: 10.1073/pnas.83.14.5233. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Vassalli P. The pathophysiology of tumor necrosis factors. Annu Rev Immunol. 1992;10:411–452. doi: 10.1146/annurev.iy.10.040192.002211. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Ward P. A., Warren J. S., Johnson K. J. Oxygen radicals, inflammation, and tissue injury. Free Radic Biol Med. 1988;5(5-6):403–408. doi: 10.1016/0891-5849(88)90114-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Westenfelder U., Schraven B., Männel D. N. Characterization of monocyte-activating tumour cell membrane structures. Scand J Immunol. 1993 Oct;38(4):388–394. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3083.1993.tb01742.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Zenico T., Zoli M., Fiori M., Fabbri F., Tamburini C., Maltoni G. Beta-human chorionic gonadotropin and alpha-fetoprotein in central and peripheral venous blood of patients with testicular tumors. Eur Urol. 1992;21 (Suppl 1):37–38. doi: 10.1159/000474886. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Ziegler-Heitbrock H. W. The biology of the monocyte system. Eur J Cell Biol. 1989 Jun;49(1):1–12. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. van der Gaast A., Hoekstra J. W., Croles J. J., Splinter T. A. Elevated serum tumor markers in patients with testicular cancer after induction chemotherapy due to a reservoir of markers in cystic differentiated mature teratoma. J Urol. 1991 Apr;145(4):829–831. doi: 10.1016/s0022-5347(17)38465-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Clinical Pathology are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES