Diponkar Banerjee | University of Ottawa | Université d'Ottawa (original) (raw)
Papers by Diponkar Banerjee
In the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, at the beginning of each month, the clini... more In the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, at the beginning of each month, the clinical managers use expert knowledge to assign pathologists to expected daily specimens based on the criteria of workload restrictions, clinical sub-specialties, and availability. Since the size of the pathologists' assignment problem is large, finding a feasible assignment manually is a very time-consuming process that takes a number of iterations over a number of days to complete. Moreover, every time there is a need to make a revision, a new assignment needs to be developed
INFORMS Journal on Applied Analytics, 2019
The authors describe the development of a decision support tool to simplify the task of schedulin... more The authors describe the development of a decision support tool to simplify the task of scheduling pathologists to subspecialties in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Ottawa Hospital.
Journal of Urology, 1987
Cross reactions between monoclonal T-cell antibodies and non-lymphoid tissues have rarely been re... more Cross reactions between monoclonal T-cell antibodies and non-lymphoid tissues have rarely been reported. In this study 28 samples of prostatic tissue obtained at the time of autopsy or surgery, two samples of metastatic prostatic carcinoma and a series of other tumours were snap frozen and sections reacted with a series of monoclonal antibodies directed against the following antigens: Leu 1, Leu 4, T3, TS, T4, Tll and B4. Reactions were detected with an indirect immunofluorescent method. In 10 of 11 normal prostates, 15 of 15 with nodular hyperplasia and 3 of 4 prostatic adenocarcinomas a strong positive reaction occurred with anti-Leu 4. All other antibodies tested were negative. Other tumours tested, including primary carcinomas of lung (2), kidney (3), stomach (1), colon (1), pancreas (1), breast (2), urinary bladder (1), esophagus (1), larynx (1) and malignant melanoma (2), were negative with all antibodies. This is, to our knowledge, the first report of cross reactivity between a monoclonal pan T-cell antibody and epithelium. This cross reaction may be related to a shared antigen between T-cells and prostate epithelial cells or, more likely, it represents reactivity with a shared epitope. Knowledge of this reaction will prevent possible misinterpretations in the evaluation of undifferentiated neoplasms.
Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases, 1992
Experimental work has shown that during the development of tumours, host macrophages can deactiva... more Experimental work has shown that during the development of tumours, host macrophages can deactivate natural killer cells and suppress lymphokine-activated killer cell development, apparently through prostaglandin E2 production. Continuous indomethacin combined with interleukin (IL)-2 may totally eradicate experimental lung metastases. The preliminary results of a phase II trial of this combination are reported. Indomethacin 50 to 75 mg tid and ranitidine 150 mg bid are started at least one week before IL-2 and continued until disease progression. IL-2 is given by continuous infusion for three courses, each consisting of five days of treatment and six days of rest. IL-2 starting dose is 3.0x106Cetus U/m2for the first course with escalation to 4.5x106and 6.0x106U/m2if toxicity allows. Pressor agents are not used. Thirty-two renal carcinoma patients were registered with seven withdrawing early. Two complete and three partial responses were seen for a response rate of (20%) for eligible...
Journal of Pathology Informatics, 2016
Context: The Eastern Ontario Regional Laboratory Association (EORLA) is a newly established assoc... more Context: The Eastern Ontario Regional Laboratory Association (EORLA) is a newly established association of all the laboratory and pathology departments of Eastern Ontario that currently includes facilities from eight hospitals. All surgical specimens for EORLA are processed in one central location, the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (DPLM) at The Ottawa Hospital (TOH), where the rapid growth and influx of surgical and cytology specimens has created many challenges in ensuring the timely processing of cases and reports. Although the entire process is maintained and tracked in a clinical information system, this system lacks pre-emptive warnings that can help management address issues as they arise. Aims: Dashboard technology provides automated, real-time visual clues that could be used to alert management when a case or specimen is not being processed within predefined time frames. We describe the development of a dashboard helping pathology clinical management to make informed decisions on specimen allocation and tracking. Methods: The dashboard was designed and developed in two phases, following a prototyping approach. The first prototype of the dashboard helped monitor and manage pathology processes at the DPLM. Results: The use of this dashboard helped to uncover operational inefficiencies and contributed to an improvement of turnaround time within The Ottawa Hospital's DPML. It also allowed the discovery of additional requirements, leading to a second prototype that provides finer-grained, real-time information about individual cases and specimens. Conclusion: We successfully developed a dashboard that enables managers to address delays and bottlenecks in specimen allocation and tracking. This support ensures that pathology reports are provided within time frame standards required for high-quality patient care. Given the importance of rapid diagnostics for a number of diseases, the use of real-time dashboards within pathology departments could contribute to improving the quality of patient care beyond EORLA's.
Journal of Clinical & Experimental Pathology, 2012
Transfusion Science, 1995
Metallobiochemistry Part B Metallothionein and Related Molecules, 1991
Human Pathology, 1990
Primary gastric T-cell lymphomas are rare neoplasms, and all but one of the previously phenotyped... more Primary gastric T-cell lymphomas are rare neoplasms, and all but one of the previously phenotyped cases have shown a helper-inducer phenotype. The present case is the second reported case of a primary gastric T-cell lymphoma of suppressor-cytotoxic phenotype. The tumor histology was similar to that described in some forms of node-based peripheral T-cell lymphomas. Phenotypic analysis revealed low expression of pan-T marker CD7, reduced expression of CD3, but higher density and frequency of expression of CD8 antigens that could be predicted on the basis of the pan-T markers. Natural killer cell (NK) related markers CD16, HNK-1 and NKH-1 were not expressed by the neoplastic cells. T-cell receptor (TCR) beta subunit expression was detected on fewer cells than would have been predicted on the basis of CD3 and CD8 expression, and TCR delta chain expression was undetectable.
Advances in hematology, 2011
From its first description by Thomas Hodgkin in 1832, Hodgkin's disease, now called Hodgkin&#... more From its first description by Thomas Hodgkin in 1832, Hodgkin's disease, now called Hodgkin's lymphoma, has continued to be a fascinating neoplasm even to this day. In this review, historical aspects, epidemiology, diagnosis, tumor biology, new observations related to host-microenvironment interactions, gene copy number variation, and gene expression profiling in this complex neoplasm are described, with an exploration of chemoresistance mechanisms and potential novel therapies for refractory disease.
Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology, 2001
Extensive radiologically dense breast tissue is associated with a marked increase in breast cance... more Extensive radiologically dense breast tissue is associated with a marked increase in breast cancer risk. To explore the biological basis for this association, we have examined the association of growth factors and stromal matrix proteins in breast tissue with mammographic densities. Ninety-two formalin-fixed paraffin blocks of breast tissues surrounding benign lesions were obtained, half from breasts with little or no density and half from breasts with extensive density, matched for age at biopsy. Sections were stained for cell nuclei, total collagen, the stromal matrix regulatory protein tissue metalloproteinase-3 (TIMP-3), and the growth factors, transforming growth factor-alpha and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I). The area of immunoreactive staining was measured using quantitative microscopy. Breast tissue from subjects with extensive densities had a greater nuclear area (P = 0.007), as well as larger stained areas of total collagen (P = 0.003), TIMP-3 (P = 0.08), and IGF-I (P...
The American journal of pathology, 1983
Because serum immunoglobulin G levels are low in patients with myotonic dystrophy, it was hypothe... more Because serum immunoglobulin G levels are low in patients with myotonic dystrophy, it was hypothesized that it might be catabolized within abnormal muscle fibers. Accordingly, immunohistochemical stains for immunoglobulins were performed on muscle sections derived at biopsy or autopsy from patients with myotonic dystrophy, other forms of muscular dystrophy, nondystrophic muscle disease, or normal muscle. Positive staining for immunoglobulins was found only in necrotic segments of myofibers (in 7 of 19 dystrophic and 6 of 27 nondystrophic subjects), and it is believed that the staining was due to nonspecific diffusion. However, staining reactions distinguished between incipient necrosis and artifactual contraction bands and allowed us to study segmental myofiber necrosis, comparing its frequency in the various muscle diseases. Segmental myofiber necrosis was present in 4 of 16 cases of myotonic dystrophy. The relevance of this finding to the clinical and morphologic features of myoto...
Cancer detection and prevention. Supplement : official publication of the International Society for Preventive Oncology, Inc, 1987
Biopsy specimens of lymphoid tissues were analysed by two-colour flow cytometry to determine the ... more Biopsy specimens of lymphoid tissues were analysed by two-colour flow cytometry to determine the proportions and phenotypes of natural killer-like cells present in the lesions. No significant difference was found between the proportions of Leu 7+ cells in reactive and malignant nodes. Low numbers of Leu 11+ cells were found in both benign and malignant nodes. The most common phenotype among the tumour-infiltrating Leu 7+ cells in the malignant nodes was Leu 7+OKT3+OKM1-. Only low numbers of Leu 7+ cells in malignant nodes coexpressed OKM1. Isolated Leu 7+ cells from four out of five malignant nodes were unable to lyse autologous B lymphoma cells in vitro. However, in one of five malignant nodes tested, autologous B lymphoma cells were lysed by isolated tumour-infiltrating Leu 7+ cells but not by Leu 7- cells. These observations indicate that tumour-infiltrating Leu 7+ cells are infrequently capable of lysing autologous lymphoma cells.
Medical Hypotheses, 1985
An environmental factor acting on the fetus is thought to cause a neonatal syndrome characterized... more An environmental factor acting on the fetus is thought to cause a neonatal syndrome characterized by marked muscular hypotonia, lack of respiratory drive and feeding difficulties, in some infants born to mothers with myotonic dystrophy. Mortality is high, especially amongst those babies born prematurely, but muscle strength and tone improve rapidly in survivors. Nevertheless, most survivors have physical deformities and mental retardation and are thought to develop myotonic dystrophy later. We propose that alterations in maternal insulin secretion (usual in myotonic dystrophy subjects) alter fetal blood glucose and amino acid levels and retard growth and maturation of fetal skeletal muscle This leads to severe muscular hypotonia in affected infants. Also, we suggest that infants who die during the perinatal period may not have inherited the defective autosomal dominant gene that causes myotonic dystrophy.
Combination Therapies 2, 1993
Numerous effector cells of the immune system are capable of killing tumor cells in vitro as well ... more Numerous effector cells of the immune system are capable of killing tumor cells in vitro as well as in vivo when properly activated. Antigen-specific T lymphocytes when exposed to certain tumor-specific antigens (TSA) in association with self MHC antigen can be triggered to produce tumor-specific cytotoxic cells in the presence of a second signal derived from T helper cells, now recognized as interleukin-2 (IL-2). However, only a small minority of spontaneously-derived tumors express TSA1. Secondly, T lymphocytes infiltrating tumor sites often remain inactive in situ because of host or tumor-related suppressor mechanisms, so that immunotherapy employing IL-2 alone may not be fully effective. However, the findings that tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL), when adoptively transferred, can selectively migrate to the tumor site, have led to promising therapeutic strategies employing IL-2 therapy in combination with TIL, or therapy with genetically modified TIL designed to deliver tumoricidal molecules at the tumor site2. Other anti-tumor effector cells do not require antigen-specific priming. These are natural killer (NK) lymphocytes and macrophages. When appropriately activated, e.g. with IL-2 or IL-2 in combination with other cytokines, these cells can kill a large spectrum of tumor cells in vitro as well as in vivo, and thus constitute a major effector arm of IL-2 therapy. Both these cell classes, NK cells in particular, represent a major component of the tumor-infiltrating mononuclear cells3,6. However, these cells also remain inactive in situs 5,6 and may resist adequate activation with IL-2 therapy alone. Our aims have been to elucidate the mechanisms underlying this inactivation and exploit this information to achieve maximal in situ activation of all killer cell lineages for eradication of the metastatic disease.
Human Pathology, 1982
Cell surface-marker analysis and immunohistochemical tests were performed on lymph node cells fro... more Cell surface-marker analysis and immunohistochemical tests were performed on lymph node cells from a patient with a malignant lymphoma that developed six years after the onset of lymphocytic interstitial pneumonia (LIP). These studies revealed a monoclonal (IgM-κ) B-cell neoplasm. However, immunohistochemical examination of the pulmonary lesion revealed a polyclonal B-cell proliferation. This case study suggests that LIP may be a polyclonal lymphocytic disorder even in patients who subsequently develop a monoclonal B cell neoplasm.
Transplantation, 1998
We report a case of intestinal graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in a syngeneic bone marrow transp... more We report a case of intestinal graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in a syngeneic bone marrow transplant patient. Several days after receiving a bone marrow transplant from his identical twin for treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a 47-year-old man developed a skin rash and diarrhea. A colonic biopsy on day +15 revealed characteristic changes of acute intestinal GVHD. Molecular studies (microsatellite DNA and HLA sequence-specific primer polymerase chain reaction analyses) confirmed the genotypic identity of donor and host and the improbability of transfusion-associated GVHD. This case illustrates that pathological evidence of GVHD does not absolutely require the presence of genetic differences between host and donor and questions existing concepts about the nature of cyclosporine-induced GVHD.
Medical and Pediatric Oncology, 1998
In the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, at the beginning of each month, the clini... more In the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, at the beginning of each month, the clinical managers use expert knowledge to assign pathologists to expected daily specimens based on the criteria of workload restrictions, clinical sub-specialties, and availability. Since the size of the pathologists' assignment problem is large, finding a feasible assignment manually is a very time-consuming process that takes a number of iterations over a number of days to complete. Moreover, every time there is a need to make a revision, a new assignment needs to be developed
INFORMS Journal on Applied Analytics, 2019
The authors describe the development of a decision support tool to simplify the task of schedulin... more The authors describe the development of a decision support tool to simplify the task of scheduling pathologists to subspecialties in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Ottawa Hospital.
Journal of Urology, 1987
Cross reactions between monoclonal T-cell antibodies and non-lymphoid tissues have rarely been re... more Cross reactions between monoclonal T-cell antibodies and non-lymphoid tissues have rarely been reported. In this study 28 samples of prostatic tissue obtained at the time of autopsy or surgery, two samples of metastatic prostatic carcinoma and a series of other tumours were snap frozen and sections reacted with a series of monoclonal antibodies directed against the following antigens: Leu 1, Leu 4, T3, TS, T4, Tll and B4. Reactions were detected with an indirect immunofluorescent method. In 10 of 11 normal prostates, 15 of 15 with nodular hyperplasia and 3 of 4 prostatic adenocarcinomas a strong positive reaction occurred with anti-Leu 4. All other antibodies tested were negative. Other tumours tested, including primary carcinomas of lung (2), kidney (3), stomach (1), colon (1), pancreas (1), breast (2), urinary bladder (1), esophagus (1), larynx (1) and malignant melanoma (2), were negative with all antibodies. This is, to our knowledge, the first report of cross reactivity between a monoclonal pan T-cell antibody and epithelium. This cross reaction may be related to a shared antigen between T-cells and prostate epithelial cells or, more likely, it represents reactivity with a shared epitope. Knowledge of this reaction will prevent possible misinterpretations in the evaluation of undifferentiated neoplasms.
Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases, 1992
Experimental work has shown that during the development of tumours, host macrophages can deactiva... more Experimental work has shown that during the development of tumours, host macrophages can deactivate natural killer cells and suppress lymphokine-activated killer cell development, apparently through prostaglandin E2 production. Continuous indomethacin combined with interleukin (IL)-2 may totally eradicate experimental lung metastases. The preliminary results of a phase II trial of this combination are reported. Indomethacin 50 to 75 mg tid and ranitidine 150 mg bid are started at least one week before IL-2 and continued until disease progression. IL-2 is given by continuous infusion for three courses, each consisting of five days of treatment and six days of rest. IL-2 starting dose is 3.0x106Cetus U/m2for the first course with escalation to 4.5x106and 6.0x106U/m2if toxicity allows. Pressor agents are not used. Thirty-two renal carcinoma patients were registered with seven withdrawing early. Two complete and three partial responses were seen for a response rate of (20%) for eligible...
Journal of Pathology Informatics, 2016
Context: The Eastern Ontario Regional Laboratory Association (EORLA) is a newly established assoc... more Context: The Eastern Ontario Regional Laboratory Association (EORLA) is a newly established association of all the laboratory and pathology departments of Eastern Ontario that currently includes facilities from eight hospitals. All surgical specimens for EORLA are processed in one central location, the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (DPLM) at The Ottawa Hospital (TOH), where the rapid growth and influx of surgical and cytology specimens has created many challenges in ensuring the timely processing of cases and reports. Although the entire process is maintained and tracked in a clinical information system, this system lacks pre-emptive warnings that can help management address issues as they arise. Aims: Dashboard technology provides automated, real-time visual clues that could be used to alert management when a case or specimen is not being processed within predefined time frames. We describe the development of a dashboard helping pathology clinical management to make informed decisions on specimen allocation and tracking. Methods: The dashboard was designed and developed in two phases, following a prototyping approach. The first prototype of the dashboard helped monitor and manage pathology processes at the DPLM. Results: The use of this dashboard helped to uncover operational inefficiencies and contributed to an improvement of turnaround time within The Ottawa Hospital's DPML. It also allowed the discovery of additional requirements, leading to a second prototype that provides finer-grained, real-time information about individual cases and specimens. Conclusion: We successfully developed a dashboard that enables managers to address delays and bottlenecks in specimen allocation and tracking. This support ensures that pathology reports are provided within time frame standards required for high-quality patient care. Given the importance of rapid diagnostics for a number of diseases, the use of real-time dashboards within pathology departments could contribute to improving the quality of patient care beyond EORLA's.
Journal of Clinical & Experimental Pathology, 2012
Transfusion Science, 1995
Metallobiochemistry Part B Metallothionein and Related Molecules, 1991
Human Pathology, 1990
Primary gastric T-cell lymphomas are rare neoplasms, and all but one of the previously phenotyped... more Primary gastric T-cell lymphomas are rare neoplasms, and all but one of the previously phenotyped cases have shown a helper-inducer phenotype. The present case is the second reported case of a primary gastric T-cell lymphoma of suppressor-cytotoxic phenotype. The tumor histology was similar to that described in some forms of node-based peripheral T-cell lymphomas. Phenotypic analysis revealed low expression of pan-T marker CD7, reduced expression of CD3, but higher density and frequency of expression of CD8 antigens that could be predicted on the basis of the pan-T markers. Natural killer cell (NK) related markers CD16, HNK-1 and NKH-1 were not expressed by the neoplastic cells. T-cell receptor (TCR) beta subunit expression was detected on fewer cells than would have been predicted on the basis of CD3 and CD8 expression, and TCR delta chain expression was undetectable.
Advances in hematology, 2011
From its first description by Thomas Hodgkin in 1832, Hodgkin's disease, now called Hodgkin&#... more From its first description by Thomas Hodgkin in 1832, Hodgkin's disease, now called Hodgkin's lymphoma, has continued to be a fascinating neoplasm even to this day. In this review, historical aspects, epidemiology, diagnosis, tumor biology, new observations related to host-microenvironment interactions, gene copy number variation, and gene expression profiling in this complex neoplasm are described, with an exploration of chemoresistance mechanisms and potential novel therapies for refractory disease.
Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology, 2001
Extensive radiologically dense breast tissue is associated with a marked increase in breast cance... more Extensive radiologically dense breast tissue is associated with a marked increase in breast cancer risk. To explore the biological basis for this association, we have examined the association of growth factors and stromal matrix proteins in breast tissue with mammographic densities. Ninety-two formalin-fixed paraffin blocks of breast tissues surrounding benign lesions were obtained, half from breasts with little or no density and half from breasts with extensive density, matched for age at biopsy. Sections were stained for cell nuclei, total collagen, the stromal matrix regulatory protein tissue metalloproteinase-3 (TIMP-3), and the growth factors, transforming growth factor-alpha and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I). The area of immunoreactive staining was measured using quantitative microscopy. Breast tissue from subjects with extensive densities had a greater nuclear area (P = 0.007), as well as larger stained areas of total collagen (P = 0.003), TIMP-3 (P = 0.08), and IGF-I (P...
The American journal of pathology, 1983
Because serum immunoglobulin G levels are low in patients with myotonic dystrophy, it was hypothe... more Because serum immunoglobulin G levels are low in patients with myotonic dystrophy, it was hypothesized that it might be catabolized within abnormal muscle fibers. Accordingly, immunohistochemical stains for immunoglobulins were performed on muscle sections derived at biopsy or autopsy from patients with myotonic dystrophy, other forms of muscular dystrophy, nondystrophic muscle disease, or normal muscle. Positive staining for immunoglobulins was found only in necrotic segments of myofibers (in 7 of 19 dystrophic and 6 of 27 nondystrophic subjects), and it is believed that the staining was due to nonspecific diffusion. However, staining reactions distinguished between incipient necrosis and artifactual contraction bands and allowed us to study segmental myofiber necrosis, comparing its frequency in the various muscle diseases. Segmental myofiber necrosis was present in 4 of 16 cases of myotonic dystrophy. The relevance of this finding to the clinical and morphologic features of myoto...
Cancer detection and prevention. Supplement : official publication of the International Society for Preventive Oncology, Inc, 1987
Biopsy specimens of lymphoid tissues were analysed by two-colour flow cytometry to determine the ... more Biopsy specimens of lymphoid tissues were analysed by two-colour flow cytometry to determine the proportions and phenotypes of natural killer-like cells present in the lesions. No significant difference was found between the proportions of Leu 7+ cells in reactive and malignant nodes. Low numbers of Leu 11+ cells were found in both benign and malignant nodes. The most common phenotype among the tumour-infiltrating Leu 7+ cells in the malignant nodes was Leu 7+OKT3+OKM1-. Only low numbers of Leu 7+ cells in malignant nodes coexpressed OKM1. Isolated Leu 7+ cells from four out of five malignant nodes were unable to lyse autologous B lymphoma cells in vitro. However, in one of five malignant nodes tested, autologous B lymphoma cells were lysed by isolated tumour-infiltrating Leu 7+ cells but not by Leu 7- cells. These observations indicate that tumour-infiltrating Leu 7+ cells are infrequently capable of lysing autologous lymphoma cells.
Medical Hypotheses, 1985
An environmental factor acting on the fetus is thought to cause a neonatal syndrome characterized... more An environmental factor acting on the fetus is thought to cause a neonatal syndrome characterized by marked muscular hypotonia, lack of respiratory drive and feeding difficulties, in some infants born to mothers with myotonic dystrophy. Mortality is high, especially amongst those babies born prematurely, but muscle strength and tone improve rapidly in survivors. Nevertheless, most survivors have physical deformities and mental retardation and are thought to develop myotonic dystrophy later. We propose that alterations in maternal insulin secretion (usual in myotonic dystrophy subjects) alter fetal blood glucose and amino acid levels and retard growth and maturation of fetal skeletal muscle This leads to severe muscular hypotonia in affected infants. Also, we suggest that infants who die during the perinatal period may not have inherited the defective autosomal dominant gene that causes myotonic dystrophy.
Combination Therapies 2, 1993
Numerous effector cells of the immune system are capable of killing tumor cells in vitro as well ... more Numerous effector cells of the immune system are capable of killing tumor cells in vitro as well as in vivo when properly activated. Antigen-specific T lymphocytes when exposed to certain tumor-specific antigens (TSA) in association with self MHC antigen can be triggered to produce tumor-specific cytotoxic cells in the presence of a second signal derived from T helper cells, now recognized as interleukin-2 (IL-2). However, only a small minority of spontaneously-derived tumors express TSA1. Secondly, T lymphocytes infiltrating tumor sites often remain inactive in situ because of host or tumor-related suppressor mechanisms, so that immunotherapy employing IL-2 alone may not be fully effective. However, the findings that tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL), when adoptively transferred, can selectively migrate to the tumor site, have led to promising therapeutic strategies employing IL-2 therapy in combination with TIL, or therapy with genetically modified TIL designed to deliver tumoricidal molecules at the tumor site2. Other anti-tumor effector cells do not require antigen-specific priming. These are natural killer (NK) lymphocytes and macrophages. When appropriately activated, e.g. with IL-2 or IL-2 in combination with other cytokines, these cells can kill a large spectrum of tumor cells in vitro as well as in vivo, and thus constitute a major effector arm of IL-2 therapy. Both these cell classes, NK cells in particular, represent a major component of the tumor-infiltrating mononuclear cells3,6. However, these cells also remain inactive in situs 5,6 and may resist adequate activation with IL-2 therapy alone. Our aims have been to elucidate the mechanisms underlying this inactivation and exploit this information to achieve maximal in situ activation of all killer cell lineages for eradication of the metastatic disease.
Human Pathology, 1982
Cell surface-marker analysis and immunohistochemical tests were performed on lymph node cells fro... more Cell surface-marker analysis and immunohistochemical tests were performed on lymph node cells from a patient with a malignant lymphoma that developed six years after the onset of lymphocytic interstitial pneumonia (LIP). These studies revealed a monoclonal (IgM-κ) B-cell neoplasm. However, immunohistochemical examination of the pulmonary lesion revealed a polyclonal B-cell proliferation. This case study suggests that LIP may be a polyclonal lymphocytic disorder even in patients who subsequently develop a monoclonal B cell neoplasm.
Transplantation, 1998
We report a case of intestinal graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in a syngeneic bone marrow transp... more We report a case of intestinal graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in a syngeneic bone marrow transplant patient. Several days after receiving a bone marrow transplant from his identical twin for treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a 47-year-old man developed a skin rash and diarrhea. A colonic biopsy on day +15 revealed characteristic changes of acute intestinal GVHD. Molecular studies (microsatellite DNA and HLA sequence-specific primer polymerase chain reaction analyses) confirmed the genotypic identity of donor and host and the improbability of transfusion-associated GVHD. This case illustrates that pathological evidence of GVHD does not absolutely require the presence of genetic differences between host and donor and questions existing concepts about the nature of cyclosporine-induced GVHD.
Medical and Pediatric Oncology, 1998