title: Immunotreatment in patients with glioblastoma multiforme--a histopathological evaluation of reactive and inflammatory changes.
abstract: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common highly malignant brain tumor and is also one among the most therapy-resistant human neoplasias. At the University Hospital in Lund, a group of patients with GBM were treated with a new therapy form attempting immunization by glioma cells transfected to produce interferon-gamma. The purpose of this report was to evaluate tumor material from the first nine patients treated with this therapy, assessing the levels of inflammatory/reactive cells (lymphocytes and macrophages). Tumor biopsies from surgery performed at different time points during treatment were analyzed with conventional histotechnical methods and immunohistochemistry. A post-mortem neuropathological investigation with a whole brain assessment was achieved in 5 immunized patients. The results show that cytotoxic T lymphocytes exhibited a mild increase during immunotreatment. This increase indicates an invoked stimulation of a cytotoxic T cell reaction, which may prove beneficial when immunization is adequately manipulated in dosage and timing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Division of Neuropathology, University Hospital, Lund, Sweden. Annette.Persson@med.lu.se
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Persson
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Skagerberg
authors.forename: L G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Salford
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Englund
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D005260:Female; D005909:Glioblastoma / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D016219:Immunotherapy, Adoptive; D007249:Inflammation / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016896:Treatment Outcome