Cytological studies of esophageal carcinoma and gastric carcinoma receiving radiation and chemotherapy
Takeda, T.; Nakano, N.; Asakawa, H.
Gan to Kagaku Ryoho. Cancer and ChemoTherapy 9(10): 1711-1715
1982
ISSN/ISBN: 0385-0684 PMID: 6820881 Document Number: 195142
The cytology of the endoscopic biopsy materials from 85 cases of esophageal cancer were analyzed for effects of the combined radiotherapy with Bleomycin. Cancer cells were remarkably decreased in number after the combination therapy. Unaffected cancer cells declined to negligible levels in 64 of 79 esophageal cancer cases irradiated more than 6,000 rad. Out of 42 gastric cancer cases treated with only anticancer drugs, 37 cases exhibited hardly cytologic changes in the smears of biopsied materials. About the remnant 5 cases, cancer cells showed partially cytoplasmic swelling, nuclear enlargement and nuclear abnormal stain. The smears of the biopsy and resected specimens from 64 gastric cancer cases with radiation and chemotherapy were cytologically discussed. The combination therapy increased the amount of both necrotic materials and neutrophils in the smears. The cytoplasms of treated cancer cells were swollen, vacuolated and stained abnormally. The nuclei of cancer cells became enlarged, multiple, piknotic and/or stained pale. Nuclear swelling was more prominent in cancer cells of differentiated adenocarcinomas. Cancer cells were decreased in number almost in inverse proportion to irradiation dose. Unaffected cancer cells were disappeared in 13 of 24 cases irradiated more than 6,000 rad, in 7 of 35 cases irradiated in the range 3,000 to 6,000 rad, in none of 5 cases irradiated less than 3,000 rad.