Clinical Pathology - Research Publications

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    The in vitro and in vivo anti-tumour activity of N-AcMEL-(Fab')2 conjugates.
    Smyth, MJ ; Pietersz, GA ; McKenzie, IF (Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 1987-01)
    To increase the accessibility of drug-antibody complexes to tumours and to decrease non-specific binding via Fc receptors N-acetyl-melphalan (N-AcMEL) was conjugated to F(ab')2 fragments. These fragments were synthesised by pepsin degradation of IgG MoAb. Up to 20 molecules of N-AcMEL could be successfully coupled to each F(ab')2 fragment (compared with 25 molecules/intact IgG) with retention of both drug and antibody activity. The N-AcMEL-F(ab')2 conjugates demonstrated specific cytotoxicity in vitro however despite the absence of non specific Fc receptor binding and greater permeability when using F(ab')2 fragments, the N-AcMEL-F(ab')2 and N-AcMEL-IgG conjugates had similar anti-tumour activity in vivo. Conjugates made with whole IgG and F(ab')2 were equally effective in eradicating subcutaneous solid tumours in mice when injected intravenously. The lower immunogenicity of F(ab')2 fragments compared with whole IgG and the similar cytotoxicity of their conjugates, suggests that the F(ab')2 conjugate has greater clinical utility.
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    THE DETECTION OF AXILLARY LYMPH-NODE METASTASES FROM BREAST-CANCER BY RADIOLABELED MONOCLONAL-ANTIBODIES - A PROSPECTIVE-STUDY
    TJANDRA, JJ ; SACKS, NPM ; THOMPSON, CH ; LEYDEN, MJ ; STACKER, SA ; LICHTENSTEIN, M ; RUSSELL, IS ; COLLINS, JP ; ANDREWS, JT ; PIETERSZ, GA ; MCKENZIE, IFC (STOCKTON PRESS, 1989-02)
    In a prospective study to assess the accuracy of monoclonal immunoscintigraphy for the detection of axillary lymph node metastases in breast cancer, two murine monoclonal antibodies that react with human breast cancer (3E1.2 and RCC-1) were labelled with 131iodine, and the radiolabelled antibody was injected subcutaneously into the interdigital spaces of both hands of 40 patients, 36 of whom had breast cancer and the remaining four of whom had fibroadenoma (the normal, contralateral axilla was used as a control). Of the patients with breast cancer, the findings from the scintigraphy images were correlated with histopathology or cytology of the axillary lymph nodes; images were regarded as positive and hence indicative of lymph node metastases if the amount of background-subtracted radioactive count in axilla on the side of breast cancer exceeded the contralateral normal side by a ratio greater than or equal to 1.5:1.0 as assessed by computer analysis. Using this method, immunoscintigraphy had an overall sensitivity of 33% (23% with 131I-3E1.2 and 50% with 131I-RCC-1) for the detection of lymph node metastases and a specificity of 63% (67% with 131I-3E1.2 and 60% with 131I-RCC-1) with problems of non-specific uptake by presumably normal lymph nodes. The results of immunoscintigraphy obtained with 131I-RCC-1 (IgG) were superior to 131I-3E1.2 (IgM) although the accuracy of immunoscintigraphy using 131I-RCC-1 (56%) was not much better than preoperative clinical assessment (50%). However, there were cases when immunoscintigraphy using radiolabelled antibody (IgM or IgG) detected axillary lymph node metastases not suspected by clinical examination. Thus it appears that while immunoscintigraphy may be a useful adjunct to preoperative clinical assessment and is simple and safe, a major improvement in its accuracy is needed before it can replace axillary dissection and histological examination in the accurate staging of axilla in breast cancer.