Research?!™
Frederick C. Wedler works in his lab on experiments to test chemical analogs
which may stop cells from reproducing. Wedler recently received an award
from American Cancer Society, for his research, but he plans to continue
seeking analogs that would eventually help kill cancer cells.
Body's immunity may be modified
By United Press International
In a promising new approach to cancer treatment, a Baylor
scientist has developed a way to modify the body’s system of
immunity and direct natural defenses against marauding
cancer cells.
The blood-processing technique so far has produced
dramatic results in killing cancer cells and shrinking mam
mary tumors in two-thirds of the dogs in which it was tried.
Still ahead, however, are critical experiments to see if
siimilar results occur in human breagt cajicer. ,; .
‘‘The step from dog to human is a giant step,:and must be
taken with great caution,” said Dr. David S. Terman,
associate professor of medicine at the Baylor College of
Medicine
“From the intensive studies now ongoing in dogs, we should
be able to identify the mechanism of this tumor-killing effect,”
he said in an interview. “With these findings, as well as with
adequate demonstration of safety, we could then begin to
conceive of an effective way of introducing this to humans.”
. Of major importance is the fact that Terman’s results in
dogs, reported to the scientific community in the February
issue of the Journal of Immunology, have just been duplicated
by -originally skeptical researchers at the government’s
National Cancer Institute outside of Washington.
“We’ve confirmed his findings of this phenomenon,” said
Dr. Albert Deisseroth of the cancer institute. “I’ve looked at
this question scientifically and I believe that the observation of
tumor regressions induced by the treatment is valid.”
Dr. Subhash Bansal, who originated the concept when he
was at the Medical College of Pennsylvania, reported two
years ago that similar treatment reduced tumor size in a
single human patient with colon cancer. But the patient later
died of the disease.
Terman collaborated with Bansal, who is now in India, then
refined the technique and followed up with detailed studies to
determine why it works, its safety and the best ways to use the
treatment.
Even if the complicated technical process works in humans,
researchers emphasize that considerable work must be done
before the treatment can be considered a new weapon in the
Students with cancer can receive
By LORRAINE ORLANDI
Daily Collegian Staff Writer
Although the incidence of cancer in
college students is minimal, cases
nevertheless occur. Agencies at the
University and in State College are
prepared to help students detect and
cope with cancer.
Dr. John A. Hargleroad, director of
University Health Services, said if an
unusual lump or swelling is detected, the
student is usually referred to a surgeon
for a biopsy. A biopsy is the surgical
removal of the tissue to determine
whether or not it is malignant.
On campus, the Ritenour Health
Center can diagnose some types of
cancer. For instance, he said cervical
cancer can be discovered in a routine
Pap test.
Hargleroad said the most common
types of cancer that affect college
students are lymphomas, which affect
the lymph glands throughout the body.
Hodgkin’s Disease is a lymphoma
which, unlike most other types of can
cer, is more prevalent among 20*10 24-
year-olds than the middle-aged, ac
cording to the National Cancer Institute.
Joan Curtis, executive at the Centre
-County unit of the American Cancer
Society, said that 10 years ago Hodgkin’s
Disease was considered a “death sen
tence,” but today it can be cured in up to
90 percent of the cases.
Hodgkin’s Disease is usually treated
with high-voltage radiation therapy. The
treatment is used to destroy the ab
normal cells by bombarding them with
high doses of radiation.
war against cancer.
The technique involves running an animal’s blood through a
centrifuge to separate cells from plasma, and then passing the
plasma through a special chamber after which it is mixed with
the separated blood cells and returned to the body.
The chamber contains a special strain of heat-killed bac
teria, Staphylococcus aureus Cowans I, embedded in
biological filter paper.
Immunoglobulin, a protein alsoknown as an antibody, sticks
to that strain of |iactet;ia,.Antgpos, are key members of the
body’s defenses agaihst'foreignSUbstances. * 1
■ Some believe the b«3frecognizes that tumor cells,
at least for some kinds of cancers, are foreign to the body and
that the immune system produces antibodies to attack specific
tumors
But, the theory goes, the proteins serving, as the tumor
identification markers the ones the antibodies recognize
are released in large numbers into the blood stream by the
tumor cells. The antibodies then are swamped by this influx of
marker proteins, called antigens, and never make it to the
tumor.
It is believed that these cancer antigens, the tumor iden
tification proteins, also' have the same effect on another
weapon the body has against foreign invaders white blood
cells called lymphocytes.
In addition, the complexes of antibody and tumor antigen
are believed to inactivate the lymphocyte killer cells.
That is why, according to the reasoning behind this system,
the body’s natural defenses do not knock out the cancer cells.
The immune complexes —the antibody-antigen combination
stick to the bacteria in the chamber and are removed from
the blood. It may be that antibodies are produced or freed in
this process to go ahead and attack the tumor cell itself.
Regardless of how it happens, the animal tests demonstrate
that this treatment kills cancer cells and causes the tumors to
shrink.
One key question is why the process works in some animals
but not in others. Terman and his co-workers report progress
in resolving that issue and expect to publish their findings and
additional results later this year.
Another type of cancer which has also
occurred in University students is
leukemia, Hargleroad said. Leukemia is
a disease which affects the tissues
producing white blood cells.
Chemotherapy, sometimes in com
bination with radiation therapy, can be
used to treat leukemia. Chemotherapy is
the administration of drugs orally, in
traveneously or through injection to
attack the cancer cells.
Cancer of the testes accounts for only
one percent of all cancer in males, but it
is important to college-aged mert
because it occurs mainly in the 20 to 35
Chemical analogs may
By JAN CORWIN
Daily Collegian Staff Writer
Chemical inhibitors which would stop cells from
reproducing may be an effective treatment for cancer,
said Frederick C. Wedler, associate professor of
biochemistry.
Wedler recently received a $155,000 award from the
American Cancer Society for his research on chemical
inhibitors, or analogs, which may block cell
reproduction. He is now trying to make the analogs
more specific. . -
“We’re looking for a ‘magic bullet’ ” that will kill
cancer cells but not normal cells, Wedler said, but
researchers still do not know enough about what dif
ferentiates a cancer cell from a normal one.
“What we really need at the moment is a lot more
basic research” in cell biology, which is the key to
finding an effective treatment for cancer, he said.
The analogs which Wedler is synthesizing in his
laboratory would combine with the cell’s natural en
zymes and bind them, or prevent them from catalyzing
the reactions which produce chemicals necessary for
the cell to reproduce. Instead of the normal substance,
called a substrate, which combines with an enzyme in a'
normal reaction, Wedler’s analog would combine with
the enzyme. This would prevent the substrate from
combining with the enzyme and block the reaction. The
chemicals required by the cell’s DNA to reproduce
would not be produced, and the cell would be killed.
Wedler said that by killing cancer cells, or at least by
slowing their growth, the body’s natural defenses would
have a chance to take over and deal with the remaining
cancer cells.
“Abnormal cells are being dealt with all the time in
the body,” he said, but a cancer cell may have a dif
ference which prevents the body from recognizing it as
abnormal and destroying it. Wedler said the aim of
chemotherapy is to reduce the number of cancer cells
and encourage the body’s natural defenses to take over.
Chemotherapy deals with widespread cancer and
malignant tumors in areas that are not easily accesible
for surgery, such as brain tumors, Wedler said. He said
age group. This type of cancer has also
occurred at the University, Hargleroad
said.
Testicular cancer is usually treated
with surgery, removal of the testicle.
This treatment can be supplemented by
radiation therapy and sometimes
chemotherapy
In the process of destroying abnormal
cells, radiation treatment and
chemotherapy destroy some normal
cells. This can lead to side-effects such
as nausea, vomiting and hair loss, all of
which disappear with termination of
treatment. But according to the
New radiation study
By United Press International
A powerful beam of X-rays has
converted normal human cells into
cancerous cells in the laboratory for
the first time, opening the way for a
new test to evaluate the risks of low
levels of radiation.
The development, recently
reported by a New York biologist, is
considered a breakthrough in
radiation research. Heretofore,
scientists have been able to do this
only with cells of laboratory animals.
Dr. Carmia Borek of the Columbia
University College of Physicians and
Surgeons, used a dose of 400 rads to
transform human skin cells into a
malignant state. Such a high dose a
whole body exposure of 400 rads
would be fatal was selected to
increase the chance of success.
Even at that dose, Dr. Borek said
only one cell in more than 1 million
was made cancerous. By com
parison, animal cells turn into can
cerous cells with a similar radiation
dose at the rate of 1 in 10,000.
It is because of these differences in
radiation resistance that scientists
have been reluctant to use such
animal cell studies to evaluate
radiation hazards in humans. Most
risk estimates for low levels of
radiation for humans have been
made by uncertain extrapolations
from observed damage from high
radiation doses.
American Cancer Society, different
people react to treatment in different
ways and side-effects are not inevitable.
Ilene Gelman is a board member of
the American Cancer Society and an
employee in the office of Dr. Richard H.
Dixon of State College where students
with cancer are often referred for
chemotherapy treatment.
Some students at the University stay
in school while receiving treatment, she
said. A student can come in for treat
ment on Friday in order to have the
weekend to recover from any side ef
fects that might occur. But she agreed
chemotherapy is also used to treat malignancies, in
areas that might be adversely affected by radiation
therapy.
Drugs used in chemotherapy permeate the entire
body, Wedler said, and may kill normal cells as well as
cancerous ones. He said this is the reason there are so
many side effects to chemotherapy such as hair loss
and vomiting which make people reject
chemotherapy. The optimal doses of anti-cancer drugs
are close to the toxic level, Wedler said. By making
analogs that are much more specific, the optimal dose
will be smaller and less close to the toxic level, he said.
Wedler is experimenting with -analogs for four en
zymes which are involved in the synthesis of cell DNA.V
which regulates cell reproduction. Mutant DNA will
produce mutant cells when the original cell reproduces.
Wedler is working on analogs for glutamine synthetase,
asparagine synthetase, aspartate transcarbamoylase
and aspartokinase. The analogs would prevent the
synthesis of chemicals which are the building blocks of
DNA. By binding these enzymes so they cannot carry
out their normal reactions, Wedler hopes ?to kill the
cancer cells.
Cancer cells reproduce at an abnormally rapid rate,
and the malignant cells often metastasize, or set up new
tumors in other parts of the body. Wedler said normal
cells have a property of contact inhibition they stop
reproducing when they touch. Cancer cells lose this
property and grow out of control, invading the
surrounding normal tissue. It is this invasiveness which
makes surgery difficult for advanced cases of cancer,
and the large number of cancerous cells often cannot be
dealt with by the body’s natural defenses.
Wedler said that if a treatment can catch cancer in its
early stages, the body will have a “fighting chance” to
take over and kill the mutant cells itself.
One of the difficulties involved in cancer research is
that cancer is notone disease, but has many variations,
Wedler- said. The complexity of the disease makes it
hard to tell exactly where the abnormality is, he said,
and a coordinated effort is needed so that researchers
can see the entire picture.
* ,‘0
C°''
A chest X-ray provides a dose of
less than one-fourth of a rad.
Dr. Borek proved the cells were
turned into a malignant state by
injecting them into mice with sup
pressed immune systems. The
converted cells produced tumors in
the mice.
Once Dr. Borek determines more
precisely the rate of cell conversion
in human cells, the system will be
able to serve as a new laboratory tool
for assessing cancer risks under
various radiation conditions.
The test system takes on particular
significance because animal cell
studies have ' shown that more
radiation damage occurs with
numerous small doses compared to a
with the American Cancer Society,
saying that side-effects are often
brought on by the patient’s anticipation
of them rather than the treatment itself.
“Patients come in for treatment and
sometimes get .sick in the office before
they even receive any treatment
because they expect the treatment to
make them sick,” she said.
State College has no facilities for
students requiring radiation therapy,
Curtis said. The Divine Providence
Treatment Center in Williamsport, the
Hershey Medical Center and the
Geisinger Medical Center in Danville
can treat students requiring radiation
therapy, she said
For students with a transportation
problem, a van makes free trips daily
from the Centre Community Hospital,
Mountainview unit, to the Divine
Providence Treatment Center. The
American Cancer Society also aids
students with transportation problems,
Curtis said.
The American Cancer Society
provides other services such as financial
assistance, counseling and home care
equipment, she said.
Gelman said one of the most important
steps in coping with cancer, as with any
crisis, is learning to communicate about
it.
“Communication is the biggest
problem,” she said. “I encourage a
patient to talk, and to understand that he
or she is not the only one (to have to cope
with cancer).” Gelman uses small group
discussions with patients and their
families to encourage communication.
Wednesday, April 23 10
kill cancer
Although the cause of cancer is unknown, Wedler, said;
viruses may play a part. He said cats may carry a virys)
which causes leukemia in children, but it is a slow;
virus, and the disease may not become obvious until;
many years after the initial infection. ;
Viruses have been shown to transform normal cells.
into tumor-producing cells in animals, according to<
Arnold J. Levine in an article in “Cancer The Outlaw 5
Cell.” During a viral infection, bits of the viral DNA.;
become integrated with the normal cell’s DNA, causing ’
the cell to be transformed, and produce tumors that;
may be benign or malignant. Wedler said some viruses, j
called RNA viruses, contain RNA, the complement of;
DNA. The viral RNA becomes involved in the cell-,
reproduction process and transforms the cell. <
Wedler said smoking, asbestos, chemicals, x-rays ;
and ultraviolet light may also cause cancer.
“We’re probably not going to get a vaccine for cam;
cer,” Wedler said, and even if a vaccine is someday;
developed-for virus-caused cancers, people cannot be •
vaccinated against cigarette smoke, asbestos, and.
other possible carcinogens. <
John L. Fahey, in another article in the same book,;
said that the surface of a transformed cell changes, and,’
may not be recognized by the body. Although the body ;
may destroy many abnormal cells, some that closely ;
resemble normal cells may be missed, and establish.
tumors. Fahey also said that cancer cells may suppress ;
the immune response and as the number of cancer cells ;
increase, the body is overwhelmed and the immune ;
response cannot combat the malignancy. $
An analog called PALA, developed by George Stark '<
of Stanford University, has shown promising results in j
preliminary tests by the National Cancer Institute, <
Wedler said. He said he is almost ready to send some J
analogs to NCI in Bethesda, Md., for testing, and is ;
“very optimistic” about the effectiveness of the;
analogs. $
NCI will do animal studies and tissue cultures to test .
each analog. In preclinical animal studies, tumors will 1
be induced in animals and the effect of the analog ■
tested. 5
reported
U .ci'2f3'lS. M nSlfivw-u
single large dose. Dr. Borek said this
finding “is frightening” because it
was previously believed radiation
broken down into several small doses
would permit the cells to repair any
radiation damage.
She found, for example, that 25
doses of 2 rads over a period of 5
hours causes 70 percent more
damage in the animal cells than a
single 50 rad dose.
“It seems different things happen
at different dose levels,” she said in
an interview after discussing the
development at an,American Cancer
Society symposium. The findings
have just been reported in the British
scientific journal, Nature.
help
Most types of cancer are difficult to -
predict or prevent. Therefore, t'Ae -
American Cancer Society stresses early ;
detection through routine examinations ■’
like the Pap test and regular self-. -
examinations of the breasts or testes.
One kind of cancer which can.be linked ■>
to a cause, especially in women, is lung *
cancer. According to the 1980 Surgeon I
General’s report, cigarette smoking now '
contributes to one quarter of all cancer
deaths in women. j
Lung cancer does not occur among -j
young people, Curtis said. It is an ac- j
cumulative disease and can take 25 to 35 j
years of cigarette smoking to deverip. S
But in order to be prevented later, steps 5
like not smoking must be taken now, she 7.
said. i
The Cancer Society urges people to be «!
aware of cancer’s seven warning 3
signals: 3
• A change in bowel or bladder habits. •<j;
• A sore that does not heal. *
• Unusual bleeding or discharge.
• A thickening or lump in the breast or *{
elsewhere. ’j
• Indigestion or difficulty in
swallowing.
• An obvious change in a wart or mole. u
• A nagging cough or hoarseness.
Gelman said great strides have been
made in controlling and curing cancer in
recent years.
“Things are getting better and bet
ter,” she said. Through the use of dif
ferent medications, not only have tile
chances for longer life for cancer
patients increased, but the quality of
that life has improved, she said.
L CANCER CAN JE PEAT!
7*111T% W* A reast cancer strikes 90,000 American
¥ J[ * women every year. One of 13 women is
destined to get breast cancer during her
lifetime. With a death toll of over 34,000
women annually, it’s the major cancer killer
jpf women. It also strikes men, but very infrequently. The cause of breast cancer is
unknown. There is a common misconception that an injury to the breast can cause
breast cancer, but there is no evidence to support this. The injury may call a woman’s
attention to a tumor that is already there.
breast cancers are first discovered by women themselves or their sexual partners.
Since breast cancers that are found early and treated promptly have excellent chances
for cure, learning how to examine her breasts properly can help a woman save her own
life. Once a month is often enough and the best time is right after her menstrual period.
After menopause, any set day, such as the first of the month, is a good time to do a
* breast self exam. Use the simple three-step (BSE) procedure shown here.
Breast tissue is often nodular and its consistency varies from woman to woman. The
breast may feel less lumpy after the menstrual period when hormonal levels are lower.
Normally, the skin of the breast is smooth, but weight loss or advancing age may cause'
wrinkles. The size and shape of nipples
also vary. Remember that a woman’s
breasts seldom match exactly the
shape is determined by heredity, weight
and by the strength of supporting
ligaments.
Cancer within the breast usually occurs
1 as a painless lump or thickening,
frequently in the upper outer portion of
the breast; although it can occur
anywhere in the breast. It can spread
pfrom the site of origin to the lymph nodes
in the armpits, neck, chest and eventually
to other parts of the body via the
bloodstream. Besides a lump, or
thickening, other changes that should be
checked by a physician are swelling,
puckering or dimpling, redness or skin
~irritation which persists. Changes,in the
nipples and areolae to look for are a
vyhitish scale, distorted shape, inverted
nipple or nipple discharge. Pain and
tenderness should also be reported to the
physician.
. . . TESTICULAR
FACTS:
it is a disease of young men
occurring mainly in the twenty to twenty
five age group it assumes an im-
portance greater than its frequency. In
<*tnen between the ages of twenty-nine and
thirty-five it is the most common type of
cancer. Each year, about 2,500 cases of
testicular cancer are diagnosed in
men. The actual number of
cases, however, may be much higher,
because malignancies that start in the
testes and then spread to other sites,
such as the lymph nodes or lungs, were
itften reported under the latter sites. If
caught early, this is one of the most
curable of all cancers; if not, it is one o:
the most deadly.
The first sign of testicular cancer is
usually a slight enlargement and a change
in the consistency of the testes. Although
tfoese tumors may be painless, there is
often a dull ache in the lower abdomen
and groin, accompanied by a sensation of
dragging and heaviness. Because of a lack
of early symptoms and of pain, patients
usually do not go to the doctor for several
months after discovering a slightly
enlarged testis. This delay in reporting to
FACTS:
w Maybe
rp 1 *' -•*l*' t 1 ’■
V *** * * *_i,* '*f
' >‘ “T^
wnj V %
If something’s going wrong,
it’ll tell you.
1. Change in bowel or bladder habits.
2. A sore that does not heal.
3. Unusual bleeding or discharge.
4. Thickening or lump
in breast or elsewhere.
5. Indigestion or difficulty
in swallowing.
6; Obvious change in wart or mole.
7. Nagging cough or hoarseness.
If you have a warning-signal,
see your doctor. If it’s a
f alse alarm, he’ll tell you.
If it isn’t, you can give him
time to help. Don’t be afraid.
It’s what you don’t know
that can hurt you.
' 5: American Gakicer
‘ v sU>\,.
the physician probably accounts for the
fact that in 88% of patients testicular
cancers have mestastasized (or spread)
by the time they are diagnosed.
Self-Examination:
A simple self examination that takes only
three minutes once a month is the in
dividual’s best hope for early detection of
testicular cancer. This is best performed
after a warm bath or shower when the
scrotal skin is most relaxed. Each testicle
it will go away”
;e-.
Before a mirror:
Inspect your breasts with arms at your
sides. Next, raise your arms high
overhead. Look for any changes in
contour of each breast, a swelling,
dimpling of skin or changes in the nipple.
Then, rest palms on hips and press
down firmly to flex your chest muscles.
Left and right breast will not exactly
match few women’s breasts do.
Regular inspection shows what is normal
for you and will give you confidence in
your examination.
. w*, l . r-v* ..\ v
> t< J
should be examined gently with the
fingers of both hands by rolling the
testicle between the thumb and fingers to
check for any hard lumps. If a lump or a
nodule is found, it should be brought
promptly to the attention of a physician.
After surgical removal of the affected
testicle, treatment is determined by the
type of cancer involved and the extent of
spread, or metastasis. The malignancy is
almost always confined to the one
testicle; therefore, the remaining testicle is
9
9
OY THE PUBLISHER A3-A PUBLIC SERVICE-
p
p
In the shower:
Examine your breasts . during bath or
shower; hands glide easier over wet skin.
Fingers flat, move gently over every part
of each breast. Use right hand to
examine left breast, left hand for right
breast. Check for any lump, hard knot or
thickening.
•- i's
mmm
The five most dangerous words
in the English language
The Daily Collegian Wednesday, April 23, 1980—11
around an imaginary clock face. Begin at
outermost top of your right breast for 12
o’clock, then move to 1 o’clock, and so on
around the circle back to 12. A ridge of firm
tissue in the lower curve of each breast is
normal. Then move in an inch, toward the
nipple, keep circling to examine every part of
pour breast, including nipple. This requires at
least three more circles. Now slowly repeat
procedure on your left breast with a pillow under
•your left shoulder and left hand behind head.
Notice how your breast structure feels.
Finally, squeeze the nipple of each breast gently
between thumb and index finger. Any
discharge, clear or bloody, should be reported to
your doctor immediately.
message
was brought
to you in concern
by your local chapter
of The American
Cancer Societv
and The Daily
Collegian
perfectly capable of maintaining sexual
potency or fertilit
Lying down:
To examine your right
breast, put a pillow or
folded towel under your
right shoulder. Place right
hand behind your head
this distributes breast
tissue more evenly on the
chest. With left hand,
fingers flat, press gently in
smallcircular motions
This