Tonsillectomy: A Prognostic Factor in Hodgkin's Disease?

The clinical features and course of Hodgkin's disease (HD) were investigated in 160 previously tonsillectomized patients and compared with 375 nontonsillectomized ones. In both groups, sex, social class, histologic type, stage and symptoms were almost identically distributed. Tonsillectomized patients showed a higher incidence of initial cervical forms (p < 0.05) and more frequently developed the disease under 35 years of age (p < 0.001), thus also reflecting the different policies of the otolaryngologists in the past few decades. Moreover, the tonsillectomized patients enjoyed a significantly better survival (p ≈ 0.01) than the nontonsillectomized ones. Adjusted survival curves for age and site of initial involvement proved that the favorable prognostic value of tonsillectomy was not due to the altered distribution of these 2 factors in the 2 groups; in addition, an earlier diagnosis in tonsillectomized patients could be excluded. The favorable effect of tonsillectomy in HD patients might be related specifically to the reduced portion of immunologically reacting oropharyngeal lymphoid tissue remaining after tonsillectomy. A decreased output of the specific immune-complexes, which are responsible for the disease, according to Vianna's theory, might be hypothesized in tonsillectomized patients.

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Prognostic value of follicular dendritic cells in nodular sclerosing Hodgkin's disease

Histopathology ◽

10.1046/j.1365-2559.1998.t01-1-00418.x ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 32 (6) ◽

pp. 512-520 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

A.S. Baur ◽

C. Meuge-Moraw ◽

G. Michel ◽

F. Delacretaz

Keyword(s):

Dendritic Cells ◽

Hodgkin's Disease ◽

Prognostic Value ◽

Hodgkin’S Disease ◽

Follicular Dendritic Cells ◽

Follicular Dendritic ◽

Nodular Sclerosing

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Survival of the older patient compared with the younger patient with hodgkin's disease. Influence of histologic type, staging, and treatment

Cancer ◽

10.1002/1097-0142(19900401)65:7<1635::aid-cncr2820650730>3.0.co;2-m ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 65 (7) ◽

pp. 1635-1640 ◽

Cited By ~ 41

Author(s):

Ann Walker ◽

Elinor R. Schoenfeld ◽

James T. Lowman ◽

Curtis J. Mettlin ◽

Julie Macmillan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hodgkin's Disease ◽

Hodgkin’S Disease ◽

Histologic Type ◽

Older Patient ◽

Younger Patient

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Histologic grading of nodular sclerosing Hodgkin’s disease: is it an independent prognostic factor?

Cancer Treatment and Research - Advances in Lymphoma Research ◽

10.1007/978-1-4615-4129-5_3 ◽

1997 ◽

pp. 29-40 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Barbara M. Osborne ◽

Carlos Bueso-Ramos

Keyword(s):

Prognostic Factor ◽

Hodgkin's Disease ◽

Hodgkin’S Disease ◽

Independent Prognostic Factor ◽

Histologic Grading ◽

Nodular Sclerosing

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Histology as a Prognostic Factor in 100 Cases of Hodgkin's Disease

Tumori Journal ◽

10.1177/030089166605200606 ◽

1966 ◽

Vol 52 (6) ◽

pp. 451-464 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Sergio Di Pietro ◽

Federico Pizzetti

Keyword(s):

Prognostic Factor ◽

National Cancer Institute ◽

Hodgkin's Disease ◽

Hodgkin’S Disease ◽

Clinical Stage ◽

The Third ◽

Nodular Sclerosis ◽

At Iii ◽

Mediastinal Involvement

The paper deals with 100 cases of Hodgkin's disease, treated at the National Cancer Institute of Milan from 1949 to 1958, all submitted to clinical follow-up until the end of November 1966 or death. Histologically, the 100 cases were grouped as follows: 14 paragranulomas, 15 nodular scleroses, 49 polymorphous granulomas and 22 Hodgkin's sarcomas. Paragranulomas showed the best average median and 10-year survivals, nodular sclerosis the best 5-year survivals; Hodgkin's sarcomas showed the worst clinical evolution, without 10-year survivals. The behaviour of the disease was found to be more unfavourable in the third and fourth decades of life, more favourable in the fifth decade. In men the evolution was slower, after an initial unfavourable course; no 10-year survival was observed in women. Nodular sclerosis prevailed in early diagnosed patients, paragranuloma and Hodgkin's sarcoma in late diagnosed cases. Eighty-eight of the 100 patients were at III and IV clinical stage at admission, only 12 at I or II stage. Nearly all cases of nodular sclerosis concerned patients at the III stage, with mediastinal involvement; Hodgkin's sarcoma was more frequent in patients at the IV stage. Five-year survival at the IV stage was observed only in patients with paragranuloma or nodular sclerosis; these two histological types prevailed also in patients without general symptoms. Polymorphous granuloma and Hodgkin's sarcoma were more frequent in patients with general symptoms.

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The in vivo effect of thymic factor (thymostimulin) administration on circulating immune complexes and serum lysozyme levels in untreated Hodgkin's disease patients.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.1983.1.2.117 ◽

1983 ◽

Vol 1 (2) ◽

pp. 117-125 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

A Velardi ◽

F Spinozzi ◽

P Rambotti ◽

A Tabilio ◽

A Losito ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Immune Complexes ◽

Hodgkin's Disease ◽

Hodgkin’S Disease ◽

Serum Levels ◽

Mean Value ◽

Circulating Immune Complexes ◽

Calf Thymus ◽

Serum Lysozyme ◽

Thymic Factor

The in vivo effect of a calf thymus extract, thymostimulin, on the levels of circulating immune complexes (CIC) and serum lysozyme was evaluated in 32 patients with untreated Hodgkin's disease. Using the platelet aggregation test for detecting CICs, 12 patients (37%) had positive titers before thymostimulin treatment; 3 patients (10%) remained positive following therapy. Serum levels of Clq-binding immune complexes were evaluated (greater than 24.5 micrograms/ml) in 8 patients prior to thymostimulin therapy (mean value: 42.3 micrograms/ml); 3 patients continued to have elevated levels after treatment. Serum lysozyme levels for Hodgkin's patients was similar to control values (10.6 vs. 8.3 micrograms/ml); however, the Hodgkin's patients with initially elevated CICs had a lower serum lysozyme level than patients with initially normal CICs (12.9 vs. 7.3, p less than 0.02). Thymostimulin increased serum lysozyme levels in the Hodgkin's patients in whom the CICs were initially elevated (7.3 vs. 10.4 micrograms/ml, p less than 0.05). These data suggest that thymostimulin exerts an effect on the nonspecific immune system of Hodgkin's disease patients.

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