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In Stage IV melanoma patients, a high percentage of Tregs appears to be associated with shorter survival.
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In Stage IV melanoma patients, a high percentage of Tregs appears to be associated with shorter survival.

› Forums › General Melanoma Community › In Stage IV melanoma patients, a high percentage of Tregs appears to be associated with shorter survival.

  • Post
    • July 31, 2010 at 4:13 pm
    jim Breitfeller
    Participant

      In Stage IV melanoma patients, a high percentage of Tregs appears to be associated with shorter survival.

      Remember I said "Blame it on the Tregs!!!"

      Received 12 February 2008 published online 03 June 2008.

      Background

      In Stage IV melanoma patients, a high percentage of Tregs appears to be associated with shorter survival.

      Remember I said "Blame it on the Tregs!!!"

      Received 12 February 2008 published online 03 June 2008.

      Background

      Melanoma often elicits a profound immune response, and this response has been exploited by various immune therapies. These immunotherapies ultimately fail, however, and advanced melanoma is uniformly fatal, suggesting the development of an immune escape mechanism. In this study, markers of immune escape including regulatory T cells (Tregs), dendritic cells (DCs), and TGF-β were evaluated in 14 Stage IV melanoma patients and correlated with survival.

      Source:http://www.journalofsurgicalresearch.com/article/S0022-4804(08)00344-2/abstract
       

      Just follow the Science!!!!!!

       

      Results 

      Stage IV melanoma patients had a doubling of regulatory T cells compared to both normal subjects and stage I melanoma patients. There was a significantly higher number of DCs in all melanoma patients compared to normal subjects. Stage I melanoma patients had a significantly higher number of pDCs than normal subjects, and all melanoma patients had a higher concentration of mDCs than controls. Serum IL-4 and IL-10 were not detectable but serum TGF-β levels were significantly higher in stage I and stage IV melanoma patients compared to normal controls.

      Conclusion

       Advanced melanoma is associated with increased numbers of circulating dendritic cells and regulatory T cells. These data suggest that melanoma induces immunosuppressive DCs and regulatory T cells in the systemic circulation.

      Source:http://www.springerlink.com/content/k0gk8740u3n75744/
       

       

      Take care

      Jimmy B

       

      melanomamissionary.blogspot.com/

       

       

       

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        • July 31, 2010 at 8:21 pm
        debbieVA
        Participant

           Hi Jimmy….

          Your information is always interesting…I’m wondering if this lab work would be easier to detect the possibility of advancing or progressing disease than the exposure of more radiation such as with PET or CT scans?  
          Dealing with quantitative levels.  

          In my case, being Stage 4 NED, I now have scans at 6 month intervals.  Prior to this I had PET/CT at 3 month intervals.  I have always worried, that if Melanoma didn’t kill me, radiation induced cancer might.  

          LDH is a quantitative lab test good for only indicating potential progression with liver involvement….I would so rather have a simple lab exam than all the HOOPLA  with drinking contrast, Infusing radioactive dyes….and hours spent in a tube.

          Good talking to you…Be well….

           

          Debbie Stage 4 NED

            • July 31, 2010 at 10:22 pm
            jim Breitfeller
            Participant

               

               

              Debbie,

              TGF-β levels are significantly higher in stage I and stage IV melanoma patients compared to normal controls. So if you use this information with  Stage IV melanoma patients, a high percentage of Tregs appears to be associated with shorter survival you might just have a diagnostic analysis for melanoma.

              So I contacted  Dr. Revzin about  a Novel microfluidic Melanoma survival test is quick and cheap. His novel microfludic test may be reconfigured to work for Melanoma.

              Novel microfluidic HIV test is quick and cheap

              July 30, 2010

              A “lab on a chip” device for rapidly diagnosing and monitoring HIV infection has been developed by UC Davis biomedical engineer Alexander Revzin and his colleagues. The device could make HIV testing more affordable in the developing world and other resource-poor areas.

              The test consists of polymer film imprinted with an array of miniature spots. Each spot contains antibodies specific to the two kinds of T-cells, the white blood cells affected by HIV, and three types of cytokines, the inflammatory proteins released by the T-cells. When blood flows across the antibody spots, CD4 and CD8 T-cells get stuck to them. Cytokines are picked up by other spots on the chip.

              A lens-free imaging system developed by Aydogan Ozcan, professor of electrical engineering at UCLA, is used to rapidly count T-cell numbers, CD4/CD8 ratio and measure secreted cytokines.

              The test returns results six to 12 times faster than traditional approaches and tests six parameters simultaneously, using a small blood sample.

              With further development, the device could be the basis for blood tests in the developing world and resource-poor areas, according to Revzin. He has filed for a patent and is looking for ways to bring his test into clinical use.

              “In addition to HIV testing and monitoring, this device will be useful for blood transfusions, where the safety of blood is frequently in question,” he said. It could also be modified to detect HIV and hepatitis B viruses directly.

              "We set out to develop a test that could be simple and inexpensive but would provide several parameters based on a single injection of a small blood volume,” Revzin said.

              Physicians monitor HIV infection by counting the ratio of two types of T-cells, CD4 and CD8, and by measuring cytokines. Existing technology uses a method called flow cytometry that requires an expensive machine and highly trained specialists. Health care workers and AIDS activists in the developing world have called for less expensive, more easily performed tests.

              Media contact(s):

              Thanks for your reply

              jimmy b

              Dr. Revzin,
               
              I see you novel diagnostic test would be useful in Melanoma Therapy. A new drug is coming out and will be FDA approved by end 2011. It is called Ipilimumab (ipi) for short. Based on ALC Absolute lymphocyte count, you can tell by the count if the patient is responding to the drug or not. Also, if you could find an antibody for Treg cells, then you could correlate that number to survival. The higher the Treg number, the less likely the patient will survive. The Tregs suppress the immune system response.
               
              I can see your apparatus in every Oncologist’s/Hospital office
               
              Best regards,
              • August 4, 2010 at 8:39 pm
              jim Breitfeller
              Participant
                Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket
                • August 4, 2010 at 8:51 pm
                Kevin from Atlanta
                Participant

                  Hello Debbie,

                  "LDH is a quantitative lab test good for only indicating potential progression with liver involvement"

                   

                  I wouldn't count on it. I have a tumor on my liver that went from 3 cm to 5 cm in two months while my LDH decreased from about 250 to 150.

                  • August 4, 2010 at 8:55 pm
                  debbieVA
                  Participant

                    Hey Jimmy,

                    Thanks for the diagrams….LDH…sure I know…I have never counted on anything wholeheartedly, cept the Lord!

                    debbieVA 

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