[ RadSafe ] Radiation induced immune response DETERS spread of cancer

[howard long]

Prof Dietrich Harder of U Goettingen describes the mechanism recently on rad-sci:
   
  "- production of apoptotic cells in the epithelia at low doses, supported by the bystander effect.
 Mediation of an anti-inflammatory immune response, triggered by the phagocytosis of the apoptotic cells by dendritic cells, e.g. the Langerhans cells. This process can be called a modification of the immune response rather than an enhancement of the immune response. The word "enhancement" however is not incorrect when referred to the enhanced maturation of immature dendritic cells and the enhanced activation of anti-inflammatory cytokines.
 The applied doses are so low that a complete annual treatment course does not more than double the normal natural radiation exposition of the human body, when 
expressed in terms of the effective dose per year"
   
  I was referred to this by Prof Feinendigan who, with Prof Pollycove has done the most in this area, as in The Biologic and Epidemiologic Basis for Radiation Hormesis, presented to and critiqed by Doctors for Disaster Preparedness.
   
  Far from worsening cancer patients, low dose radiaion
  stimulation of apoptosis, phagocytosis and the immune system generally,  brings healing - NOT the more rapid cancer growth implied by this Jacobus selection, as could be found in numerous references through Muckerheides compendium.
  For prevention, see,
   Is Chronic Radiation anEffective Prophylaxis Against Cancer? 
  Chen, WL, Luan, YC, et al Journal Am Physicians and Surgeons 9:1:6-10
   
  Howard Long MD MPH

John Jacobus <crispy_bird at yahoo.com> wrote:
  One of the arguements used to tout the benefits of low
dose ionizing radiation is that it enhances immune
response. I thought the following was interesting.
-----------------------
>From the NYT Health section
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/15/health/15meta.html?ei=5070&en=43242bd64ec6e9b0&ex=1156651200&pagewanted=all

Scientists Begin to Grasp the Stealthy Spread of
Cancer 

By LAURIE TARKAN
Published: August 15, 2006

. . .
Researchers are looking at a number of events that
occur in the microenvironment that give a cancer cell
a leg up as soon as it arrives. These changes involve
both normal cells that reside in that tissue and the
body’s roaming immune cells. 

“The tumor cells co-opt these cells to act in a way
that’s conducive for the growth of the metastasis,”
Dr. Massagué said.

There is evidence, for example, that a type of white
blood cell, the macrophage, may help initiate
colonization. It was once thought that high numbers of
macrophages found in metastatic cancer colonies were
there to do battle with the cancer. Now it is believed
that they somehow promote factors that help tumors
progress. Other normal cells are believed to make
enzymes that loosen the cellular structure of the new
host organ, making room for tumor cells to
proliferate. 
. . .


+++++++++++++++++++
>From an article about physicians doing clinical studies: 

"It was just before an early morning meeting, and I was really trying to get to the bagels, but I couldn't help overhearing a conversation between one of my statistical colleagues and a surgeon.

Statistician: "Oh, so you have already calculated the P value?"

Surgeon: "Yes, I used multinomial logistic regression."

Statistician: "Really? How did you come up with that?"

Surgeon: "Well, I tried each analysis on the SPSS drop-down menus, and that was the one that gave the smallest P value"."

-- John
John Jacobus, MS
Certified Health Physicist
e-mail: crispy_bird at yahoo.com

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