In vitro studies of a cancer patient's immune response before and after chemotherapy may give some indication of his chances of survival and the effects of the treatment on his tumor.
In addition, according to Jules Harris, MD, of the University of Ottawa, there appears to be a "vulnerable period" six to nine days after the completion of a course of chemotherapy during which stimulation of the immune response might prolong the interval between courses of chemotherapy, perhaps even leading to prolonged remission.
Dr. Harris, who is an assistant professor of medicine and director of the laboratory of immunology at the University of Ottawa, and A.R. Cheema, MD, of the Department of Developmental Therapeutics, M.D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute, Houston, reported some of their results at the Chicago meeting of the Society for Clinical Oncology. Dr. Cheema's co-worker is E.R. Hersh, MD.
Dr. Cheema's study involved 40 patients whose