Treating kidney cancer

Injections of interferon, a substance produced by the body, sometimes shrink the tumors of kidney cancer , "a disease unit until now, considered almost incurable.

Medical researchers at: the M. D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute in Houston injected interferon into 19 kid­ney-cancer patients whose disease has spread to other parts of their bodies as well, according to a report in Cancer Research.

Result: In five of the patients, tumors shrank 50 percent or more; in two patients, between 25 and 50 percent. The disease stabilized for two months in one patient and for six months in another, and three persons showed mix results, with some shrinkage and some growth of tumors. Seven participants were not helped.

Interferon has also been used experimentally against other kinds of cancer, with inconclusive results.

Statements: 1. Injections of interferon give sometimes a positive effect in curing kidney-cancer patients. 2. Inter­feron was injected to 19 kidney-cancer patients whose tumors had not metastasized to other parts of their bodies. 3. Out of nineteen participants only seven were helped. 4. The re­sults of experiments in which interferon has been used against other kinds of cancer were conclusive.

Task 16. Here is a dictionary article taken from SBD on the theme studied. Read it and tell your groupmates what the abbreviation BUN means:

BUN, abbreviation of blood urea nitrogen (nitrogen in the form of urea found in the blood).

In principle, an artificial kidney is simply a device that leads the blood outside the body and past a cellophanelike memb­rane. On the other side of the membrane is a briny solution resembling blood — clean blood. Impelled by osmotic pressure, excess water, BUN, sodium, potassium and other wastes sneak through the membrane from the blood into the briny solu­tion. Thus purified, the blood then flows back into the body.

Task 17. Read the article from the journal Likarska Sprava. It can hardly be called an article but rather a short summary of the article but nevertheless, you’ll find here some interesting facts concerning the research work of specialists from Donetsk. Pick up the possible answers to the questions below and check them with the key at the end of the unit seven:

FEATURES OF CYLINDRURIA IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC GLOMERULONEPHRITIS

Qualitative and quantitative indices of cylindruria were stu­died in 325 patients aged from 15 to 64 with various morpho­logical forms of chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN). In 237 of

them function of kidneys was unchanged while remaining 88 patients revealed various degrees of chronic renal failure (CRF). Parameters of cylindruria in patients with CGN varied widely, significant correlation having been established between pre­sence of erythrocytic cylinders in urinary residue and degree of haematuria. Large granular cylinders were observed in patients with severe and moderate CRF as distinct from patients with normal renal function and initial stage of renal insufficiency.

Questions to be answered:

1. What aspect of urine analysis is considered in the article? 2. What diagnosis had the patients aged from 15 to 64? 3. What did the function of kidneys in 88 patients reveal? 4. What did qualitative and quantitative indices help to establish? 5. What distinctive feature was noticed between the urinary analysis in patients with severe and moderate chronic renal failure and normal renal function and initial stage of renal insufficiency?

Possible answers:

a — chronic renal failure; b — cylindruria; c — correla­tion between presence of erythrocytic cylinders in urinary residue and degree of haematuria; d — chronic glomeru­lonephritis; e — large granular cylinders.

Task 18. Name the Latin or Greek equivalents which are etymologically connected with the following medical terms. Comment upon the meaning of these terms:

cirrhosis — цироз; carcinoma — карцинома; nephropto­sis — иефроптоз; glycosuria — глюкозурія; nephropexy — нефропексія; olyguria — олігурія; glomerulonephritis — гломерулонефрит; epinephritis — епінефрит; adipoma (li­poma) — ліпома; adiponecrosis — адипонекроз; adrena­lectomy — адреналектомія.