At a glance…

s of the currentliterature on cancer. alkylating agent prior to radiation was used. Those with giant follicular lympho sarcoma fare much better than those with reticulum cell sarcoma and lym phosarcoma. Of these latter two there is a slightly better prognosis in those with lymphosarcoma. It is believed that patients with an absolute lymphocyto penia have a poorer prognosis. The presence of this is probably related to widespread disease as well as previous radiation and! or chemotherapy. Chil dren have a poorer prognosis than adults. The treatment of choice is still radiation and the overall survival rate for five years is 28.4 per cent. Rosenberg, S. A.; Diamond, H. D., and Craver, L. F.: Lmjmmaphosureommia;the effects of therapy and survival in I ,D@9 patiemit@ imi a reriemi' of 30 years' experience. Ann. hit. Med. 53:877-897, No-v., 1960. Circulating Tumor Cells Circulating tumor cells were found in 18 per cent of 247 peripheral blood specimens obtained from 36 patients with nonresectable malignant mela noma. Twenty-five of 36 patients (70 per cent) studied in this category demon strated tumor cells in 1 or more periph eral specimens. A direct relationship was found be Iween the rate of growth or appearance of new metastatic nodules and the find ing of peripheral circulating tumor cells. A greater frequency of positive spec imens and patients with positive speci mens was found in the late months of life. Results of circulating tumor cell studies in 6 surgical patients are pre sented. —¿ AuThoRs' SUMMARY Rohm@d.aM, M. ill.; Potter, J. F.; Malmiigren, R. A.; Chu, 13. W.: fim-imidley, C'. 0., amid Smith. R. R.: A clinical study of circulating timnior cells in malig namit melemmiommia.Simrg. Gymsec. t Obst. 111 :675681, Dec., 1960; p. 631. ScirrhousCarcinoma of the Colon and Rectum Ninety-one cases of primary scir rhous adenocarcinoma of the colon and rectum have been studied clinicopatho logically. Three pathologic prototypes were delineated: In 11 cases the lesions presented the rare “¿ linitis-plastica― type of configuration; in 29 they were stenosing “¿ napkin-ring― cancers, and in 51, ulcerative growths definable only on the basis of microscopic evidence of pronounced desmoplasia. The scirrhous reaction appeared to be excited by the neoplastic cells them selves. It seemed to be a property pos sessed principally by certain anaplastic tumors, the involved lymph nodes and visceral metastatic lesions which main tained the scirrhous pattern. Other pri mary cancers in the same hosts were never desmoplastic. The growths were unusually aggres sive. Perineural and venous involve ment was frequently observed, nodes were often invaded, and a high inci dence of hepatic metastasis limited many resections to the palliative cate gory. The average small size of the growths is paradoxic in this over-all picture. A completely accurate prediction of results of treatment was not possible from this small series. The trend indi cated, however, is disappointing. —¿ AuTnoRs'SUMMAR@1 Fahi, J. C.; Dockerty, H. 13., amid Judd, 13. S.: Scir rhous careimmommiaof the colomm amid rectum. Surg. Gynec. t Obst. 111 :759-766, Dec., 1960; pp. 765-766. New Treatment of Carcinoma of the Adrenals Initial observation of animals dem onstrated that the insecticide DDD, or Rothane, caused a selective necrosis of the zona fasciculata and zona reticu laris of the adrenal cortex which re sulted in an associated adrenal insuffi ciency. The ortho, para prime isomer of