Influence of Surgery on the Responsiveness of Blood Lymphocytes in Patients With Advanced Cancer

Abstract

The effect of surgery on peripheral blood mononuclear cell responsiveness to mitogens and supressor cell (SC) activity assessed in a concanavalin A (ConA) assay were studied in patients with stage 0 and stage HI-IV cancer. Patients were exposed to a similar surgical trauma the same type of anaesthesia, and to no pre-and early postoperative radio-or chemotherapy. A more pronounced postoperative decrease in the lymphocyte count, responsiveness to phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and ConA, and in the SC activity was found in the nonadvanced than advanced cancer group. These findings point to an impaired mobilization and distribution capacity of circulating lymphocytes in patients with advanced neoplastic disease.

Influence of preoperative treatment and surgical operation on immune function of patients with esophageal carcinoma

“…While it has been reported that the total lymphocyte count, the CD4'/CD8+ ratio, PHA response and NK activity decrease following surgical operation [10][11][12], we did not find any such significant reductions in the CD4+/CD8' ratio, PHA response or NK activity, with only a reduction in the total lymphocyte count after esophageal operation. Grzelak et al found more pronounced postoperative decreases in the lymphocyte count and PHA response in the nonadvanced than advanced cancer groups and pointed to an impaired mobilization and distribution capacity of the circulating lymphocytes in patients with advanced neoplastic disease [13]. Furthermore, we did not find a postoperative decrease in any immunological parameters, except for a gradual decrease in the CD4+/CD8+ ratio induced by preoperative treatment, in patients in which their immune function had been depressed by preoperative treatment.…”