Purpose/Objective(s): Patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) suffer from a high propensity for suppressed immunity after concurrent radio-chemotherapy. However, the risk factors of immunodepression have not been established. This study was aimed to investigate the influence of gender disparities on concurrent radio-chemotherapy related immune dysfunction. Materials/Methods: A total of 84 patients with primary histopathologically-confirmed NPC were treated with cisplatin every week for six cycles concurrently with intensity-modulated radiotherapy in our hospital between the years of 2016-2018. The peripheral blood T lymphocyte subsets in patients were evaluated by flow cytometry before and 4 weeks after the concurrent radio-chemotherapy, respectively. The changes of immune phenotype (CD3 + , CD4 + , CD8 + and CD4 + /CD8 +) after treatment were compared between male and female patients. Results: The median age at time of enrollment was 50 years with 43 males and 48 years with 41 females. The levels of CD3 + , CD4 + , CD8 + and CD4 + / CD8 + decreased significantly after concurrent radio-chemotherapy (CD3 + [10 6 /L]: 1048.99AE377.59 vs 505.44AE268.87, P<0.01; CD4 + [10 6 /L]: 596.38AE253.17 vs 171.04AE85.52, P<0.01; CD8 + [10 6 /L]: 397.00AE156.59 vs 304.12AE184.33, P<0.01; CD4 + /CD8 + : 1.62AE0.65 vs 0.62AE0.21, P<0.01). The decreased levels of CD3 + and CD4 + in the males were not statistical differences compared with that in the females (CD3 + [folds]: 2.30AE1.12 vs 2.65AE1.23, P>0.05; CD4 + [folds]: 4.33AE2.23 vs 3.88AE2.08, P>0.05), while the decreased level of CD8 + was less in the males than that in the females (CD8 + [folds]: 1.28AE0.63 vs 1.98AE0.95, P<0.01). Eventually, the reduced ratio of CD4 + /CD8 + in the males was dramatically higher than in the females (CD4 + /CD8 + [folds]: 3.68AE1.73 vs 1.99AE0.54, P<0.01). Conclusion: Concurrent radio-chemotherapy can weaken immune function in NPC patients, especially in male patients. These results contribute to heighten clinicians' awareness of potential gender-specific risk factor of immune dysfunction after concurrent radio-chemotherapy.
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