Influence of surgery and dexamethasone on cell-mediated immune responses in patients with meningiomas

Abstract

Summary.-Cell-mediated cytotoxicity (CTX) was studied in meningioma patients before and within 2 weeks of complete excision of the tumour, using the [3H]-proline microcytotoxicity test. Three of 7 patients tested before surgery showed specific CTX, 2 revealed a " non-specific " (tumour-unrelated) response, and 2 were nonreactive. After surgery, CTX decreased from 84 to 50% in one patient and became negative in 2 others previously positive. One of 2 patients showing " non-specific" CTX preoperatively became positive, while the other remained unchanged.All patients were receiving dexamethasone (DXM) at the time they were tested. Lymphocyte responses to PHA were not significantly different before or after surgery (i.e. after prolonged treatment with DXM), from healthy controls.Blocking activity could be detected in the sera of all 3 patients before surgery. This activity was not specific for meningiomas. Paradoxically, the same sera did not inhibit the proliferative response to PHA. Serum from only one patient consistently suppressed the blastogenic response of homologous lymphocytes to PHA. Inhibitory activity was associated with the IgG fraction of his serum.

Stress and cancer.

“…In humans, as in animals, stress has been shown to produce immunosuppression. Specifically, both surgical stress and bereavement were found to be associated with depressed lymphocyte function (Bartrop et al, 1977;Pees, 1977). In addition, prior to mamography to screen for possible breast cancer, women exhibited a preponderance of activated lymphocytes-a finding similar to that observed among rodents following stress-regardless of the results of the mammography (Nieburgs et al, 1979).…”

Factores psicosociales y cáncer: una revisión crítica

“…A pesar de la importancia de la especificación de la función de este mediador biológico (competencia inmunológica) en la relación estrés-enfermedad, son relativamente pocos los estudios en los que se ha investigado la influencia del estrés sobre la inmunidad humana (vid, revisión de Locke, 1982, sobre investigación en humanos, y Monjan, 1981, en animales). Una razón principal de este estado de cosas es que, mientras que en la investigación con animales el estrés puede definirse operativamente, cuantificarse y manipularse, al menos hasta cierto punto (Riley et al, 1981, Newberry, 1981, en la investigación con seres humanos existe una limitación inherente en la utilización de diseños experimentales, lo que ha obligado el uso de condiciones estresantes naturales, como por ejemplo la muerte de un ser querido (Bartrop et al, 1977;Schleifer et al, 1983), el ser sometido a una operación quirúrgica (Pees, 1977), pasar exámenes (Donan et al, Kiecolt-Glaser, 1984), cambios de vida (Locke et al, 1978), etc. A Palmblad y sus colegas vid.…”