Phytohaemagglutinin-induced lymphocyte transformation in patients before and after resection of large intestinal cancer

Abstract

sumMARY Lymphocyte responses to stimulation with phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) have been compared in 20 patients with large intestinal cancer, 10 patients whose large intestinal cancers have been removed, and in 30 age-and sex-matched control individuals. Responses were markedly reduced in the tumour-bearing patients and were unaffected by substituting normal for autologous plasma during incubation. Responses, however, were normal after tumour resection suggesting that the defect in lymphocyte responsiveness is a reversible one and related to the presence of tumour tissue.

The British Society of Gastroenterology

“…The results suggest that altered T cell function of specific type is detectable by relatively simple means in patients with intestinal cancer and are in broad agreement with lymphocytotoxicity assays and leucocyte migration inhibition studies (Guillou and Giles, 1973;Mclllmurray, Gray, and Langman, 1973 inoculated intramurally with a 100p or 02p filtrate of homogenate prepared from fresh human ileal or colonic Crohn's disease tissue. When compared with nine inoculated controls, the Crohn's inoculated rabbits gained weight at a significantly slower rate (P < 0001 at seven weeks).…”

Immune capability of rats with colorectal carcinoma treated by resection with or without 5‐fluorouracil or levamisole

“…In tumor rats, this immune augmentation was not evident; however, their lymphocytotoxic activity was already high, a presumed consequence of their tumor. The changes in MICC and spontaneous cytotoxicity were consistent with results obtained in human lymphocyte studies performed after surgery for colorectal cancer [McIllmurray et al, 1973;Waller et al, 19801. In these patients elevation of similar cytotoxic parameters persisted for 6 months after surgery, even when patients did not receive adjuvant immunotherapy. The rats in the present study were similar in that their elevated MICC persisted to the termination of the experiment.…”