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Cellular immunity in cancer: comparison of delayed hypersensitivity skin tests in three common cancers
Abstract:
Cellular immunity was studied in three homogenous groups of patients with cancer to determine whether the pattern of depression of immune competence varied between solid tumours with different patterns of clinical behaviour. Delayed hypersensitivity skin responses were measured in patients with carcinoma of the breast, stomach, and colon and matched controls. Response to 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) was used as an indication of primary responses and the Mantoux reaction as an index of recall responses. Responses were diminished in all three cancer groups, but there were significant differences between each type of cancer and even between different control groups. Cellular immunity was lost earliest and to the greatest extent in patients with colonic cancers and tended to be retained until a late stage in breast cancer, with gastric cancer occupying an intermediate position. Thus, while there was some degree of correlation between depressed immunity and prognosis our results gave no evidence that general host immune competence could explain the worse prognosis of gastric than colonic cancer. Paradoxical findings in patients with breast cancer suggested a great complexity in the host tumour interaction. Assessments of immune competence in cancer patients must be related to specific types of neoplasms with appropriate control groups if the results are to be meaningful.
Insights
This study investigated cellular immunity in breast, stomach, and colon cancer patients. Immune responses varied by cancer type, with colonic cancers showing the earliest and most significant immune decline.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Immunology
Background:
- Assessing cellular immunity is crucial for understanding cancer progression and patient prognosis.
- Previous studies have indicated a general depression of immune competence in cancer patients, but patterns across different cancer types remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if the pattern of immune competence depression differs among patients with solid tumors exhibiting distinct clinical behaviors.
- To compare cellular immunity levels in patients with breast, stomach, and colon cancer against matched controls.
Main Methods:
- Delayed hypersensitivity skin responses were measured using 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) for primary responses and the Mantoux reaction for recall responses.
- Homogenous groups of patients with carcinoma of the breast, stomach, and colon were studied alongside matched control groups.
Main Results:
- Cellular immunity was diminished across all three cancer groups compared to controls.
- Significant differences in immune response depression were observed between breast, stomach, and colon cancer patients.
- Immune competence was lost earliest and most extensively in colonic cancer patients, retained longest in breast cancer patients, and intermediate in gastric cancer patients.
Conclusions:
- The pattern of cellular immune depression varies significantly depending on the specific type of cancer.
- While depressed immunity correlates with prognosis, it does not fully explain prognostic differences between gastric and colonic cancers.
- Host-tumor interactions are complex, necessitating cancer-type-specific assessments of immune competence with appropriate controls for meaningful results.