Immunologic alterations in patients with prostatic carcinoma

The state of cell-mediated immunity was evaluated in 41 patients with prostatic carcinoma by determining their ability to demonstrate delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity with dinitrochlorobenzene and recall antigens, and to mount an inflammatory response to croton oil, as well as by measuring changes in monocyte chemotactic response. The patients were divided into 2 groups: those with localized disease and those with metastatic carcinoma. Monocyte chemotactic response provides an in vitro quantitative measure of effector cell function and was significantly depressed in the entire group of prostatic cancer patients as compared to non-cancer controls (p less than 0.05). Patients with metastatic carcinoma had a greater defect than those with localized disease (p less than 0.025). After radical prostatectomy a group of patients with localized disease tended to show improvement in monocyte chemotactic response (p less than 0.025). The ability of patients to develop a delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity response was impaired and correlated with the clinical stage of the disease. By using the cutaneous irritant, croton oil, the ability of these cancer patients to mount an inflammatory response was also found to be impaired and showed a close correlation between clinical stage and course of disease. Changes in response to croton oil tended to precede alterations in dinitrochlorobenzene response.