Indices of immune activation after bronchial carcinoma surgery

The aim of the study was to examine the levels of IL-2 and soluble receptor sIL-2R involved in the activation of TH1 lymphocytes, C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum amyloid A (SAA), whose synthesis is induced by IL-6 and IL-1, in the patients with bronchial carcinoma subjected to surgical procedures. The studies involved 35 patients operated on for bronchial carcinoma and 17 patients requiring thoracic surgery due to other reasons. The immune parameters were determined preoperatively and three, seven, 10 days after the operation. The control group consisted of 22 healthy individuals whose parameters were determined only once. The analysis revealed that the serum IL-2 level found in the patients was three times higher than that in controls. Moreover, the average sIL-2 level was also statistically higher in the group of patients. The results obtained three days after the procedure showed decreased IL-2 levels in both groups subjected to surgery (due to bronchial carcinoma or other reasons). The findings of subsequent determinations performed seven and 10 days after the operation showed that the values observed 10 days after surgery were higher than the preoperative ones. The sIL-2 levels three days after the operation significantly increased in both groups of patients, however, on next examinations they started to vary; the slL-2R decreased in the bronchial carcinoma patients and increased in the other group. The results of CRP and SAA examinations revealed higher values in the bronchial carcinoma patients compared to controls. The SAA levels were extremely high (82.54 in patients and 3.17microg/ml in controls). The postoperative levels of this protein showed a similar tendency--a rapid postoperative increase and gradual normalization in subsequent examinations. However, in both cases the values observed 10 days after the operation were higher than those in the control group. An extremely high increase in SAA levels after surgery (82.54-preoperatively versus 961.6 microg/ml-postoperatively) is noteworthy. Our preliminary results on the immune indices after bronchial carcinoma surgery are consistent with those observed after the operations for other neoplastic tumours; decreased levels of serum IL-2 in the postoperative period need further studies concerning the postoperative administration of exogenous IL-2.