[T-lymphocyte subsets and serum carcinoembryonic antigen in patients with lung cancer and its dynamic changes after...

Using the indirect immunofluorescent assay, we observed the variation of T-lymphocyte subsets of peripheral blood in 100 patients of primary bronchogenic carcinoma and 31 cases with active pulmonary tuberculosis. Serum CEA were measured simultaneously. The decrease of OKT3+, OKT4+, OKT8+ lymphocytes were significant in patients with lung cancer than that in healthy controls (P less than 0.01). The ratio of OKT4+/OKT8+ increased. It suggested that both cellular immunoincompetence and immunoregulatory abnormality were present in patients with lung cancer. After the resection of tumors 65 cases, the percentage of OKT4+ cells increased at the first week. Fourty seven cases were observed continuously for six months, it was found that OKT8+ cells increased (P less than 0.01). After anticancer chemotherapy, the patients with small cell carcinoma revealed a similar changes too. After operation and chemotherapy, serum CEA level decreased significantly too.