[Carcinoembryonic antigen and immunity in breast cancer]

Three groups of breast cancer patients were investigated: with a high level of CEA, with a lowered level of CEA, and those in whom CEA was undetectable either before or after therapy. The relationship of the time course of blood CEA, nonspecific body reactivity, and radiotherapeutic efficacy was established. Ineffective radiotherapy resulted in inhibition of phagocytic activity of blood neutrophils and cell stromal reactions at a tumor bed against a decrease in CEA concentration as compared to the basal levels in patients. Effective radiotherapy led to increased CEA levels, phagocytic activity was unihibited and slightly on the decrease. A considerable effect of the a CEA level on the T-system of immunity was unnoticed. In the group with the absence of blood CEA, there was an increase in the phagocytic activity of blood neutrophils and cell stromal reactions in a tumor against a background of a higher ability of lymphocytes to a spontaneous blast transformation reaction and a lesser decrease in the T-lymphocyte count that in the other groups.