[Natural killer cell activity of the peripheral blood in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma]

Using 125IudR labeled K562 cells as target cells, peripheral blood of 56 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was studied for natural killer cell (NK cell) activity. The results show that the NK cell activity is in normal range of 53.97 +/- 4.42% and 50.85 +/- 3.55% in stages I and II of HCC but in stage III, the NK cell activity is markedly depressed, only 31.63 +/- 5.55%. The NK cell activity is much lower in HCC patients with metastasis than without metastasis (33.67 +/- 5.37% versus 50.22 +/- 2.79%). So is it in patients with high concentration than with low concentration of AFP except patients with advanced lesion and low concentration of AFP. After effective treatment, the NK cell activity increased in 10 of 11 patients treated with radical and palliative resection and in 6 of 9 after immunotherapy with BCG, mixed bacterial vaccine or interferon.