[Antigen-specific antibody formation in determining the immune reaction in patients with head and neck cancers]

Head and neck cancer patients are considered to be immunodeficient. The immunological reaction, however, has been analysed only in unspecific systems or by cell surface markers. For the determination of the functional immunoreactivity of donors and patients with head and neck cancer the antigen-specific antibody production in vitro has been studied. Mononuclear cells from peripheral blood were stimulated with sheep red blood cells and after 5-7 days the antigen-specific immune response was measured in the presence of complement by red blood cell lysis. For maximal antibody production in vitro, the human lymphocytes were activated by Staphylococcus aureus and Interleukin-1 (IL-1). The IL-1 concentration was measured by the proliferation of murine (C3H/HeJ) thymocytes. Without IL-1 and macrophages which had been separated by plastic adherence no antigen-specific antibody formation was observed. As the cultures were saturated with IL-1 and as the antigen-specific antibody production reached the same level even in the absence of macrophages, the antibody formation is not influenced by an altered macrophage function. Patients with head and neck cancer showed in vitro a significant reduction of the antigen-specific antibody production to no longer detectable values. In addition age-matched, healthy donors with high alcohol and cigarette abuse had a significant decrease in their antigen-specific antibody production compared to controls without high alcohol and cigarette consumption.