[Effect of splenectomy on the growth of implanted hepatoma and peripheral T-cell subsets in the rat]

In order to explore further the mechanisms of effect of splenectomy on tumor growth, a model of intrahepatic implanted hepatoma in rats was used to observe the interactions between tumor growth and alterations of T-cell subsets following splenectomy. A malignant hepatoma mass was implanted into the liver immediately after splenectomy. In the meanwhile, peripheral blood was collected to evaluate T-cell subsets successively. Other three groups of rats, health splenectomy health sham-splenectomy and hepatoma bearing sham-splenectomy were used as controls. It was showed that in splenectomized rats bearing-hepatoma, the reduction of pan T cells, T h/i cells, the increase of mean tumor diameter, the incidence of tumor metastasis, and the amount of ascites were all statistically different from control groups (P less than 0.01). Our findings were that splenectomy enhanced the hepatoma growth and reduced the T h/i cells in peripheral blood, which suggested that the disturbance of the equation of T-cell subsets probably contributed to facilitating tumor growth following splenectomy.