[Abnormal regulation in the production of IL2 in Hodgkin's disease]

Patients with active Hodgkin's disease demonstrate a significant depression of cellular immunity. The present study, performed with lymphocytes from 16 untreated patients with active Hodgkin's disease and 13 healthy control volunteers, demonstrate an equivalent IL 2 production in vitro in both groups. Our results, however, demonstrate an abnormal regulation of IL 2 production in patients. A negative control of IL 2 production involving monocytes producing PGE 2 able to induce radiosensitive suppressor T lymphocytes, has been identified previously with cells from healthy donors. In the present study we demonstrate that this negative control is hyper functioning with cells from Hodgkin's disease patients.