[Immuno-capacity in the patients with trophoblastic tumors]

In patients with trophoblastic tumors, changes in immuno-capacity through their clinical courses were examined, by 1) 3H-thymidine uptake by PHA-stimulated peripheral lymphocytes using whole blood microculture assay (common cellular immunity), and 2) the effects of patients' sera to 3H-thymidine uptake by PHA-stimulated peripheral blood lymphocytes (humoral factor). Hydatidiform mole: After molar delivery, cellular immunity accelerated, and humoral suppressive factor significantly increased. Invasive mole: No significant change was observed in the cellular immunity, but humoral suppressive factors increased gradually as the therapies proceeded. And the suppressive apex came at about the 60th day of admission, but these factors decreased afterwards. Choriocarcinoma: At initial time, cellular immunity accelerated significantly, and from the 60th day to the 90th day of admission, this cellular immunity declined significantly compared with that in the pretreated state. But cellular immunity was not entirely eliminated by the courses of treatment. The humoral suppressive apex came at about the 120th day of admission. Nevertheless, where death unfortunately occurred, humoral suppressive factors were not so numerous. As a whole, from the viewpoint of immunotherapy in patients with choriocarcinoma, common immunity which was observed in this study did not decline, so that specific immunotherapy must be regarded as likely kept in mind.