[The tumor--immunological significance of splenectomy for cancer therapy]

In animal experiment, 5 X 10(5) MH-134 tumor cells were transplanted s.c. on the back of the C3H/He mice. Three, seven, 14 and 21 days after tumor transplantation, splenectomy or sham operation were performed and the tumor growth and survival days were examined in each group. As the results, the tumor growth was inhibited and the survival days prolonged not only in the group splenectomized three days but also 21 days after tumor transplantation. Clinically, the effect of splenectomy in combination with immunotherapy on cell-mediated immunity and the survival rates were studied in the gastric cancer patients of upper and middle stomach with 90 cases of stage III and 48 cases at stage IV, totalling 138 cases who underwent total gastrectomy during 1965 and 1981. Immunotherapy was conducted with immunomodulator levamisole at a daily dose of 150 mg, three consecutive days every other week. As a result, splenectomy was not effective for advanced gastric cancer at stage III and in the patients spleen should be retained for immunotherapy. Splenectomy for gastric cancer at stage IV, particularly in combination with immunotherapy, produced augmentation of cell-mediated immunity and longer survival as well. Complications caused by splenectomy were small.