[Morphologic and biochemical changes in the lymphoid and hematopoietic tissues of rats with Zajdela hepatoma]

The growth of allogeneic ascites hepatoma is accompanied by involution of the thymus, leukemoid response and anemia. Tumor cells disseminate throughout the body appearing in many organs including the spleen, liver, bone marrow and lymph nodes. The activity of adenosine deaminase and the adenosine deaminase/purine nucleosidephosphorylase ratio decrease in the host thymus as well as in the cellular elements of the spleen. The above phenomena reflect the impairment of lymphocyte differentiation and presumably contribute to the decreased efficiency of the host immune response.