[Lymphocytes subpopulation in cancer's patients. Relationship with primitive anatomical location, histological type...

Several markers of humoral and cellular immunity were studied in 49 untreated patients with malignancies of different anatomical locations, histological types and clinical stages. The proportion of EAC rosettes, levels of immunoglobulins as well as levels of the C3 and C4 components of the complement system were within the normal range (p.n.s.). The proportion of T lymphocytes, measured by the classical E rosette method at 4 degrees C, was significantly decreased in the whole group when compared with a control population (mean 46,27 +/- 12,34, p less than 0.0005), regardless of the anatomical origin of the tumor. In patients with lung cancer (45,52 +/- 10,37), those with the epidermoid type (51 +/- 9,45) had a reduced number of E rosettes when compared with controls (58,87 +/- 5,53 p less than 0.005) but they were still greater in number than in the other histological types (43,16 +/ 9,97 p less than 0.025). We found no relationship between the proportion of E rosettes and the clinical stage. The number of T lymphocytes with E rosettes after incubation at 30 degrees C was within normal limits in most patients, except in those cases with lung cancer at an early clinical stage (23,94 +/- 5,85 p less than 0.005). Our findings would support the hypothesis of a deficiency in cellular immunity in patients with malignancies, which could favour the progression of the disease.