Blood basophils in lung cancer

Peripheral-blood basophils were counted, in thick smears, in samples from patients with primary bronchial carcinoma, from patients in the same wards and from normal individuals. The median counts for patients with other chest conditions (15.5/microliter) and bronchial-carcinoma patients free of tumour months to years after resection (16/microliter) did not differ from those for normal individuals (19/microliter), but tumour-bearers showed higher counts (median 33/microliter), 24/41 having counts above the highest count in normal individuals (29/microliter): P less than 0.002). The highest values were in patients with squamous bronchial carcinoma, apparently reflecting spontaneous challenge of an anti-tumour immune response. In those tested at the time of diagnosis, higher values in both lymphocyte and basophil counts were related to surgical resectability.