Clinical studies on the correlation between immunologic status and total gastrectomy combined with splenectomy

The influence of splenectomy on the immunologic status of stomach cancer patients was studied. Eight gastric cancer patients having undergone total gastrectomy combined with splenectomy were evaluated immunologically. Peripheral lymphocyte counts were depressed and continued to be so in splenectomized patients. PHA-induced lymphocyte blastogenesis decreased rapidly after total gastrectomy with splenectomy and thereafter increased gradually. PHA skin test seemed to take almost the same time course. These recoveries to the normal range were observed 4 weeks after operation. In 10 other patients who had undergone total gastrectomy with splenectomy for gastric cancer and had been recurrence-free for more than 6 months, peripheral lymphocyte and T lymphocyte counts significantly increased compared with 7 cases having undergone total gastrectomy only, though no difference was seen in both PHA skin test and PHA-induced lymphocyte blastogenesis between the 2 groups.