Immunologic monitoring during combined radiochemoimmunotherapy in inoperable lung cancer

49 patients with advanced lung cancer underwent a combined treatment including radiochemoimmunotherapy. Before and at the end of the combined treatment, the immune status of the patients has been evaluated by testing the immunoreactivity to PPD in vivo and the phytohemagglutinin lymphocyte response and the rosette-forming cells in vitro. While the in vitro tests were not significantly modified by immunostimulation, as regards the immunoreactivity to PPD, we observed a positive conversion at the end of the treatment in 11 out of 25 patients who showed a negative reaction before therapy. All the patients who converted from negative to positive showed also a good response to therapy with regression or no progression of the tumor. Survival curves confirmed the prognostic value of PPD reactivity.