concanavalin-a and Carcinoma--Bronchogenic

The reactivity of peripheral blood lymphocytes from patients with advanced malignancy was assessed by mitogen-induced stimulation of protein synthesis as measured by 3H-leucine incorporation. It was confirmed that the lymphocyte response of patients was depressed. Furthermore, the lymphocytes of 15 out of 27 cancer patients, selected because of their low responses, inhibited the reactivity of normal lymphocytes in co-cultures. The lymphocytes from one patient with Hodgkin's disease were also inhibitory. In contrast, lymphocytes from healthy subjects, patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, lymphosarcoma or multiple myeloma caused no suppression. Experiments with purified cell populations from patients with carcinoma indicated that purified T cells responded to mitogens while unseparated lymphocytes failed to respond and that the inhibitory activity was due to adherent cells, presumably monocytes. There was no evidence for B-cell-mediated suppression. However, in two cases inhibition was caused by isolated T cells of the patients and not by adherent cells. These experiments suggested that one mechanism for the depression of cell-mediated immunity seen in patients with advanced cancer may be the nonspecific suppresssion of certain T-cell functions by circulating monocytes.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Carcinoma, Bronchogenic; Cells, Cultured; Concanavalin A; Hodgkin Disease; Humans; Immune Adherence Reaction; Lectins; Leukemia, Lymphoid; Lymphocyte Activation; Lymphocyte Transfusion; Lymphocytes; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin; Middle Aged; Mitogens; Multiple Myeloma; Neoplasm Proteins; Neoplasms; T-Lymphocytes

The responses of lymphocytes to stimulation by three common plant mitogens (PHA, Con A, and PWM) have been studied prior to irradiation treatment in 65 patients with bronchogenic carcinoma. The lymphocyte mitogen stimulation (LMS) responses of these patients were determined to be normal or abnormal based on data obtained from similar studies in healthy volunteers. The data for the patients with lung cancer were analyzed for correlations between the lymphocyte responses and (1) the stage of disease, (2) prognostic significance, and (3) period of survival. Statistically significant correlations were observed between the responses of lymphocytes and the stage of disease and the period of survival. However, this study indicates that these correlated responses will be of limited prognostic clinical value for individual patients.

Topics: Aged; Carcinoma, Bronchogenic; Concanavalin A; Humans; Lectins; Lung Neoplasms; Lymphocyte Activation; Mitogens; Prognosis

The effect of thymosin on in vitro reactivity of peripheral lymphocytes to phytohemagglutinin, concanavalin A, and the formation of spontaneous E-rosettes in 54 patients with metastatic carcinomas has been studied. Thymosin increased lymphocyte responses to PHA and Con A in only 10 patients, with predominant effect seen with Con A. Twenty patients showed depressed baseline levels of E-rosettes which were increased to normal or subnormal levels after incubation with thymosin. No distinct correlation was noted between the clinical stage of the disease and the ability of lymphocytes to form E-rosettes. Although the exact mechanism by which the thymus exerts its influence on host resistance is not clearly defined, present evidence supports the concept that the thymic hormone, thymosin, may be an important addition in treatment of cancer patients by increasing cell-mediated immunity.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Breast Neoplasms; Carcinoma, Bronchogenic; Concanavalin A; Hodgkin Disease; Humans; Immune Adherence Reaction; In Vitro Techniques; Lectins; Middle Aged; Neoplasms; T-Lymphocytes; Thymosin; Thymus Extracts