E-rosette-forming cells at 29 degrees C: an assay for the evaluation of the immune status of cancer patients.
High-affinity rosette-forming T-cell assays were performed by incubation of peripheral-blood mononuclear cells with sheep erythrocytes (E) at 29 degrees C. As compared with normal controls, the levels of high-affinity rosette-forming cells (RFC) were much more frequently depressed in cancer patients than were the total E-RFC incubated at 4 degrees C. Only 2/83 normal controls had less than 38% 29 degrees C E-RFC (mean 48 +/- 5), whilst 78/89 cancer patients were below this level. The few postoperative patients tested exhibited a normal range of 29 degrees C E-RFC. The 29 degrees C E-rosette assay gives reproducible counts of a T-cell subset, and is a sensitive assay for evaluating the immune status of cancer patients.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology*; D012397:Rosette Formation; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*