title: [Irradiated cases of cervical and breast cancer II. Comparative investigation of the immune status of irradiated cases with stage III cancer of the cervix and operated, non-irradiated cases (author's transl)].
abstract: Eleven patients with stage-III cancer of the cervix were investigated before, during and after radio-therapy in regard to their state of humoral immunity on the basis of determinations of the serum IgG, IgM and IgA concentration, of hetero- and isoagglutinins, of tetanus antitoxin before and after vaccination with toxoid, of measles antibodies and of the percentage of lymphocyte membrane fluorescence. The cellular immunity of the same patients was investigated by determination of the percentage of spontaneously-rosetting lymphocytes, of skin-test reactivity with DNCB before and after sensitization, of skin-test reactivity with candida, trichophyton, varidase, OT and staphylo antigen. The function of polymorpho-nuclear leucocytes was investigated by means of the NVT test and St. aureus, E. coli and latex particles. All investigations were performed both before, and 3, 6, 9 and 12 weeks after the commencement of radiotherapy and the results were compared with those of an operated, non-irradiated group (stages I b and II a). Two types of noteworthy results were observed: 1. A decrease in immunological reactivity, probably in connection with cancer, since this reaction was observed both in irradiated and in non-irradiated cases, characterized by lowered or absent immune answer to tetanus toxoid, lymphopenia, decrease in sensitization to DNCB and less positive skin tests to old tuberculin and varidase. 2. An additional inhibition (although in one investigation stimulation of the immune answer was also seen), probably in connection with radiotherapy, characterized by an additional decrease in immune answer to tetanus toxoid, in skin sensitivity to DNCB sensitization and in tests with old tuberculin, and an augmented lymphopenia, as well as an increase in positive skin tests with varidase. No significant changes were observed with any other method.
mesh_terms: D000917:Antibody Formation; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007070:Immunoglobulin A; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D013743:Tetanus Antitoxin; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery
chemical_list: D007070:Immunoglobulin A; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D013743:Tetanus Antitoxin
vernacular_title: Utersuchungen über den Immunstatus von operierten und von bestrahten Fällen mit Kollum- und Mammakarzinom