title: Analysis of T helper and suppressor lymphocyte subsets in relation to the clinical stage of solid neoplasms.
abstract: Neoplastic disease affect the immunity in cancer patients. The immune alterations in human neoplasms, however, need to be further defined. The present study was carried out to analyze T lymphocyte subsets in patients with solid tumors. The study included 93 patients suffering from early or metastatic solid neoplasms. T helper and T suppressor subsets were measured on venous blood samples by using flow cytometry and monoclonal antibodies. As controls, 58 healthy subjects were included in the study. The T mean helper/suppressor ratio (CD4/CD8) was significantly lower in metastatic cancer patients with respect to that observed either in controls or in patients without metastases. A low CD4/CD8 ratio was seen in 25 of 93 cancer patients (26.9%), 8 of whom had no metastases, while the other 17 showed a metastatic disease. Within the nonmetastatic group, the decline in the CD4/CD8 ratio was due to increases in the T suppressor subset alone in 7. On the contrary, the percentage of cases with decreased T helper subset was significantly higher in metastatic than in the nonmetastatic patients. The results of this study suggest that the decrease in the CD4/CD8 ratio mainly depends on an increase in T suppressor cells in patients without metastases whereas it is due to a decrease in the T helper subset in most patients with metastatic diseases.
authors: Division of Radiation Oncology, San Gerardo Hospital, Monza, Italy.
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Tancini
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Barni
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Rescaldani
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Fiorelli
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Vivani
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Lissoni
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000032:analysis; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte / Q000032:analysis; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D016827:CD8 Antigens; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology*; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; D015704:CD4 Antigens; D016827:CD8 Antigens