title: Cimetidine-mediated augmentation of lymphocyte responses to phytohemagglutinin in gastric cancer patients.
abstract: The effect of cimetidine, a histamine type 2 receptor antagonist, on lymphocyte responses to phytohemagglutinin (PHA) was studied in 58 gastric cancer patients. Cimetidine significantly enhanced lymphocyte responses to PHA in certain gastric cancer patients. The degree of enhancement was associated with tumor load. A significant inverse correlation was observed between the degree of enhancement and that of the original lymphocyte responses to PHA. The degree of enhancement significantly correlated with the proportions of OKT3 and OKT8 positive cells. A determination of the degree of enhancement in selected gastric cancer patients revealed it to fall to a low level after a certain period following curative gastric resection. These data appear to favor the in vivo therapeutic administration of cimetidine to advanced gastric cancer patients.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Surgery, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kurosu
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Furusho
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Morita
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002927:Cimetidine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004306:Dose-Response Relationship, Immunologic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000401:mortality
chemical_list: D010835:Phytohemagglutinins; D002927:Cimetidine