[Studies on host immunity in cervical cancer--alterations in nonspecific and specific immunity of tumor growth (author's transl)].
There have been many studies on the cellular immune responses against human tumors using in vitro cytotoxicity tests, but information concerning specific cell-mediated immunity against human autologous tumors is scant because of technological difficulties. In this paper, peripheral blood lymphocytes from patients with cervical cancer were tested by a microcytotoxicity assay for tumor specific immunity against autologous target cells of the primary cultures. Blocking serum activity was also examined. The following results were obtained: 1) In 37 cases of cervical cancer, mean cytotoxicity was 40.5% for patients in stage I, 28.4% in stage II amd 14.5% in stage III. 2) Mean cytotoxicity was significantly decreased in patients with regional lymph node metastasis (15.3%) compared with that in patients without regional lymph node metastasis (35.7%). 3) Mean serum blocking activity on cell-mediated cytotoxicity was increased in patients with regional lymph node metastasis (18.1%) compared with that in patients without regional lymph node metastasis (7.5%). 4) A significant correlation was found between specific and non-specific cell-mediated immunity (skin reactivity to DNCB and lymphocyte response to PHA). From the above results, it may be deduced that both specific and non-specific cell-mediated immunity decrease while serum blocking activity increases as the autologous tumor grows.
D003601:Cytotoxicity Tests, Immunologic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology