title: Spleen white pulp morphology in evaluation of immunologic reactivity of patients with widespread colorectal carcinoma.
abstract: The morphology of the white pulp of spleens collected from 41 patients who died from widespread adenocarcinoma of the colon and rectum was histologically assessed by using a standardized reporting system previously introduced. As a control, material from the same number of age- and sex-matched patients who died from myocardial infarction with no signs of malignancy was used. Special emphasis was placed on evaluation of the cell population responsible for immunologic reactions. Histologic characteristics suggesting an active function of both the cell-mediated and humoral immune reactions were found to be within normal limits in the control series, whereas in the carcinoma series both these elements were profoundly deranged. The significance of the histologic observations made is discussed in the light of the previously demonstrated immunologic reactions against the cells of human colorectal carcinomas, and a conclusion is drawn that an impairment of both the humoral and cell-mediated immune responses must exist in patients dying from widespread adenocarcinoma of the colon and rectum.
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000917:Antibody Formation; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*