Immunological function and nutritional status in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.
OBJECTIVE
Infection is a major complication associated with increased morbidity and mortality in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. We compared the immunological function and nutritional status in 16 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (13 patients had liver cirrhosis) with those of 21 normal healthy subjects.


METHODS
The immunological function was assessed by chemotaxis and superoxide anion production by neutrophils, phagocytosis and killing activities of neutrophils and monocytes, absolute and relative number of peripheral blood lymphocytes, the percentage of peripheral lymphocyte subsets and serum concentrations of immunoglobulins.


RESULTS
Although the phagocytic and bactericidal activities of monocytes and superoxide production of neutrophils were not different between the groups, the phagocytic and bactericidal activities of neutrophils and the percentage of natural killer cells were significantly reduced in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. In the latter group, the prognostic nutrition index was significantly high compared with normal subjects, indicating a poor nutritional status. The phagocytic and bactericidal activities of neutrophils were low in patients with a poor nutritional status compared to those with a good nutritional status.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that impaired immunological competence and undernourishment may be one of the mechanisms causing increased susceptibility of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma to infection.
Iida
K
K
Second Department of Internal Medicine, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, Japan.
Kadota
J
J
Kawakami
K
K
Shirai
R
R
Abe
K
K
Yoshinaga
M
M
Iwashita
T
T
Matsubara
Y
Y
Ishimatsu
Y
Y
Ohmagari
K
K
Kohno
S
S
D000368:Aged; D001770:Blood Bactericidal Activity; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000276:immunology*; D002634:Chemotaxis, Leukocyte; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000097:blood; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology*; D016131:Lymphocyte Subsets; D008297:Male; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D009752:Nutritional Status; D010587:Phagocytosis; D013481:Superoxides / Q000378:metabolism
D007136:Immunoglobulins; D013481:Superoxides