PERIPHERAL NEUTROPHIL FUNCTION IN PATIENT WITH DISEASE OF HEAD AND NECK REGION

Abstract

Recently, it was reported that neutrophil affects the ethiology and process of inflammation or malignant tumor. In this paper, I estimated peripheral neutrophil chemotaxtic and phagocytic activity in patient with chronic sinusitis, nasal allergy, and malignant tumor of head and neck region. Chemotactic activity was measured by Boyden chamber method, and phagocytic activity was measured by chemilumicescence (CL) method, by which the quantity of active oxygens from neutrophils are deteced.
Although chemotactic activity was not significantly different between healthy volunteers and patient with sinusitis, nasal allergy and malignant tumor respectively, chemotactic activity in patients with chronic sinusitis and malignant tumor were slightly higher than healthy volunteers. Neutrophil chemotactic activity in patient with T3 laryngeal carcinoma was significantly lower than T1 and T2 laryngeal carcinoma. Significant difference was not demonstrated between neutrophil phagocytic activity (per 1×10⁵ counts) of healthy volunteers and that of patient with chronic sinusitis or malignant tumor.
According to these results, I consider that active oxigen released by neutrophil may probably protract inflammation in chronic sinusitis and decreased chemotactic activity causes infection and tumor growth.