The relation between peripheral blood lymphocyte and its subpopulation in the patient with malignant tumor of head and neck region

Abstract

In 40 patients diagnosed as having head and neck region malignant tumors, we studied the changes of peripheral blood lymphocyte and its subpopulation using OK and T series monoclonal antibody.
We divided the patients into three classes: good prognostic cases (13 cases), cancerous cases (16 cases) and death cases (11 cases).
Peripheral blood lymphocyte showed tendencies of decreases in the following order: good prognostic cases, cancerous cases and death cases (p<0.01).
In death cases, 8 cases (73%). showed that the number of peripheral blood lymphocyte was under 1, 000/mm³.
We found no significant correlation in both the percentage and the number of OKT-1⁺ & NKH-1⁺.
The percentages of OKT-3⁺ & OKT-8⁺ showed tendencies of increases in the following order: good prognostic cases, cancerous cases and death cases.
But, the number of OKT-3⁺, decreased in the following order: good prognostic cases, cancerous cases and death cases (p<0.05). The number of OKT-8⁺, showed the same order of decreases as above.
The percent and the number of OKT-4⁺, decreased in the following: good prognostic cases, cancerous cases and death cases (p<0.05, p<0.01).
The “T helper/T suppressor” ratio (OKT-4⁺/OKT-8⁺) showed significant increases in the following order: death cases, cancerous cases and good prognostic cases (p<0.01).
We considered most probable that the decline of the immunological capacity in head and neck region malignant tumor patients were caused by the decreases in the number of OKT-4⁺.