Since Balior et al. reported that superoxide is generated by phagocytizing neutrophils, widespread interest in bactericidal systems and tissue injury by this free radical and its derivatives has resulted in a rapidly growing literature. In this study, superoxide production (SOP) by neutrophils in untreated patients with primary lung cancer was measured in order to evaluate host defence immunity to infections, and this evaluation was followed through courses of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The effects of cytotoxic agents on SOP by neutrophils were examined.
1) The mean SOP value in 71 untreated patients was 4.93±2.14 nmol/5×10
5 cell/min., which was not significantly depressed compared with that of normal cases (5.22±1.22), though 21 patients (30%) showed abnormal SOP (9 elevated, 12 depressed).
2) There was no correlation between SOP and age or histological type.
3) A statistically non-significant tendency toward decreasing SOP according to the progress of clinical stage was seen.
4) In 6 of 9 patients who had received COMP (Cyclophosphamide, Oncovin, Methotrexate and Procarbazine) therapy, SOP was markedly depressed close to 0 in 2 weeks after treatment and came back to within the normal range three or four weeks later. This suppression was not observed in other combination of cytotoxic drugs.
These results may suggest that high susceptibility to infection among patients with lung cancer would be found in a few patients with clinical progressive stage or in patients receiving special chemotherapy such as COMP therapy.
5) In the evaluation of the in vitro effects of cytotoxic drugs on SOP by neutrophils, ACNU, Procarbazine, Mitomycin C, Vincristine, Cyclophosphamide and Bleomycin showed more than 20% enhancement at low concentrations (1-10 ug/ml), while ACNU, 5-FU, Methotrexate and Adriamycin showed more than 20% suppression only at high concentrations (100-1000 ug/ml). From these results, it is considered that marked depression of SOP observed in COMP therapy would be explained as a consequence of damage of immature neutrophils by cytotoxic drug-generated oxygen radicals in bone marrow.
6) The SOP was measured periodically in 15 irradiated patients. Marked increase of SOP was seen in all cases after the start of radiotherapy and significantly higher SOP was observed in patients developing radiation pneumonitis on chest X-ray film.
These results suggest not only that measurement of neutrophil SOP is a useful method to predict the occurrence of radiation pneumonitis, but also that superoxide generated by neutrophils of these patients may participate in the pathogenesis of radiation injuries of the lung.
View full abstract