Clinical Study on Anti-tumor Activities of Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes and Regional Lymph Node Lymphocytes in Gastric Cancer

Hideki Kikuchi, Hiroyoshi Yokose, Tomohiko Ohta, Kouichi Yoshida, Kenji Katayama, Hiromu Watanabe

The First Department of Surgery, St. Marianna University School of Medicine

Anti-tumor activities of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) and regional lymph node lymphocytes (RLNL) in gastric cancer were studied. Natural killer (NK) and lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) activities of PBL were not affected in advanced cancer, but these activities of RLNL from proximal nodes were significantly depressed in stage IV cases, and in patients with organ metastases, moreover they were significantly suppressed in comparison with RLNL from distal nodes. NK activity of proximal nodes was decreased in patients with histologically welldifferentiated cancer. These results suggest that the depression of anti-tumor activity of RLNL from proximal nodes is due to decreased NK cells and LAK precursor cells, which might be caused by some suppressive factors in advanced cancer.

Key words
killer cells, regional lymphnode of gastric cancer, interleukine-2

Reprint requests
Hideki Kikuchi The First Department of Surgery, St. Marianna University School of Medicine
2-16-1 Sugao, Miyamae-ku, Kawasaki, 213 JAPAN

Accepted
March 13, 1991

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