The mid-term effects of radiotherapy on T and B peripheral lymphocytes of 15 patients treated for various malignancies were evaluated. All patients had a significant impairment of lymphocyte functions, as measured by blastogenesis after stimulation with phytohemagglutinin and pokeweed mitogen. Such impairment lasted for 1 year after the completion of radiotherapy, when numerical variability of T and B subpopulations, observed during and after radiation treatment, was restored to initial values.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AlexopulosC., BabitisP.: Age dependence of T lymphocytes.Lancet, 2: 426, 1976.
2.
BenninghoffD.L., GirardetR.E., PorteousD.D.: Thoracic duct and blood lymphocytes in cancer.Lancet, 1: 264–265, 1973.
3.
BlomgrenH., WassermanJ., LuttbrandB.: Blood lymphocytes after radiation therapy of carcinoma of prostate and urinary bladder.Acta Radiol., 13: 357–367, 1974.
4.
BlomgrenH., GlasU., WassermanJ.: Blood lymphocytes after radiation therapy of mammary carcinoma.Acta Radiol., 13: 182–200, 1974.
5.
BlomgrenH., BergR., WassermanJ., GlasU.: Effect of radiotherapy and blood lymphocyte population in mammary carcinoma.Int. J. Oncol. Biol. Phys., 1: 177–188, 1976.
6.
CheeC.A., IlbergL.T., RickinsonA.B.: Depression of lymphocyte replicating ability in radiotherapy patients.Br. J. Radiol., 47: 37–43, 1974.
7.
ChessL., LevineH., MacDermottR.P., SchlossmanS.F.: Immunologic function of isolated human subpopulation.J. Immunol., 115: 1483–1487, 1974.
8.
ClementJ.A., KramerS.: Immunocompetence in patients with solid tumors undergoing CO60 irradiation.Cancer, 34: 193–196, 1974.
9.
CosimiA.B., BrunstetterF.H., KemmererW.T., MillerB.N.: Cellular immune competence in breast cancer patients receiving radiotherapy.Arch. Surg., 107: 531–535, 1973.
10.
FacchiniA., MaraldiN.M., CoccoL., CapitaniS., BartoliS., FavulloA., ManzoliF.A.: Aspetti dei linfociti B e T sottoposti ad irradiazione.Lab., 4: 431–437, 1977.
11.
FrolandS.S., NatvigJ.B.: Surface bound immunoglobulin on lymphocytes from normal and immunodeficient humans.Scand. T. Immunol., 1: 1–12, 1972.
12.
HellstromI., HellstromK.E.: Tumor immunity: some implications of in vitro studies on lymphocyte-mediated reactivity to animal and human neoplasms. In: Interaction of Radiation and Host Immune Defense Mechanisms in Malignancy.Brookhaven National Laboratory, 23–29, 1974.
RabenM., WalachN., GaliliU., SchlesingerM.: The effect of radiation therapy on lymphocyte subpopulations in cancer patients.Cancer, 37: 1417–1421, 1976.
15.
StjernswardL., AlmgårdE., FrazénS., von SchreebT., WadstromL.B.: Tumor distinctive cellular immunity to renal carcinoma.J. Exp. Immuol., 6: 963–968, 1970.
16.
StjernswardJ., JondalM., VankyF., WigzellH., SealyR.: Lymphopenia and change in distribution of human B & T lymphocytes in peripheral blood induced by irradiation mammary carcinoma.Lancet, 1: 1352–1356, 1972.
17.
StrenderL.E., BlomgrenH., PetriniB., WassermanJ., ForsgrenM., NorbergR., BaraiE., WallgrenA.: Immunologic monitoring in breast cancer patients receiving postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy.Cancer, 48: 1996–2002, 1981.
