The effects of radiotherapy on immunity in patients with cured localized carcinoma of the cervix uteri

The effects of radiotherapy on immune status in patients with localized carcinoma of the cervix have been assessed serially up to 5 years remission by a wide range of methods. Neutrophil function and serum immunoglobulins were essentially normal throughout. Peripheral blood neutrophil and lymphocyte...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cancer 1984-02, Vol.53 (4), p.884-887
Main Authors: Hancock, Barry W., Bruce, Lesley, Whitham, Michael D., Ward, Anthony Milford
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological and medical sciences
Endocrinopathies
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Immunity - radiation effects
Immunoglobulins - analysis
Leukocyte Count
Lymphocyte Activation
Lymphocytes
Malignant tumors
Medical sciences
Neoplasm Recurrence, Local
Neutrophils
Thyroid. Thyroid axis (diseases)
Uterine Cervical Neoplasms - radiotherapy
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Summary:The effects of radiotherapy on immune status in patients with localized carcinoma of the cervix have been assessed serially up to 5 years remission by a wide range of methods. Neutrophil function and serum immunoglobulins were essentially normal throughout. Peripheral blood neutrophil and lymphocyte counts and the proportions of T and B‐cells fell with treatment but were all normal at 5 years, with the exception of B‐cell proportions which remained significantly low. Marked deterioration was seen in in vivo cellular immune responses and this persisted even at 5 years remission. Reduced in vitro immu‐noreactivity is not therefore a reliable marker of disease recurrence and persisting defects in cellular immunity after radiotherapy do not seem to adversely affect the host tumor response. However, in three of the six patients who subsequently relapsed after therapy, subnormal PHA lymphocyte transformation responses were observed at presentation; all patients achieving sustained remission had normal pretreatment responses.
ISSN:0008-543X
1097-0142
DOI:10.1002/1097-0142(19840215)53:4<884::AID-CNCR2820530412>3.0.CO;2-R