Phytohaemagglutinin-stimulated transformation of peripheral and lymph-node lymphocytes in patients with gastro-intestinal cancer

Abstract

Abstract Phytohaemagglutinin-induced lymphocyte transformation has been studied in 10 patients with gastro-intestinal cancer and in 8 control subjects. When cultured in autologous serum, peripheral lymphocytes from cancer patients exhibited lower transformation indices (L.T.I.) than did those of control subjects. Culture in AB serum resulted in an elevation of the L.T.I. of peripheral lymphocytes from cancer patients whilst those of the controls were essentially unchanged. Of 6 control subjects, 5 showed reduced L.T.I.'s when their circulating lymphocytes were cultured in serum from cancer patients. Mesenteric lymph-node lymphocytes from patients with cancer also showed lower indices compared with the control group and these were elevated by culture in AB serum.