[Expression of interleukin 2(IL-2) receptor and proliferative response to rIL-2 of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in patients with malignant diseases].

Expression of IL-2 receptor and proliferative response to rIL-2 of PBMC were studied in 48 patients with malignant diseases and in 50 normal subjects. Having been activated by PHA, PBMC from cancer patients had about the same percentage of Tac positive cells as compared with the normal subjects. However, resting and Con A-activated PBMC showed a significantly weaker proliferative response to rIL-2 in cancer patients than in normal subjects (P less than 0.001-0.005). The decrease in PBMC proliferative response to rIL-2 in patients with malignant diseases might be due to a defect in the formation of high affinity IL-2 receptors.