[Two-color flow cytometry analyses of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) and lymphokine-activated PBL in gastric cancer patients].

A two-color flow cytometric analyses of the PBL of 51 patients (24 resectable, and 27 nonresectable), and of 30 healthy controls has been completed. The proportion of antigens, on the PBLs, defined by combinations of anti-Leu 2a and anti-Leu 15, anti-Leu 3a and anti-Leu 8, anti-Leu 3a and anti-HLA-DR, anti-HLA-DR and anti-Leu 2a and, anti-HLA-DR and anti-IL 2R, was not significantly different among the three groups. TCGF increased the proportion of Leu 2a+ Leu 15-, Leu 3a+ Leu 8-, HLA-DR+ Leu 2a+, Leu 3a+ HLA-DR+ and, HLA-DR+ IL 2R+ cells and reduced the proportion of Leu 2a+ Leu 15+ cells in gastric cancer patients, while the cultivation by IL 2 (2 weeks) increased the proportion of Leu 3a+ Leu 8-, HLA-DR+ IL 2R+ and Leu 3a+ HLA-DR+ cells, and did not change the proportion of Leu 2a+ Leu 15- and Leu 3a+ Leu 8+ cells, and decreased the proportion of Leu 2a+ Leu 15+ cells. These results, taken together with our previously published studies, suggest that the TCGF-activated Leu 2a+ Leu 15- subset but not the Leu 2a+ Leu 15+ subset serves as a phenotypic marker of suppressor-effector T cells, and that the IL 2-activated Leu 3a+ Leu 8- subset contained killer T cells against tumor cells in our experimental systems.