Abnormal lymphocyte protein synthesis in bronchogenic carcinoma.

Phytohemagglutinin (PHA) stimulated lymphocyte protein synthesis was measured in vitro in 21 patients with recently diagnosed, untreated bronchogenic carcinoma and 11 control subjects. In the cancer group absolute protein synthesis was significantly decreased in both baseline and stimulated cultures. The abnormality in protein synthesis was observed despite the fact that there were no differences in vitro DNA synthesis between the two groups. In order to investigate the possibility that a decrease in the number of T-cells was the cause of the impaired protein synthesis in the lung cancer patients, the percentage of circulating E-rosetting forming cells was measured. The mean percentage of rosette forming cells in the cancer patients was 66.8 +/- 2.2 and in the control population was 68.3 +/- 2.6. Our results demonstrate that lymphocyte protein synthesis is abnormal in patients with bronchogenic carcinoma and that the abnormality in protein synthesis is not due to decreased numbers of T-cells. In addition our results suggest that measurement of protein synthesis is a more sensitive assay of lymphocyte function than other standard parameters of cellular immunity.