Impact of adjuvant chemotherapy on spontaneous and poke week mitogen triggered immunoglobulin secretion of blood lymphocytes in operable breast cancer.

The objective of this investigation was to examine further the influence of postoperative adjuvant treatment with cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil (CMF) on the immune system in breast cancer patients and to explore whether such changes are related to prognosis. The 12 CMF courses which were given for a period of 1 year resulted in a progressive lymphopenia. The relative spontaneous secretions of IgA and IgG in vitro increased 4- and 2-fold respectively after the first 3 courses, whereas IgM secretion was unaffected. IgA and IgG secretions in PWM stimulated cultures were not changed, whereas there was a sharp decrease of IgM. The CMF-induced changes of Ig-secretions were similar in patients who developed recurrent disease during a 4-6 year follow-up (n = 11) and those who remained clinically disease-free (n = 14). The results are discussed in relation to the immunopotentiation which may occur following treatment with relatively low doses of chemotherapeutic agents.