Lymphocyte reactivity to mitogens and tumor sex steroid receptors in breast cancer patients.

In 60 breast cancer patients in stages I and II the blastogenic transformation of peripheral blood lymphocytes after phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) pokeweed mitogen (PWM) and concanavalin A (Con A) stimulation were assayed and estrogen (ER) and progesterone (PgR) receptor concentrations in tumor cytosol were measured. A negative correlation between lymphocyte reactivity to the mitogens and tumor steroid receptors concentration was found. The lymphocyte response to the mitogens in the patients with ER-PgR-tumors (R-) was significantly higher than in those with tumors either ER+PgR-or ER-PgR+ (R+) or ER+PgR+ (R++). There was also a negative correlation between lymphocyte response to PHA and either ER or PgR concentrations in the tumors. These results suggest that the presence of steroid receptors in tumor cells may be associated with the depression of immunological reactivity in breast cancer patients.