Changes in polymorphonuclear leukocyte motility under agarose and luminol-dependent chemiluminescence response in patients with gastric cancer.

This study was designed to assess polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) functions such as motility and chemiluminescence (CL) in fifty gastric cancer patients, as well as to determine the correlation of PMN function with extent of disease and the degree of differentiation of the lesions. Furthermore, the effects of surgery and administration of Mitomycin C (MMC) on PMN functions were studied. In early gastric cancer and Stage I disease, the mean values of chemotaxis and CL were elevated in comparison to controls. As the disease progressed, the PMN function decreased and significant depression was noted in Stage IV cases. With respect to the relationship of PMN functions to the grade of differentiation of cancer, patients with papillary adenocarcinoma had significantly elevated mean chemotaxis in response to one of the chemoattractants, while patients with poorly differentiated and signet ring cell carcinomas had significantly lower chemotactic responses to chemoattractants compared to controls. There were no significant differences in CL according to the degree of differentiation of histologic type. Surgical removal of the tumor resulted in a tendency towards improvement of PMN chemotaxis while postoperative administration of MMC resulted in a decrease, but there were no statistically significant differences between responses before and after surgery. No improvement of the CL response was demonstrated approximately four weeks after surgery.