Cytochemical study on the glycogen content in neutrophils from peripheral blood of patients with gastrointestinal cancer.

The neutrophil glycogen content, as revealed by cytochemical staining, was determined in 22 patients with gastric cancer, 8 patients with cancer of large intestine and 40 healthy subjects. A statistically significant increase of the glycogen content in neutrophils obtained from patients with initial cancer stages as compared with healthy individuals and patients with advanced tumors was observed. The possible mechanism of these changes is discussed.