Random migration of leukocytes and phagocytic activity of neutrophils in patients with cancer of gastrointestinal tract at different clinical stages.

Capillary leukocyte migration test and neutrophil phagocytosis test with Bacto-Latex were performed in 22 patients with gastric cancer, 8 patients with cancer of large intestine and 40 healthy subjects. Patients were divided into 3 groups on the basis of the clinical stage of the disease. Patients with initial (1st stage) cancer showed a statistically significant decrease of spontaneous leukocyte migration accompanied by increased neutrophil phagocytic activity, as compared with the control group (P less than 0.05). The mechanism of the observed changes is discussed.