["Active" rosettes and skin tests to recall antigens and phytohemagglutinin in 48 patients with non metastatic squamous cell lung carcinoma and before treatment (author's transl)].

Looking for an early immune defect assay in non metastatic (MO) squamous cell lung carcinoma, 48 untreated patients were tested at the time of diagnosis for peripheral blood "active" rosette-forming T lymphocytes, delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity to recall antigens and skin reactivity to phytohemagglutinin (PHA). 32 patients had a resectable tumour (group 1) and 16 patients had a loco-regional extension which made the tumour inoperable (group 2). No significant difference (p greater than 0.05) was observed between any of the two groups of patients and normal controls nor between group 1 and 2 for "active" rosettes and skin tests to recall antigens. However, skin reaction to PHA was significantly impaired in patients of both groups compared to normal age-matched controls whatever the dose of PHA (4 microgram and 10 microgram). The number of unreactive patients in group 2 was higher than in group 1, but the difference was not significant (p greater than 0.05). It is concluded that skin reactivity to PHA is an useful and easy assay for cell-mediated immunity deficiency in early squamous cell lung carcinoma, whereas "active" rosettes are not altered.