[Study of monocyte function in patients with cervical cancer by using T-lymphocyte monocyte interaction in response to phytohemagglutinin (author's transl)].

Monocytes have been thought to play an important role in the immune surveillance system of cancer patients since monocytes were shown to participate as accessory cells in the induction of T-cell proliferation to PHA by Potter et al. in 1977. We had already reported the depression of monocyte function with the progress of cancer after PHA response of mononuclear cells obtained by centrifugation of Ficoll-Hypaque and lymphocytes obtained by depletion of monocytes ingesting Silica from mononuclear cells was compared in cancer patients. In that study, however, monocyte function was considered not to be indicated truly because responding cells were different at each examination. Therefore, in this study responding cells were graded as T-cells obtained from healthy volunteers and monocytes were added to the T-cells. Monocyte function in this study was as follows: PHA response to T-cells and monocytes over PHA response to T-cells. In this study, monocytes were allogenic to T-cells. At first, the influence of monocytes to allogenic T-cells was studied but it was found to be negligible. The ratio of monocytes and T-cells was 1:1. The concentration of PHA was 20 micrograms/ml. Finally, the monocyte function of patients with cervical cancer was studied. It was increased at the stage of CIS and then gradually decreased. At the advanced stage, it was significantly decreased to comparison with that of healthy volunteers.