Phagocytic activity of peripheral blood leukocytes in patients with Hodgkin's disease.

On the basis of a simple examination of the phagocytic activity of leukocytes of the peripheral blood., with the help of the yeast cells Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we determined the functional ability of leukocytes in untreated patients with the Hodgkin's disease, in the course of the primary chemotherapy, during the complete remission and in the relapse of the disease. In all the periods we found only changes in the absolute number of phagocytic cells, corresponding to the changes in the leukocyte count (increased numbers in untreated patients and in relapse, decreased number in the course of the chemotherapy). The value of the phagocytic and activity indices in untreated patients were only moderately reduced. In the course of chemotherapy there was a more remarkable drop of the phagocytic activity only in the first half of the treatment series. In the complete remission the phagocytic activity values were normal. We did not observe significant differences between clinical stages of the Hodgkin's disease in any group. Our results correspond to the clinical course of the disease (absence of infectious complications) in the patients followed. The presented conclusions do not concern bactericidal ability of leukocytes, which is not reflected by the test method used. The test described here does not provide more data for monitoring the clinical course and chemotherapy of Hodgkin's disease than do routine examinations of the erythrocyte sedimentation and white blood count.