The response of cancer patients' lymphocytes to mitogen. The effect of indomethacin on adherent and non-adherent cells activity.

The response to mitogen (Con A) of the normal and cancer patient non-adherent cells (NAC) was studied. These cells were added to adherent cells (AC) monolayer in an autologous and a homologous combination and cultured with absence or presence of indomethacin. The mitogen response of patient autologous cells (NAC + AC) was poor and indomethacin did not cause any changes. The mitogen response of normal autologous cells (NAC + AC) was increased by indomethacin, and was dependent on the number of AC in the culture. NAC from patient and from control blood cultured alone did not show an increase of response to mitogen when indomethacin was in the culture. The patient NAC cultured with normal AC showed a low response and a slight increase of response in the presence of indomethacin. The suggestion that prostaglandins are not involved in the suppression of mitogen response of patient lymphocyte and that the patient lymphocytes are hyporesponsive to PGs is discussed.