[Influence of HPD on immunological functions in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated by radiotherapy].

Seventy-eight patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma were equally divided into two groups: 39 patients were treated by HPD plus radiation and 39 patients by radiation alone. Immunological functions were evaluated in each patient before and after radiation. The results showed that (1) in patients treated by RPD and radiation, no statistical difference was observed on immunological functions before and after treatment; (2) in patients treatd by radiation alone, the immunological functions, including OKT3, OKT4, OKT4/OKT8 ratio and lymphocyte transformation, were significantly decreased after treatment. These findings indicate that the immunological functions in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma could be protected by HPD during radiotherapy.