The status of lymphocyte subpopulations in splenectomized (Sx) stomach cancer patients (SCa-patients), assessed by monoclonal antibodies, has not been evaluated so far. Therefore subsets of peripheral white blood cells were monitored prior to and following surgical treatment in gastrectomized (Gx) and Sx (
n=64) as well as in non-Sx patients (
n=39).
Postoperative surgical complications were more frequent in the Sx group. However, the 2-year survival rate of this group was higher than in non-Sx patients.
Lymphocytes were significantly decreased in both groups of patients during the early postoperative period. Monocytes and polymorphonuclear cells (PMN) increased correspondingly. A significant loss of lymphocytes and their subsets in Sx patients was observed during the 1st-3rd postoperative days as compared to the Gx only patients. The OKT4/OKT8 ratios did not differ in either group of patients, whereas the OKT3/anti-B-Ly2 ratio was significantly increased in Sx patients 1 to 3 days postoperatively.
Key words Stomach cancer patients - Splenectomy - Gastrectomy - Survival rate - Immunocompetent cells
The study was supported by the Boehringer-Ingelheim Fonds for Basic Research and the Weigand Grant