ABSTRACT
It has been previously demonstrated by the authors that lymph nodes from patients with head and neck cancer are capable of regional immunoreactivity and that this immunoreactivity could be enhanced with certain nonspecific immunostimulants. However, it is unknown how metastases to the neck nodes would affect this immunoreactivity. The purpose of this study is to compare the immunoreactivity of matched node pairs (metastatic versus nonmetastatic) from head and neck cancer patients. The soft agar assay system was the methodology employed. The effect of nodal lymphocytes on tumor growth in soft agar was studied with and without nonspecific immunostimulation in both normal and metastatic nodes from the same location in the neck in 16 patients. The results demonstrate that lymph nodes from head and neck cancer patients are capable of an immune reaction to cancer, and that this immunoreactivity appears to be significantly increased in metastatic lymph nodes with and without the use of specific immunostimulants.
Subject(s)
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/immunology , Head and Neck Neoplasms/immunology , Lymph Nodes/immunology , Antibody Formation , Humans , Lymphatic Metastasis , NeckABSTRACT
The relationship of a cancer patient's immunoreactivity and prognosis appears to be more complex than originally reported. Many earlier studies seemed to show that these assessments of immune competence had prognostic significance. Later reports showed no correlation. Newer technology has given the capability of measuring T-lymphocyte subpopulations and offers the possibility of a more sophisticated assessment of immunoreactivity that might correlate with prognosis. A study of 59 head and neck cancer patients was undertaken to assess the value of measuring the T-cell subpopulations in the peripheral blood and from regional neck lymph nodes. This study shows no difference between those patients free of disease and those either living or dying of disease. The conclusion of this study is that the measurement of T-cell subpopulations offers no prognostic value for patients with head and neck carcinoma.
