Natural killer cell activity in Hodgkin's disease patients undergoing radiation therapy or chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Natural killer (NK) cell activity in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with Hodgkin's disease was studied using 4 h 51Cr release assay and K562 cells as sensitive targets. PBMCs were obtained from 15 previously untreated patients at different stages of their disease. PBMCs were also obtained from 46 patients treated by radiation therapy or combined chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Twenty healthy age-matched volunteer donors were used as controls to the treated patients. For these normal donors the mean cytotoxicity was 24.8 +/- 5.67% at a 100:1 effector-target cell ratio; and 43.7 +/- 12.1% for the treated cancer patients. Fifteen healthy age-matched volunteer donors were used as controls to the untreated patients. The mean cytotoxicity for these normal donors was 20.8 +/- 3.61% at a 100:1 effector-target cell ratio; and 37.6 +/- 6.65% for the previously untreated cancer patients. The mean cytotoxicity for all 35 normal donors was 23.1 +/- 5.22% at a 100:1 effector-target cell ratio. Most treated patients (93.5%) had a complete response to therapy and a significant difference was found between the mean cytotoxicity of the whole group (46 treated patients), compared with controls (P < 0.001). A significant difference (P < 0.05) was also observed when the same 11 patients were studied before and after treatment.

Phenotypic analysis of PBMCs from uterine cervix cancer patients with high natural killer activity.

Phenotypic analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from uterine cervix cancer patients, with increased natural killer cell activity, treated with radiation therapy was carried out. An increase in the percentage of CD56+ cells was observed in 5 out of 7 patients. When the expression of CD69, a phenotypic marker of cellular activation, was analyzed in 6 patients, an increase was observed in 4 of them. No direct correlation between cytolytic activity and the levels of CD56+ or CD69+ cells were observed. After 72 hr, an increased expression of CD56 was observed in 3 patients and a similar picture was seen at the same time following activation with IL-2 or IFN.

Increased natural killer cell activity in uterine cervix cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy.

Natural killer (NK) cell activity in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from women with carcinoma of the uterine cervix was studied using a 4-hour 51Cr release assay and K562 cells as the sensitive target. PBMCs were obtained from 21 previously untreated patients at different stages of disease according to the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics classification. PBMCs were also obtained from 36 patients treated with radiation therapy at different disease stages. Seventeen healthy age-matched volunteer women were used as controls. Mean cytotoxicity for the normal donors was 25.1 +/- 6.56% at a 100:1 effector-target cell ratio, 33.8 +/- 7.96% for the previously untreated cancer patients and 52 +/- 18.4% for the treated cancer patients. Most of the treated patients (86%) showed a complete response to radiation therapy and the mean cytotoxicity of the whole group (36 treated patients) was significantly increased compared to controls (p < 0.05). It is suggested that radiation therapy may produce cell alterations leading to an increase in NK cell activity in patients treated for uterine cervical cancer. The significance of this increase is discussed.