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Lymphocyte subpopulations anomalies in lung cancer patients and relationship to the stage of disease.

BACKGROUND
The host immune response is important in the natural history of neoplastic disease. In order to evaluate alterations of immune function associated with cancer we analyzed the nyctohemeral profile of lymphocyte subpopulations in peripheral blood of cancer patients. The study was carried out on seven healthy volunteers (mean age +/- s.e. 68.8 +/- 1.92), seven patients with I and II stage lung cancer (mean age +/- s.e. 67.2 +/- 0.80), seven patients with III and IV stage lung cancer (mean age +/- s.e. 69.5 +/- 2.26). The area under the curve (AUC) and the presence of circadian rhythmicity were evaluated.


RESULTS
The most striking differences were a statistically significant decrease of CD8 (T suppressor/cytotoxic subset) and CD8bright (T suppressor subset) in cancer patients, with a loss of normal circadian rhythmicity, and a statistically significant increase of CD16 (natural killer cells) in cancer patients, especially with I and II stage disease, with a clear circadian rhythm present in all the groups. A statistically significant decrease of delta TcS1 (epitope of the variable domain of delta chain of T-cell receptor 1) was observed in the subjects with I and II stage lung cancer, with a loss of circadian rhythmicity in the two groups of cancer patients. TcR delta 1 (epitope of the constant domain of delta chain of T-cell receptor 1) was significantly decreased in cancer patients, but a clear circadian rhythm was present in these subjects. No significant differences among the groups were found in the values of CD2 (total T cells), CD4 (T helper/inducer subset), CD8dim (T cytotoxic subset), CD4/CD8 ratio, HLA-DR (B cells and activated T cells), CD20 (total B cells) and CD25 (T activated lymphocytes with expression of the alpha chain of interleukin-2 receptor). Nyctohemeral variations of CD2 in control subjects and in I-II stage cancer patients and of CD4 and CD20 in III-IV stage cancer patients presented circadian rhythmicity.


CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that lung cancer is associated with alterations in the proportions and nyctohemeral profiles of various lymphocyte subsets, related to the stage of disease and probably the expression of an altered immune function.