Abstract:

Objective To investigate the changes of peripheral blood T lymphocyte subsets (CD3⁺, CD4⁺, CD8⁺ and CD4⁺/CD8⁺) in patients with tumor and the clinical significance. Methods A total of 100 patients with tumor (including 40 patients with lung cancer, 40 patients with gastrointestinal cancer and 20 patients with other tumors) and 90 healthy controls were enrolled. Peripheral blood T lymphocyte subsets′ absolute counts and immunoglobulin (IgG, IgA and IgM) were determined. The differences between the 2 groups were analyzed statistically. Results T lymphocyte subsets′ absolute counts were CD3⁺ [(1 041±358)/μL], CD4⁺[(689±263)/μL], CD4⁺/CD8⁺ ratio (1.15±0.40) in tumor group, which were significantly lower than those in control group (P<0.05), and CD8⁺[(602±223)/μL] increased slightly compared with that in control group (P>0.05). IgG, IgA and IgM were higher in tumor group than in control group. Conclusions Tumor patients have immune dysfunction, and the changes of T lymphocyte subsets′ counts have significance on the monitoring and prognosis in patients with tumor.

Key words: Tumor, T lymphocyte subset, Immune function, Absolute count