Mononuclear phagocyte function in head and neck cancer. Chemotactic responsiveness of blood monocytes in correlation between histologic grade of the tumor and infiltration of these cells into the tumor area
✍ Scribed by Fons A. J. M. Balm; Hemmo A. Drexhage; Mary Von Blomberg; Evert F. Weltevreden; Roel W. Veldhuizen; Rik Mullink; Gordon B. Snow
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1984
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 664 KB
- Volume
- 54
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0008-543X
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✦ Synopsis
The chemotactic responsiveness of peripheral monocytes and the acid-phosphatase activity of tumorinfiltrating macrophages, as well as the ultrastructural appearance, were studied in 40 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. The chemotactic responsiveness was found to be decreased in carcinoma patients, and this value appeared to be positively correlated in individual patients with the number of tumor-infiltrating macrophages, as well as with the histologic grade of the tumor. Patients with poorly differentiated malignancies showed impaired monocyte chemotactic responsiveness and low numbers of tumor-infiltrating macrophages. Macrophages present in the parenchyma of the tumor showed a weak and diffuse pattern of acid phosphatase activity. The acid phosphatase activity of stromal macrophages was much stronger and distributed in foci. Electron microscopic examination of the parenchymal macrophages revealed low numbers of lysosomes and the presence of tumor cell debris in the cytoplasm of the cell, without any sign of a surrounding phagosomal membrane. Together with the weak cytochemical reactivity, this probably indicates the poor functional state of the phagocyte when infiltrated in the parenchyma of the tumor. Low molecular weight factors derived from the tumor are known to decrease chemotactic responsiveness of peripheral monocytes. The poor functional state of the macrophages infiltrated within tumor parenchyma might be explained by assuming that a high concentration of such factors in the near vicinity of malignant cells causes toxic effects in macrophages. Cancer 54:lOlO-10 15, 1984. ONONUCLEAR PHAGOCYTES are important effector M cells in host defence against neoplasia, I** since they are known to exert cytostatic and cytotoxic effects on tumor cells. Both human peripheral monocytes and macrophages from sites of malignant growth have been shown to exert these effects against allogeneic and xenogeneic tumor cell^.^-^ Malignant tumors vary in their content of macrophages, and the degree of infiltration may be positively correlated with progno~is.~-~ It is therefore of interest that the following has been demonstrated: in malignant disease, peripheral monocytes show several defects in function, i.e., a defective maturation capacity,'o.' I a diminished Nitro Blue Tetrazolium (NBT)-dye reduc-