The influence of splenectomy on cellular immunologic parameters in Hodgkin's disease

✍ Scribed by D. J. Theo Wagener; Elly Geestman; Ans Borgonjen; Clemens Haanen

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1976
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 570 KB
• Volume: 37
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0008-543X
• DOI: 10.1002/1097-0142(197605)37:5<2212::aid-cncr2820370509>3.0.co;2-g

✦ Synopsis

Cellular immunity was evaluated in 15 untreated patients with Hodgkin's disease before and about 10 days after splenectomy. Skin test-reactivity was not affected by the operation. T h e number of lymphocytes was moderately increased in patients with pathologic stage I and I1 disease. T h e relative proportion of E-binding lymphocytes in the peripheral blood diminished significantly (p = .001) in patients with splenic weights of 240 g and more, whereas the PHAstimulated thymidine incorporation increased significantly (p = .015) and the proportion of EACbinding lymphocytes increased significantly (p = .023). The PHA-stimulation of peripheral lymphocytes in patients with pathologic stage I and I1 disease was at the same level before and after operation, but increased significantly (<0.02) in the more disseminated forms. T h e stimulation of the lymphocytes in vitro by a cocktail of antigens, and by allogeneic cells (MLC) remained unchanged. Although the number of cases studied is rather small, it i s concluded that about 10 days after, splenectomy has no demonstrable untoward effect on the cellular immunologic potency.