Various reports suggest that most tumors in humans may develop when their immune mechanism is depressed. The results generally indicated that some immunological change occurs in cancer patients in connection with the presence of malignant tissue, probaly suppressing the native resistance mechanism of the patient against cancer. Some reports suggest that radiotherapy a common modality for the treatment of the cervical cancer, may have deleterious effects on the host immunity, but there still remains much disagreement between many researchers. In the present study, we have attempted to demostrate the effects of radiotherapy on the immune capacity of cervical cancer patients by immune assessment. From the patients with carcinoma of the uterine cervix, who visited to the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yonsei university, College of Medicine, from November 1986 through October 1988, 32 patients were selected for this study. The 20 healthy controls were selected from people whose age and characteristics were similar to patients. T and B lymphocyte counts, peripheral blood lymphocyte mitogenic response to phytohemagglutinin (P1IA) and concanavalin A (Con A), natural killer cell activity and antibody dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity were evaluated in this study. Immune assessment were performed on all patients before treatment, and 1, 3, 6, 12 months of follow-up visits after completion of treatment in 20 patients, and the results were as follows;
1) The measured T and B lymphocyte counts in the study subjects were a little low compared with those of control subjects: the differences. however, was not significant. Lymphocyte mitogenic response to PHA and Con A. antibody dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity and natural killer cell activity were significantiv depressed: however, immune capacity compared according to the disease stage showed no remarkable difference.
2) T and B lymphocyte counts showed a decrease from 1 month following radiotherapy and recovery did not occur until the 12 months of follow-up.
3) Lymphocyte mitogenic response to PHA and Con A were sightly depressed from 1 month following radiotherapy and not significant difference was noted during follow-up.
4) Lymphocyte mitogenic response to Con A was slightly depressed after 1 month foliowing radiotherapy, and its recovery though minimal, was noted from 6 month following radiotheryapy, but
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