SPECIFIC IMMUNOTHERAPY AND CELLULAR IMMUNITY IN PATIENTS WITH CERVICAL CANCER

Abstract

Cellular mechanisms are quite important immunological components of tumor surveillance, being, however, most vulnerable to influence of different adverse factors, including surgery-associated stress and ionizing radiation. Our study was aimed for assessing specific effects of immunotherapy upon indices of cellular immunity in patients with cervical cancer. Eighty-eight patients with cervical cancer (clinical stage I-IIA, Т1аN0M0-T2aN0M0), who underwent appropriate surgery (for IA stage), or a combined treatment, including surgery gamma-ray teletherapy (IB, IIA stages) are under study. The patients were distributed in two groups, depending on the therapy applied. Group 1 included patients subjected to surgical treatment plus and radiation therapy, Group 2 included those patients who were treated according to this protocol, with addition of a specific immunotherapy. Contents of T cells and various CD subpopulations of T-lymphocytes were identified by immunofluorescence techniques. Among patients with cervical cancer at clinical stages IA, IB, IIA, a reliable decrease in cellular immunity indices was registered, both after surgery, and during combined treatment. Introduction of specific immunotherapy to the conventional treatment schedule was associated with increase of cellular immune indices, and, in first line, the antineoplastic mechanisms (e.g., NK’s and NKT cell contents). One should point to a relatively low efficiency of this immunotherapy in combined treatment of patients with cervical cancer at IIA stage.

Keywords

• cervical cancer
• specific immunotherapy
• cellular immunity