J. Lukac et al., NATURAL-KILLER-CELL ACTIVITY, PHAGOCYTOSIS, AND NUMBER OF PERIPHERAL-BLOOD CELLS IN BREAST-CANCER PATIENTS TREATED WITH TAMOXIFEN, Breast cancer research and treatment, 29(3), 1994, pp. 279-285
The number of leukocytes, proportion and absolute number of granulocyt
es, lymphocytes, CD4+ cells, CD8+ cells, CD16+ cells, B-lymphocytes, m
onocytes, natural killer cell (NK) activity, and granulocyte and monoc
yte phagocytic functions - ingestion and intracellular killing - were
determined in a group of 27 patients with ductal invasive breast carci
noma, stage I-III, before and 7 months following postsurgical telecoba
lt radiotherapy, divided into two subgroups, one of them receiving tam
oxifen (TMX group) and the other one not receiving any further therapy
(control group). In control group, proportion of all lymphocytes and
CD8+ cells as well as absolute number of all lymphocytes, CD4+, CD8+,
CD16+ and B lymphocytes were decreased following TCT in comparison to
their pre-TCT values, while in TMX group only absolute number of all l
ymphocytes remained decreased following TCT. Moreover, post-TCT propor
tions of all and CD8+ lymphocytes as well as absolute numbers of all a
nd CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes in TMX patients were significantly increa
sed in comparison to the same parameters in control post-TCT patients,
although there was no difference between the two subgroups before TCT
. At the other hand, granulocyte ingestion was decreased in post-TCT T
MX patients compared to post-TCT values in control patients and NK cel
l activity showed a similar, although statistically not significant, t
endency. It seems that TMX helps recovery of lymphocyte populations de
creased by radiotherapy, probably by stimulation of cells carrying est
rogen receptors, but its effects on phagocytic functions and probably
NK cell activity seemed to be rather inhibitory than stimulatory.