NATURAL-KILLER-CELL ACTIVITY, PHAGOCYTOSIS, AND NUMBER OF PERIPHERAL-BLOOD CELLS IN BREAST-CANCER PATIENTS TREATED WITH TAMOXIFEN

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.