NATURAL-KILLER-CELL ACTIVITY IN STAGE-I ENDOMETRIAL CARCINOMA - CORRELATION WITH NUCLEAR GRADING, MYOMETRIAL INVASION, AND IMMUNOREACTIVITYOF PROLIFERATING CELL NUCLEAR ANTIGEN

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between natu ral killer cell activity and biological behavior of tumor, expressed b y architectural (FIGO) and nuclear grading, depth of myometrial invasi on, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) index in patients wi th endometrial carcinoma. Forty patients with FIGO stage I endometrial carcinoma, treated with radical surgery, were included in this retros pective study. At the time of diagnosis, natural killer cell activity of peripheral blood was evaluated against K562 target tumor cells and correlated with architectural and nuclear grading, depth of myometrial invasion, and PCNA index of the tumor. Natural killer activity dimini shed with increasing nuclear grade of the tumor (P = 0.004); similarly , natural cytotoxicity decreased with myometrial invasion: for stages IC and IB endometrial carcinoma, the mean values of natural cytotoxici ty were significantly lower than stage IA disease (P = 0.0001). Natura l killer activity was significantly correlated with PCNA immunostainin g of the tumor (r = 0.8). It is concluded that the natural immune reac tivity seems to be related to the pathologic features of early stage e ndometrial carcinoma, showing a significant reduction in presence of n uclear pleomorphism and/or myometrial invasion, and also an inverse re lationship with PCNA index. (C) 1994 Academic Press, Inc.