EFFECTS OF OK-432 ON INVITRO SECONDARY RESPONSES OF THE NONADHERENT CELLS TO IL-2 AND OK-432 IN CANCER-PATIENTS WITHOUT TUMOR BURDEN

We examined the effect of OK-432 intracutaneous injection on the in vi tro responses of non-adherent cells to IL-2 and OK-432, along with cha nges in lymphocyte subpopulations, in early cancer patients who underw ent surgery. We found that 1) repeated injections of OK-432 resulted i n an enhancement of LAK activity, the peak of which was seen between 7 and 10 days after the first administration, 2) this augmentation of L AK activity was not associated with changes in lymphocyte subpopulatio ns CD8+ CD11- and CD8+ CD11+ phenotypes, and 3) the cytotoxic activity of lymphocytes stimulated in vitro with OK-432 did not show a definit e change in specific pattern after in vitro OK-432 treatment. These fi ndings indicate that repeated injections of OK-432 over a period of a week effectively enhanced LAK activity.