IN-VITRO EFFECTS OF RECOMBINANT HUMAN GRANULOCYTE-MACROPHAGE COLONY-STIMULATING FACTOR (RHGM-CSF) ON POLYMORPHONUCLEAR CELL (PMN) AND MONOCYTE (MO) FUNCTIONAL CAPACITIES IN OVARIAN-CANCER PATIENTS VERSUS HUMANVOLUNTEERS

Human polymorphonuclear cells (PMN) and monocytes (MO) from four ovari an cancer patients and seventeen normal donors were in vitro pretreate d with different concentrations (25, 50 and 100IU, respectively) of rh GM-CSF. Phagocytosis and killing of PMN and MO as well as PMN polariza tion were evaluated in cancer patients before treatment (TO) and at th e end of each chemotherapeutic cycle (T1, T2, T3 and T4, respectively) in comparison with normal donors. RhGM-CSF did not affect phagocytosi s and killing of PMN and MO. On the other hand, this cytokine was per se endowed with the capacity to enhance PMN polarization in both cance r patients (at T2 interval) and normal donors.