LYMPHOCYTE SUBSETS IN PATIENTS WITH OVARIAN AND BREAST-CANCER

Peripheral blond lymphocytes (PBL) from patients with ovarian or breas t cancer or benign lesions of the boast, respectively, have been analy sed for expression of phenotypic and activation markers by flow cytome try. The results were compared with those of a control group of health y women. The relative proportion as well as the absolute counts of B l ymphocytes were similar in both groups and in the control group. The a bsolute number of T cells was decreased in breast cancer patients (p < 0.05). The CD4(+)/CD8(+) ratio was significantly depressed in ovarian cancer patients (p < 0.05). but not in boast cancer patients. In the ovarian cancer group, the percentage of CD3(+) T cells expressing HLA- DR (p < 0.05) as well as CD3(+) T cells expressing CD16 and CD56 (p < 0.05) was significantly higher. The relative proportion as well as the absolute counts of CD3(+) T cells expressing the IL-2 receptor (CD25) were significantly higher (p < 0.001), respectively, in breast cancer patients (p < 0.05). These results-suggest that gynaecological cancer is associated with specific alterations in the T cell population.