POSSIBLE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN IMMUNOCOMPETENCE AND ENHANCED RISK OF MULTICENTRIC CARCINOGENESIS IN BOTH THE STOMACH AND OTHER ORGANS IN PATIENTS WITH GASTRIC-CANCER

In a retrospective study, we analyzed the association between the immu nocompetence and multicentric carcinogenesis in both the stomach and o rgans other than the stomach in patients with single gastric cancer (S GC) and those with multiple gastric cancers (MGC). The incidence of pr imary cancers in other organs in patients with MGC (4/17, 23.5%) was s ignificantly higher than that with SGC (15/202, 7.4%). Our analysis of the immunocompetence revealed a trend towards decreased activity of N K cells and of mitogen-induced blastogenesis in patients with MGC as c ompared to those with SGC. In patients with SGC, patients with primary cancers in other organs had significantly lower levels of both PHA-in duced blastogenesis and CD4/CDs, and revealed a greater trend towards decreased activity of both NK cells and Con A-induced blastogenesis th an patients without other primary cancers. These findings may suggest that immunocompetence plays a role in the enhanced multicentric carcin ogenesis not only in the stomach but also in cancers of other organs.