INCREASE IN THE PERIPHERAL LYMPHOCYTE POPULATIONS EXPRESSING CD54 (ICAM-1) AFTER HYPERTHERMIC ISOLATED LIMB PERFUSION IN PATIENTS WITH MALIGNANT-MELANOMA - AN ANALYSIS OF 4 CASES

The lymphocytes isolated from perfused or non-perfused circulations be fore, during, and after hyperthermic isolated limb perfusion (HILP) in the four patients with malignant melanoma were analysed for the expre ssion of CD54 (ICAM-1), CD58 (LFA-3): CD4, CD8, HLA class I and class II in order to investigate the mechanism(s) of the activation of such immunocompetent cells as natural killer (NK)-cells or T-lymphocytes by HILP. It was thus found that the lymphocyte populations expressing CD 54 increased significantly 1 day after HILP in the four patients exami ned. The lymphocyte populations expressing CD58 apparently increased. It was also found that the NK-cell and T-lymphocyte activities increas ed during or after HILP in the present four cases as observed previous ly in the other melanoma patients. These results indicate that our HIL P system may augment the immunological activities through the mechanis ms of the induction of CD54 or CD58 expression in the peripheral lymph ocytes of the melanoma patients who receive HILP. (C) 1998 Elsevier Sc ience Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.