Immunological function and nutritional status in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Infection is a major complication associated with increase d morbidity and mortality in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma; We com pared the immunological function and nutritional status in 16 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (13 patients had liver cirrhosis) with those of 2 1 normal healthy subjects. METHODOLOGY: The immunological function was assessed by chemotaxis and supe roxide anion production by neutrophils, phagocytosis and killing activities of neutrophils and monocytes, absolute and relative number of peripheral b lood lymphocytes, the percentage of peripheral lymphocyte subsets and serum concentrations of immunoglobulins. RESULTS: Although the phagocytic and bactericidal activities of monocytes a nd superoxide production of neutrophils were not different between the grou ps, the phagocytic and bactericidal activities of neutrophils and the perce ntage of natural killer cells were significantly reduced in patients with h epatocellular carcinoma. In the latter group, the prognostic nutrition inde x was significantly high compared with normal subjects, indicating a poor n utritional status. The phagocytic and bactericidal activities of neutrophil s were low in patients with a poor nutritional status compared to those wit h a good nutritional status. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that impaired immunological competence and undernourishment may be one of the mechanisms causing increased susceptibi lity of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma to infection.