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Annals of Surgical Oncology, Vol 5, Issue 3 209-212, Copyright © 1998 by Society of Surgical Oncology

ARTICLES

T-cell evaluation in patients with colon cancer: dinitrochlorobenzene skin testing versus plasma levels of sIL-2r and sCD8

W. A. Bleeker, L. de Ley, H. B. Oeseburg, A. Martens, N. H. Mulder, J. Hermans and J. T. Plukker
Department of Surgery, University Hospital, Groningen, The Netherlands.

BACKGROUND: Developing reliable methods to test the T-cell system may be important in the treatment of colon cancer patients with 5-fluorouracil/levamisole. In a pilot study we explored whether DNCB (dinitrochlorobenzene) skin testing correlated with plasma levels of soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2r) and soluble CD8 (sCD8) and, secondly, whether the application of DNCB had any influence on the production of sIL-2r and sCD8. METHODS: In 10 patients with advanced colon cancer and in 10 healthy volunteers, plasma levels of sIL-2r and sCD8 were measured before and 10 days after the application of 2 mg DNCB on the inner side of the forearm. RESULTS: As expected, colon cancer patients showed a depressed immune system compared to healthy volunteers (DNCB skin test: P = .005, sIL2r [medians 700 vs 295, P = .002], sCD8 [medians 158 vs 90, P = .03], M-W test). The plasma levels for sIL-2r and sCD8 were significantly lower in the skin-positive cases (P = .01 and P = .03, M-W test). However, a large overlap in plasma levels could be observed between the two skin categories. DNCB had no influence on the production of sIL-2r and sCD8; median change skin-negative and skin-positive -10 vs +25, P = .14, respectively; 48 vs 0, P = .32 (M-W test). CONCLUSIONS: DNCB skin testing and plasma levels of sIL-2r and sCD8 seem to be equally useful in evaluating the T-cell system and can be used simultaneously.




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Copyright © 1998 by the Society of Surgical Oncology.