J.Jpn. Surg. Soc.. 80(12): 1441-1443, 1979
Report on the annual meeting
SIGNIFICANCE OF DISCRIMINATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF IMMUNOCYTES IN CANCER IMMUNO-SURGERY
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Department of Pathology, Sapporo Medical College Kokichi Kikuchi |
One is whether there is an in vivo evidence of existence of cancer specific immune response in cancer patients. Without this, cancer immunotherapy does not exist theoretically.
In our immunohistopathological studies on distribution of T and B cells in cancer tissues using anti-T and anti-B lymphocyte serum, we found that T cell infiltration is dominant in and around cancer cell nests comparing with B cell, whereas non cancerous tissue showed only B cell infiltration. This phenomena were very characteristic and suggested that T cells of cancer patients recognized their own cancer cells as foreign.
Second problem is the distribution of functionally different immunocytes. Without this knowledge surgeons do not know what part of tissues they should or should not resect. Our data show the localization of suppressor T cells in the thymus and suppressor macrophages and suppressor T cells in the spleen of tumor-bearers. This does not necessarily mean thymectomy or splenectomy of cancer patients should be done, because we have not excluded the existence of helper, or effector cells in those organs.
Discrimination and distribution of subsets of human immunocyte in cancer patients should be investigated before immunosergeon can properly perform their work.
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