T-cellular immunity and bacterial endotoxin concentration in the treatment of laryngeal cancer patients

Abstract

Purpose of the study was to explore the state of T-cell immunity and indices of bacterial endotoxin concentration in patients with laryngeal cancer. Material and methods. Examination of thirty-one patients with laryngeal cancer (T3NXM0 category) was carried out before, during and after the combined treatment. Indicators of T-cell immunity (CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD95+) and natural killer cells (CD16+), the apoptosis index (CD95+/CD3+) and the immune-regulatory index (CD4+/CD8+) were counted. The total endotoxin concentration in the blood serum of patients was determined with the help of the limulus amoebocyte lysate test. Results. The initial indices of endotoxin concentration of patients exceeded the control values by 14.7 times. There was no statistically significant decrease in the content of mature T-lymphocytes and T-helpers, but the values of CD8+, CD95+, and CD16+ were increased. The immuneregulatory index was 0.78, with a reference value of 1.13; the apoptosis index was 0.41, with a control value of 0.3. A month after the end of treatment, the endotoxin concentration (2.5 Eu/ml) had no statistically significant differences from its initial values (2.8 Eu/ml) and the values at the end of the combined treatment (2.9 Eu/ml). The dynamics of T-cell immunity parameters was characterized by the absence of differences in the content of mature T-lymphocytes and T-helpers, with respect to the data obtained at the end of the combined treatment, and with an increase in T-suppressors, with a decrease in the number of apoptotic lymphocytes and natural killer cell. The immune-regulatory index did not change at all stages of the observation. The apoptosis index increased, and by the time of completion of treatment it exceeded the initial value (0.41 and 0.8), and a month later it was 0.65. Conclusion. At present, cancer cells are the target of special treatment methods in oncology, but it’s likely that in the nearest future, antitumor strategies will take into account another participant in carcinogenesis – the human body microbiota.