Depressed lymphocyte function in carcinoma of the breast

Abstract

Abstract The reduced ability of lymphocytes from patients with carcinoma of the breast to transform in response to phytohaemagglution (PHA) is shown. The greatest depression of response was found in advanced or recurrent disease and is due, at least in part, to an abnormality in the patient's serum. Those patients who were clinically free from recurrence had no depression of response. It is postulated that the reduced immunological reactivity in these patients is a secondary rather than a primary event and is possibly related to the extent and aggression of the disease. The practical usefulness of the test as an index of prognosis is being evaluated together with more conventional data.