Lymphotoxin Production in Human Neoplasia

Abstract

The in vitro release of lymphotoxin by human peripheral blood lymphocytes from noncancer patients, patients with cancer, and patients with Hodgkin's disease were studied. Noncancer patients and patients with cancer other than Hodgkin's disease released no lymphotoxin under unstimulated conditions while stimulation with phytohemagglutinin induced in vitro release of lymphotoxin. Lymphocytes from patients with Hodgkin's disease released significantly less lymphotoxin following stimulation with phytohemagglutinin but also released measurable amounts of a lymphotoxin-like substance in the unstimulated state. Hodgkin's disease lymphocytes appear to differ from the lymphocytes of noncancer patients and patients with cancer other than Hodgkin's disease by both lower in vitro lymphotoxin release following phytohemagglutinin stimulation and spontaneous release of lymphotoxin by unstimulated lymphocytes.