Changes of cellular immunological function after surgical operation in patients with locally advanced lung cancer

AIM: To study the change of cellular immunological function in patients with locally advanced lung cancer before and after operations. METHODS: A lung cancer group of 20 cases with locally advanced lung cancer (group A), a benign disease group of 20 cases with lung benign disease (group B) and a normal group of 20 cases from healthy volunteers (group C) were set up. The levels of the peripheral blood T lymphocyte subsets (CD+3, CD+4, CD+8, CD+4/ CD+8 ratio) were detected in the group A before operation and on the 10th day and 17th day after operation by indirect immuno-fluorescence assay and contrasted with the group B and group C. RESULTS: The levels of T lymphocyte subsets in group A were abnormal before operation, CD+3, CD+4/ CD+8 ratio were significantly lower than those in group B and group C (P<0.05), and CD+8 was significantly higher (P<0.05). CD+3 significantly increased (P<0.05) and CD+8 decreased (P<0.05) on 10th day and 17th day after operation. CD+4/ CD+8 ratio significantly increased on 17th day after operation (P<0.05). There was no significant difference of the levels of T lymphocyte subsets between the 10th day and 17th day after operation. CONCLUSIONS: The patients with locally advanced lung cancer have a remarkable impairment of immunological function, which mainly show stronger immunosuppression and have some recovery after operation. In the view of immunology, the surgical resection for locally advanced lung cancer shows active significance.