Dynamic change of T-lymphocyte subsets in patients with liver cancer treated by intra-arterial hyperthermia chemoembolization

Objective: To investigate the dynamic change of T-lymphocyte subsets in the patients of liver cancer treated with intra-arterial hyperthermia chemoembolization (IHCE). Methods: Sixteen patients of hepatic cancer were treated with IHCE. One or two weeks before and after the procedure, the blood samples were collected for evaluation of the peripheral blood T-lymphocyte subsets using flow cytometry in 16 cases. The results were compared with those of other 18 patients received routine transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) during the same period. Results: The cases of IHCE group showed that the proportion of CD4 cells was increased and that of CD8 cell was decreased after 2 weeks of the treatment, so that the ratio of CD4 to CD8 was obviously higher than that of the control group (P=0.01). Conclusion: The hyperthermia effect of IHCE can further enhance immune function of the patients with liver cancer. (authors)