Immunological studies on head and neck cancer patients receiving OK-432 and chemoradiotherapy

Immunological parameters, such as delayed type hypersensitive skin reaction (DTH), lymphocytes subpopulations, lymphocytic blastogenesis by PHA and Con A, antiviral activity in serum (IFN) and spontaneous cytotoxicities, have been studied in 43 patients with malignant tumor treated with OK-432 and antineoplastics/chemo-radiotherapy. Five klinische Einheit (EK) of OK-432 was injected intramusclary on day 0, 2, 7, 14. Peplomycin (5 mg/day x 6/week) in early staged patients, and peplomycin, 5-FU (250 mg/day x 5/week) and radiation (200 rads/day x 5/week) in advanced cases were administered within 3 days after the first injection of OK-432. DTH to Su-PS and Su-PR were enhanced by OK-432, and the skin reaction by PPD was moderately increased. DTH by PHA was, however, depressed by the treatments of cancers. Before OK-432 administration, Ratio of each subpopulation of Leu-4+, Leu-2a+ and Leu-11a+ cells was lower than the values of healthy adults. Onley Leu-7+ and Leu-11a+ cells increased with showing its peak on 2th day after the injection. HLA-DR positive subpopulation was almost constant. Lymphocytic blastogenesis in the patients was also inferior to it of healthy control, and supression of blastogenesis which thought to be caused by antineoplastics and irradiation was followed. Intrinsic IFN was observed more in non-metastasized cases than in metastatic ones. OK-432 induced IFN in 11 patients of all. It was thought to be probable by the clinical conditions of IFN-produced cases that the ability of IFN production by OK-432 was more dominant in cases of free of metastasis and not advanced cancer. NK activity against K562 cells (assayed for 4 hrs) was elevated in relation to subpopulation of Leu-11a+ cells after 2 or 3 times of OK-432 injection, and spontaneous cytotoxicity to a established tumor cell line (18 hrs assay) was correlated with NK activity. The both activities were, however, weaken with advancement of the therapies for tumor. (J.P.N.)