Cellular immune competence in patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder

Abstract

The cellular immune competence of lymphocytes from 22 patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder was tested before and after surgical removal of the tumor. The tests used were the E rosette formation test for quantitation of T lymphocytes and a local xenogeneic graft-versus-host reaction (GHVR) test for the measurement of functional activity of the T lymphocytes. An impairment of cellular immune competence was found in 15 of the 22 patients before tumor removal. The GVHR performed 1 to 10 months following surgery demonstrated an improvement in cellular immune competence in most of the patients. No correlation between the number of E rosettes and the GVHR was demonstrated but there was a good correlation between the GVHR and local recurrence of the tumor. The possible prognostic value of the GVHR in follow-up of patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder is discussed.