Abstract
In vitro mitogenic responses of lymphocytes of patients with advanced cancer of the stomach or lung were determined and the cells involved in the depressed responses of patients characterized. Proliferative responses to phytohemagglutinin and concanavalin A of lymphocyte rich mononuclear cells of the patients were impaired, but increased after in vitro unstimulated culture for seven days. Mitogenic responses were enhanced by depletion of monocytes using a Sephadex G-10 column, and further enhanced by removal of nylon wool nonadherent cells. Nylon wool nonadherent cells of the patients suppressed the mitogenic responses of autologous and allogeneic lymphocytes, but lost the suppressive activity during seven days' in vitro culture. Nonadherent cells of normal donors did not inhibit mitogenic responses. The results suggest that peripheral blood mononuclear cells of cancer patients may contain at least two populations of suppressor cells for mitogenic responses, monocytes and nylon wool nonadherent cells, which could be one of the causes of impaired mitogenic responses in these cancer patients.
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