Effects of Chemotherapy on Peripheral Blood NK Cell Receptor NKG2D and Related Immune Cytokines in Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the effect of chemotherapy on peripheral blood NK cell receptor NKG2D and related immune cytokines (IL-12, IL-15, IL-18) in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: A total of 48 patients with NSCLC who visited the Oncology Department of the Affiliated Hospital of Chengde Medical College from September 2018 to September 2019 were selected as the study subjects. Changes in the expression levels of NKG2D, IL-12, IL-15 and IL-18 in peripheral blood of patients at different time points (before chemotherapy, after the first chemotherapy and after the second chemotherapy) were analyzed to investigate the correlation between NKG2D and IL-12, IL-15 and IL-18 in peripheral blood at each time point. Results: The expression levels of NKG2D, IL-15, and IL-18 in the peripheral blood of the patient before chemotherapy, after the first chemotherapy, and after the second chemotherapy gradually decreased. After the first chemotherapy and the second chemotherapy, the peripheral blood IL-12 was significantly lower than before chemotherapy, and IL-12 in peripheral blood after the second chemotherapy was slightly increased compared with that after the first chemotherapy. The comparison of each factor at different time points was statistically significant (all P0.05). Pearson correlation analysis showed that after the first chemotherapy, NKG2D in peripheral blood was positively correlated with IL-18 (r = 0.342, P = 0.031); after the second chemotherapy, NKG2D in peripheral blood was positively correlated with IL-18 (r = 0.411, P = 0.023), negatively correlated with IL-15 (r = -0.451, P = 0.001). Conclusion: There was no significant change in the number of NK cells in the peripheral blood of NSCLC patients after chemotherapy, while NKG2D and related immune cytokines decreased, which may be one of the mechanisms for the suppression of immune function in patients, and this provides a potential target for immunotherapy in patients.