Clinical Significance Of Detecting T Lymphocyte Subsets And NK Cells And IL-12in Peripheral Blood Of Patients With Esophageal Carcinoma Before And After Surgery

Objective:To investigate the clinical significance of T lymphocyte subsets, NK cellsand IL-12level in the patients with esophageal carcinoma(EC) before and afteroperation.To explore the changes of the immune function of esophageal patients beforeand after surgery from the perspective of immune biology.Methods:26cases of healthy control and96patients with EC were included in the study.The serum IL-12level was measured by sandwich ELISA, T lymphocyte subsets(CD3+、CD4+、CD8+) and NK cells levels were reflected indirectly through the flowcytometry, the blood samples were collected at1day before operation, the third day and10thday after surgery.Results:1.The levels of CD3+cells, CD4+cells, NK cells and CD4+/CD8+ratio at the1day before operation(BO), third day postoperative(3DP) and10thday postoperativegroup(10DP) were apparently lower than healthy control(HC)(P<0.05),and the level ofCD8+cells were significantly higher than HC (P<0.05). The index between BO and3DP had no differences statistical significance (P>0.05). The expressions of CD3+cellsand NK cells in10DP were significantly higher than those of in BO and3DP(P<0.05),CD4+cells and CD4+/CD8+ratio were significantly higher than BO (P<0.05), theexpression of CD8+cells was significantly lower than BO and3DP(P<0.05). The levelsof CD3+cells and CD8+cells were significant correlation with age, histological grade, depth of invasion (P<0.05), but had no correlation with gender, KPS grade, tumor site,pathology morphological, tumor length, lymph node metastasis and pathological type(P>0.05).2. The serum IL-12level in the EC patients was apparently lower than that of inthe HC, there was high statistical difference between them (P<0.001). The IL-12levelin3DP was even lower than that of in the BO, there was a significant differencebetween before and after surgery (P<0.05). The IL-12level in10DP was significanthigher than that of in the3DP. There was a significant difference between them(P<0.05).The level of IL-12in the patients with EC was significant correlation with nodemetastasis, distant metastasis, tumor invasion depth of T4and Ⅳ、Ⅲstage (P<0.05), butthe serum IL-12level had no correlation with gender, age, KPS grade, tumor site,pathology morphological, tumor length and pathological type (P>0.05).3. The expression of IL-12in patients with EC were positively correlated withCD3+cells, CD4+cells and CD4+/CD8+ratio(rs=0.715, P<0.01; rs=0.776, P<0.01;rs=0.841, P<0.01), but the level of IL-12in patients with EC were negative correlatedwith CD8+cells (rs=－0.783, P<0.01), IL-12and NK cells levels had no significantcorrelation.Conclusions:1. The expressions of T lymphocyte subsets and NK cells and IL-12in theperipheral blood of patients with EC were abnormal,their immune function wererestrained;2. The patients’s immune status were improved after surgery;3. The Tlymphocyte subsets and NK cells and IL-12levels might be associated with esophagealtumor progression;4. Detection T lymphocyte subsets and NK cells and IL-12mighthave a certain value in monitoring the immune function of patients with esophagealcancer and treating them.