A Study on Delayed Hypersensitivity Aspects of Immune Response in Patients with Carcinoma of Bronchus in Relation to Radiotherapy

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Abstract
Results of a preliminary study on the delayed hypersensitivity aspects of immune response in 45 patients with carcinoma of bronchus revealed by sequential skin testing are presented. Short-term prognosis and the immune reactivity thus studied appear to be well correlated. Anergy before treatment and allergy changing to anergy following radiotherapy tend to be associated with grave prognosis and conversely persistently allergic patients fare better at least on short-term prognosis. Contrary to the usual impression that radiations are immunodepressant, this study reveals increased skin tests reactivity following radiotherapy in 7 out of 17 immunocompetent patients. Recent literature on human and animal studies appear to support this phenomenon of increased immune reactivity in certain situations following radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The few publications are reviewed. A much more elaborate controlled in vivo and in vito study is now underway to reveal the immune profile of patients with cancer particularly in relation to radiotherapy.

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