Effect of bronchial artery infusion chemotherapy on serum interleukin-2 receptor and T lymphocytes subsets in patients with lung cancer

Objective To study the changes of the serum levels of soluble interleukin-2 receptor(SIL-2R) and T lymphocytes subsets in patients with lung cancer before and after bronchial artery infusion chemotherapy(BAI) and evaluate their clinical significance.Methods Thirty cases of lung cancer patients were enrolled in the study.ELISA technique and APAAP technique were used to measure the serum levels of SIL-2R and T lymphocyte subsets in peripheral blood respectively before BAI,two weeks after BAI and four weeks after BAI and their values were compared with those of 30 healthy,controls.Results The findings showed that the serum levels of SIL-2R and percentage of T-suppressor cells(CD8) in patients were significantly higher than those in healthy controls.However,percentage of total T cells(CD3),T-helper cells(CD4) and ratio of CD4/CD8 in patients were remarkably lower than those in healthy controls(P0.01).According to the TNM classification,SIL-2R level in stage Ⅱ was lower than that in stage Ⅲ(P0.01),and it was higher in stage IV than in stage Ⅲ(P0.05).At two weeks after BAI,the serum levels of SIL-2R and T lymphocyte subsets had no significant changes(P0.05),but the serum levels of SIL-2R and percentage of CD8 significantly decreased,the percentage of CD3,CD4 and ratio of CD4/CD8 increased at four weeks after BAI.Conclusions Consecutive observation of serum SIL-2R level and T lymphocyte subsets is helpful to judging the immune state before and after BAI,to evaluating the state of disease and prognosis,and to directing therapy.It is reasonable that lung cancer patients receive the second BAI at four weeks after the first management.