Changes in the parameters of immune and antioxidant systems in patients with cervical cancer

Birutė Kazbarienė, Gražina Prasmickienė, Aurelija Krikštaponienė, Dalia Šukelienė, Arvydas Burneckis, Janina Didžiapetrienė

Institute of Oncology, Vilnius University, Lithuania

Key words: cervical cancer, immune system, lipid peroxidation, antioxidant enzymes, age.

Summary. Taking into account the possibility of interaction of immune and antioxidant systems, the aim of this study was to investigate the changes in the parameters of immune and antioxidant systems in patients with cervical cancer and to compare them with the corresponding data obtained from healthy women. Ninety-four women with cervical cancer at II and III stage comprised the patient group and 69 healthy women were taken as the control group. The investigation results showed that the cellular immunity functions of patients with cervical cancer were suppressed in comparison with the same of healthy women. Though with respect to age, in 35–49-year-old women group with cervical cancer, some immune system indices were suppressed (quantity of T-, B-lymphocytes, NK); however in order to maintain the immune homeostasis of the organism other immune system functions were compensatorily stimulated (neutrophils and its phagocytic activity, CD8+, IgG and IgA concentration were higher). The activity of the antioxidant system in patients with cervical cancer was impaired: the concentration of lipid peroxidation products was increased, the level of the endogenous antioxidant vitamin E and the activity of the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase were decreased in comparison with the control group.

Correspondence to B. Kazbarienė, Institute of Oncology, Vilnius University, Santariškių 1, 0866 Vilnius, Lithuania. E-mail: locvno@takas.lt

Received 15 June 2004, accepted 30 September 2004