[28].
NKT profile shows slightly increase without the significance of GzB
expression, this is reported by Wang et al. who reported that their
function is affected by the release of soluble major histocompatibility
complex (MHC) class I chain-related molecules by cancer cells impairing
the lytic activity via down-regulation of the NKG2D receptor
[29].
Circulating cytokines are closely associated with the immune status
against many diseases including cancer. In the present study, we also
observed the levels of several cytokines in our different groups of
patients compared to healthy controls. As shown in our previous study,
the levels of IL-1 and CCL-2 in early diagnosis patients showed a 14000,
250 fold increase respectively compared with the control group. This
increase adds to the chain of evidence supporting that these cytokines
promote tumor growth, chemo-resistance and help sustain an
immunosuppressive milieu [30]. Additionally, we found that
the levels of IL-6 where increased by 100 fold in lung cancer patients
which is also in line with previous studies has shown it to be
positively correlated with lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis and
worse overall survival [30, 31]. Furthermore, CXCL8 which
promotes angiogenesis and tumor progression was increased by 30 folds in
diagnosed lung cancer patients weighed against healthy controls. Whereas
the proportions of the other 4 cytokines evaluated, including CXCL10,
IL-5, CCL11 and CCL4 showed no significant difference between lung
cancer patients and the control group [32]. The present
study supports the hypothesis that the systemic cytokine cascade exists
in lung cancer patients, reflecting the tumor stage and host immune
status. Moreover, these changes in the level of cytokines may be of
major importance as a diagnostic and prognostic tool in lung cancer and
they can be considered as potential targets for immunotherapy.
In summary, these results confirm that the functionality of
CTL and NK cells are impaired in cancer patients during and after
induction of chemotherapy, while, patients before induction of
chemotherapy have the ability to improve their CTL and NK functionality
under activation conditions of combination between Con-A and
IL-2.