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Indomethacin-induced augmentation of lymphoproliferative responses in patients with head and neck cancer

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Summary

Augmentation of the phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-induced lymphoproliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells by indomethacin, a drug which blocks prostaglandin (PG) synthesis, was assessed in 37 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Indomethacin enhanced the uptake of 3H-thymidine in stimulated cultures both from patients and normal individuals. However, because lymphoid cells from cancer patients were less reactive than those from normal controls, the proportionate increase in PHA-stimulated 3H-thymidine incorporation caused by indomethacin was greater in this population than in the normal population. The degree of enhancement induced by indomethacin did not correlate with the percent of esterase-positive mononuclear cells in the preparations. The amounts of PGE synthesized at 48 h by patients' or normal cells were similar. Cell populations that exhibited elevated levels of augmentation in the presence of indomethacin were approximately 3 times as sensitive to inhibition by 3 nM PGE2. The degree of augmentation detected in the presence of Ro-20-5720, which also prevents PG synthesis, was related to that produced by indomethacin. These results suggested that: (1) the enhancing effect of indomethacin on lymphoproliferation in vitro was related to its inhibition of PG synthesis; and (2) the sensitivity of lymphoid cells to inhibition by PGE2 was slightly, but significantly, increased in individuals with elevated augmentation values.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ear-Head and Neck Surgery, Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Allergy, The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, 5841 South Maryland Avenue, Box 412, 60637, Chicago, IL, USA

    Kenneth J. McCormick & William R. Panje

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  1. Kenneth J. McCormick
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  2. William R. Panje
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A portion of this study was completed at the Division of Head and Neck Surgical Oncology, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA

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McCormick, K.J., Panje, W.R. Indomethacin-induced augmentation of lymphoproliferative responses in patients with head and neck cancer. Cancer Immunol Immunother 21, 226–232 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00199366

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00199366

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