The correlation of peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets with prognosis in lung cancer patients

Objective: To study the relationship of lymphocyte subsets with prognosis and clinico-pathologic features in lung can- cer patients. Methods: Flow cytometry was used to analyze the distribution of T-lymphocyte subsets and natural killer cells in the pe- ripheral blood of lung cancer patients, patients with benign pulmonary diseases, and healthy controls. The peripheral-blood lymphocyte levels of the subjects were compared. Clinical data obtained from 102 lung cancer cases were reviewed retrospectively, and the relation- ship of lymphocyte subsets with prognosis and clinico-pathologic features was analyzed. Results: The level of CD4+ T cells was lower in the peripheral blood of lung cancer patients than that of the healthy controls (P 0.05). However, the abnormal distribution of lympho- cyte subsets was related to lymphatic metastasis, TNM stage, and tumorigenesis P<0.05). Conclusion: The distribution of T-lympho- cyte subsets and natural killer cells was abnormal in the peripheral blood of lung cancer patients, and the dynamic changes in distribu- tion can help assess the immune functions of lung cancer patients. Cellular immune function can act as a prognostic indicator in lung cancer patients.