Lymphocyte Subpopulations in Peripheral Blood and the Spleen from Gastric Cancer Patients

Lymphocyte subpopulations in peripheral blood and the spleen from gastric cancer patients were identified by either single or two color analysis with fluorescence activated cell sorter-IV (FACS-IV) using monoclonal antibodies. The absolute and percentages of CD3+ (mature T) cells and CD4 + (helper/inducer T) cells in peripheral blood from the advanced cancer patients were significantly lower than those from normal healthy controls. In peripheral blood, a significant decrease of CD4 + cells was due to the decrease of CD4 + CD45RA + (suppressor inducer T) cells, while CDS+ CD11b+ (suppressor T) cells tended to increase with progress of the disease. CD4+ CD45RA + cells located more predominantly in peripheral blood and spleen than in the splenic vein, while CDS+ CD11b+ cells were more predominant in the splenic vein.