Lymphocyte Reproductive Activity Normalized to Numbers of Hematopoietic Stem Cells in Blood and Rate of Death in Fatal Diseases

Abstract

The numbers of CD133+ and CD31+ lymphocytes and those in the G2-M phases in the total fraction of circulating lymphocytes from patients with fatal liver cirrhosis and advanced lung cancer were investigated by flow cytometry during a long period of conventional treatment with OLT or palliative surgery followed by myelosuppressive chemotherapy. The relationships of specific reproductive activity, sRA (G2-M/CD133+), and the number of committed liver α-fetoprotein-positive (AFP+) cells with the rate of patient deaths, characterized by exponential approximation survival curves for both diseases, were investigated. Subnormal sRA in patients after OLT and excessive sRA in LC patients above a healthy level were associated with higher death rates and lower survival, coinciding with strong immunosuppression caused by anti-rejection and anti-cancer therapies. These findings may be explained by morphogenesis (feeding) activity of circulating lymphocytes targeted toward both normal and malignant tissues rather than in terms of cellular immunity. The sRA changes may be a useful indicator for monitoring the potential for engraftment or tumor growth.