Premium
Deficient immunity in head and neck cancer due to excessive monocyte production of prostaglandins
Author(s) -
Berlinger Norman T.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
the laryngoscope
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.181
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1531-4995
pISSN - 0023-852X
DOI - 10.1288/00005537-198411000-00001
Subject(s) - monocyte , head and neck , head and neck cancer , immunity , medicine , cancer , immunology , immune system , surgery
Monocytes from patients with head and neck cancer produce excessive PGE 2 which seems to be associated with decreased lymphoproliferation in vitro . This may be n pathological exaggeration of a normal homeostatic mechanism. It is speculated that a stimulus for excessive PGE 2 production could be immune complexes. Although PGE 2 suppresses many important immune processes relevant for neoplasia, it can also have complex and diverse effects on tumor cells. Caution should be exercised with human trials of prostaglandin synthctase inhibitors such as indomethacin.