Impact of Allogenic and Autologous Transfusion on Immune Function in Patients with Tumors

Objective: To observe the effects of allogeneic and autologous transfusion on cellular immunity, humoralimmunity and secretion of serum inflammatory factors and perforin during the perioperative period in patientswith malignant tumors.
Methods: A total of 80 patients (age: 38-69 years; body weight: 40-78 kg; ASA I - II)receiving radical operation for gastro-intestinal cancer under general anesthesia were selected. All the patientswere divided into four groups based on the methods of infusion and blood transfusion: blank control group (GroupC), allogeneic transfusion group (group A), hemodiluted autotransfusion Group (Group H) and hemodilutedautotransfusion + allogenic transfusion Group (A+H group). Venous blood was collected when entering into thesurgery room (T0), immediately after surgery (T1) and 24h (T2), 3d (T3) and 7d (T4) after surgery, respectively.Moreover, flow cytometry was applied to assess changes of peripheral blood T cell subpopulations and NKcells. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assays were performed to determine levels of IL-2, IL-10, TNF-α andperforin. Immune turbidimetry was employed to determine the changes in serum immunoglobulin.
Results:Both CD3+ and NK cells showed a decrease at T1 and T2 in each group, among which, in group A, CD3+decreased significantly at T2 (P<0.05) compared with other groups, and CD3+ and NK cell reduced obviouslyonly in group A at T3 and T4 (P<0.05). CD4+ cells and the ratio of D4+/CD8+ were decreased in groups A, Cand A+H at T1 and T2 (P<0.05). No significant intra- and inter-group differences were observed in CD8+ of thefour groups (P<0.05). IL-2 declined in group C at T1 and T2 (P<0.05) and showed a decrease in group A at eachtime point (P<0.05). Moreover, IL-2 decreased in group A + H only at T1. No significant difference was foundin each group at T1 (P<0.05). More significant decrease in group ?? at T2, T3 and T4 compared with group A(P<0.05), and there were no significant differences among other groups (P>0.05). IL-10 increased at T1 and T2in each group (P<0.05), in which it had an obvious increase in group A, and increase of IL-10 occurred only ingroup A at T3 and T4 (P<0.05). TNF-α level rose at T1 (P<0.05), no inter- and intra-group difference was foundin perforin in all groups (P<0.05). Compared with the preoperation, both IgG and IgA level decreased at T1 ineach group (P<0.05), and they declined only in Group A at T2 and T3 (P<0.05), and these parameters were backto the preoperative levels in other groups. No significant differences were observed between preoperative andpostoperative IgG and IgA levels in each group at T4 (P>0.05). No obvious inter- and intra-group changes werefound in IgM in the four groups (P>0.05).
Conclusions: Allogeneic transfusion during the perioperative periodcould obviously decrease the number of T cell subpopulations and NK cells and the secretion of stimulatingcytokines and increase the secretion of inhibiting cytokines in patients with malignant tumors, thus causing aTh1/Th2 imbalance and transient decreasing in the content of plasma immune globulin. Autologous transfusionhas little impact and may even bring about some improvement oo postoperative immune function in patientswith tumors. Therefore, cancer patients should receive active autologous transfusion during the perioperativeperiod in place of allogeneic transfusion.