T lymphocyte subsets in prostate cancer subjects in south eastern Nigeria

Abstract

Humoral and cellular mechanisms play roles in immune response to foreign antigens. The present study  was designed to determine the T lymphocyte subsets (CD4 + T cells, CD8 + T cells and CD4/CD8 ratio) in the prostate cancer subjects and control subjects. CD4 + T cells (`l/count) and CD8 + T cells (`l/count) were estimated using flow cytometric method by Partec while CD4/CD8 ratio was calculated from the results obtained from the CD4 + T cells and CD8 + T cells. CD4 + T cells and CD8 + T cells decreased  significantly while the CD4/CD8 ratio increased significantly in the prostate cancer subjects compared to the
control subjects. The suppressed CD4 + and CD8 + T cell counts in prostate cancer subjects may indicate  immune instability in the prostate cancer subjects.

Key words: T lymphocyte subsets, prostate cancer, tumour