Evaluation of multi-skin test in colorectal cancer patients and effects of serum immunosuppressive factor and cytokine production of peripheral mononuclear cells

Decreased skin reactions using five kinds of recall antigens correlated with the stage of colorectal cancer. Immunosuppressive factors in serum (IS index) increased with the progression of the stage in cancer patients, but interleukin (IL)-1 and IL-2 production in peripheral mononuclear cells (PBMC) did not correlate with the advance of the disease. In patients with low immunosuppressive factors, the score of skin reactions was significantly higher than that in patients with high immunosuppressive factors. Increased serum immunosuppressive factors seem to reduce skin reactions in the patients. Furthermore, significant difference in skin reaction score was observed between patients with high IL-1 production of PBMC and patients with low IL-1 production of PBMC. These results suggest that skin reaction might be controlled by serum immunosuppressive factors and IL-1 production of PBMC, and that the score of skin reaction using multirecall antigens is a useful parameter to learn the host immunity in colorectal cancer.