Immune parameters in patients with proliferative diseases and breast cancer: A comparative study

Background: According to modern clinical and fundamental data, the proliferative breast diseases are considered as precancerous pathology. The immune system is known to play an important role in the regulation of main homeostatic processes including proliferation, differentiation and cell death and to take part in the development of malignant tumors. The paper presents the results of comparative study of immune parameters in patients with breast cancer and with proliferative diseases of the mammary gland. Methods: The immune parameters were studied from 320 females. There Were 107 patients with benign dysplasia, 92 women with fibroadenoma and 108 patients with breast cancer (BC). A control groups included 33 healthy females. The comparative groups were representative by age. The phenotypical composition of lymphocyte subpopulations in peripheral blood using monoclonal antibodies by the method of indirect immunofluorescent analysis on a luminescent microscope, the functional activity of neutrophils and the level of serum immunoglobulins of classes M, G, A were evaluated. Results: We have revealed similar changes of blood lymphocytes subpopulation in all groups of patients in comparison to healthy women, related to the decrease of the percentage of CD3+, CD4+, CD16+ lymphocytes, as well as the dropped immunoregulatory index. The phagocytic ability of neutrophils was found to be decreased while their spontaneous activity in blood seems to be higher than in control group indicating the homeostatic alteration in all patients. Conclusion: These data give the reasons to measure the immune parameters in women suffering from benign dysplasia in order to perform the adequate therapy and form groups of high risk for breast cancer.