Purpose: We designed this investigation to evaluate the association of NK activity with vari- ous clinical and laboratory data, and to evaluate whether NK activity can be used as a valuable prognostic factor since there is no systemic review on natural killer cell(NK) activity of peripheral blood in untreated lymphomas in Korea. Method: Forty-eight patients admitted to Dept. of Internal Medicine of Kosin University Hospital from JuL l989 to Feb. 1995 were enrolled. The target of effector cells was K562 cell line and released Cr(51) during 4 hours was counted. Then, NK activity was compared with varous c1inical and laboratary data. We selected International Index, composed of 4 risk groups derived from 5 risk factors, as a prognostic factor to evaluate the value of NK activity, and it was compared with the result of NK activity. The International Index was composed of 4 risk groups: low, low-intermediate, high-intermediate, and high risk groups. Results: 1) The sex ratio of the patients was 1.2: #1 and the median age was 55 years. Diffuse large cell lymphoma was the most common subtype(52.1%). 2) The average NK activity of lymphoma patients was 43.85% and that of normal control was 51.54%, and the difference was significant(F=0.003). 3) The NK activity of the patients was significantly different depending on clinical stage, B symptom or performance status(P=0.003, O.Q33, and 0.016 respectively), but not on age, sex or serum LDH leveL 4) In 4 risk groups, there was progressive decrease in NK activity as the risk increases(P=O. 001), and the differences in NK activity between low and high-intermediate groups and low and high risk groups were all significant(P=0.002 both). 5) NK activity of normal control was significantly different from 3 of 4 risk groups, low-in- termediate, high-intermediate and high risk groups, of patients(P=0.021, 0.001, 0.001 respectively). Concluaion: In previously untreated lymphoma patients, the NK activity was decreased, and NK activity was inversely carrelated with risk status(P=0.001). In conclusion, NK activity may have a prognostic value, and clinical trials with many patients and long-term follow uP as to assess survival are required.
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