Decrease in interferon-gamma production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells in patients with uterine cervical cancer.

The interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) productivity of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was examined in 30 patients with uterine cervical cancer. The patients under 50 years of age had decreased IFN-gamma production compared with the age-matched controls. The IFN-gamma productivity in the patients over 50 years of age was decreased as well as in the age-matched controls. The proportion of monocytes in PBMCs did not correlate with the IFN-gamma productivity. The prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) productivity of PBMCs increased with the progress of cancer. PGE2 inhibited the IFN-gamma production by PBMCs, and the sensitivity of PBMCs to PGE2 was increased in the patients and controls over 60 years of age. The addition of indomethacin resulted in an increase in IFN-gamma production by PBMCs. These results suggest that the increased production of PGE2 and/or increased sensitivity to PGE2 are responsible for the decreased IFN-gamma production in patients with cervical cancer.