NK cells in carcinomatous and tuberculous pleurisy. Phenotypic and functional analyses of NK cells in peripheral blood and pleural effusions.

To compare local immunity with that in peripheral blood, we examined 14 patients with carcinomatous pleurisy and 22 patients with tuberculous pleurisy by phenotypic and functional analyses of NK cells. We calculated the proportions of NK cells by means of anti-Leu 7 and anti-Leu 11 mAbs and the rates of NK cell activity by means of K 562. The percentages of Leu 7+ and Leu 11+ cells in both carcinomatous and tuberculous pleural effusions were lower than those in peripheral blood; however, there was no difference between carcinomatous and tuberculous pleural effusions in the proportions of Leu 11+ cells. The NK cell activity in tuberculous pleural effusions was the same as that in peripheral blood, while in carcinomatous pleural effusions, NK cell activity was lower than in peripheral blood; however, NK cell activity was much higher in tuberculous than in carcinomatous pleural effusions. Our study offers some pathophysiologic insight into the responses of NK cells to cancer and to tuberculosis in relation to peripheral blood and pleural effusion.