Quantitation of Fc receptor-bearing T-lymphocytes (TG and TM) in oral cancer.

The lymphocytes from the peripheral blood of 30 untreated patients with oral cancer and 15 apparently healthy normal controls were studied for quantitation of T-cell subsets. When compared to age-matched controls, the patients as a group showed a significant increase in the proportion and number of TG cells (IgG Fc receptor-bearing T-cells) and a significant reduction in the TM cells (IgM Fc-bearing T-cells). The levels of total lymphocytes, T-cells, and B-cells remained in the control range. The discrepancy in the TG subset was evident in the early stages of the disease, while in TM cells, it was evident only in the advanced stages.