Serum lipid profile and its relationship with host immunity in carcinomas of the breast and uterine cervix.

Carcinomas of the uterine cervix and breast, which have a different etiopathogenesis, are the most common malignancies among Indian women. Between these two cancers a comparative study was undertaken in which serum lipids were assessed along with host immunity. Thirty randomly selected cases each of breast and cervical carcinoma, and 20 matched healthy control women were studied by means of standard procedures. Significantly higher (P < 0.001) mean levels of triglycerides (x = 192.1 mg/dl, SD +/- 113.5) and total cholesterol (x = 212.9 mg/dl, SD +/- 49.78) were observed in breast cancer as compared to controls or cervical cancer patients. Patients with cervical cancer had low mean values of all lipid fractions. Women with the above malignancies also showed a significantly decreased CD3+ and CD4+ population (P < 0.001), while there was a significant increase in CD8+ cells (P < 0.005) compared to normal controls. Interestingly, a significant relationship (P < 0.05) was observed between CD8+ cells and LDL-cholesterol among the cancer patients (r = 0.3652 and r = 0.4298 for carcinomas of breast and cervix, respectively.