gms | German Medical Science

It is known that while conducting PhC and BT, elements of the destructed UM cells get into the blood flow; they are subject to elimination by Mn/Mph and NK-cells. It allowed to assume that the degree of UM destruction would tell on activation of Mn/Mph and NK-cells functional state, and evaluation of their state would help to judge about photo- and radiosensitivity of UM cells. The objective of the study was to investigate the prognostic value of Mn/Mph and NK-cells in conducting PhC, BT (Sr) and IFT in patients with UM.

34 patients were analyzed having UM prominence of 6.1±0.2 mm. Phagocytic activity of Mn/Mph and NK-cells and cytotoxic activity of NK-cells was studied before treatment, after PhC, BT and IFT as well as in 3,6,12 and 18 months after treatment.

It is established that patients with UM have decreased phagocytic activity of Mn/Mph (%) and it constitutes 31.0±5.3%; after tumour PhC the Mn/Mph activity increased to 57/0±6.4% (by 45.7%) in patients with complete regression of UM and to 50.0±6.2% (by 38.0%) in patients with partial regression, whereas the Mn/Mph activity increased only to 40.1±5.6% (by 22.5%) in patients with no effect. The Mn/Mph persisted for 18 months in patients with complete and partial UM regression in contrast to patients with absence of the effect. It is found that the initial level of cytotoxic activity of NK-cells was reliably higher (64.0±6.4% and 50.3±6.1%, accordingly) in patients with positive clinical result of treatment regarding patients with no clinical effect (30.0±5.8%).

Increased phagocytic activity of Mn/Mph by 38.0-45.7% after tumour PhC i patients with complete and partial UM regression may be a prognostic test of high enough sensitivity of UM to PhC, and keeping up of high initial level of NK-cell activity provides complete and partial regression of UM.