Phenotypic and functional analysis of expanded natural killer cell subpopulations in hodgkin’s disease patients treated with lymphoid irradiation

We have evaluated the immunophenotype and function of presumptive NK cells taken from Hodgkin’s disease patients before and after mantle paraaortic lymphoid irradiation. We find that the lymphoid irradiation appears to induce a relatively stable, generalized expansion of the entire NK cell compartment rather than an increase in any specific NK cell subset. Flow cytometriccell sorting and functional NK cell assays based on immunophenotype demonstrate no significant changes in the phenotypic proportions of individual NK cell subsets and no significant changes in the lytic activity or cytotoxicity spectrum of these NK cells. These changes in the NK cell compartment may play a role in the long-term immunosuppression of these patients.