[Temperature dependence of rosette-forming lymphocytes in healty subjects and women with gynecological tumors].

In blood donors (n equal 39) and women with gynaecological tumours (n equal 12) the number of lymphocytes, rosette-forming with sheep and mouse erythrocytes (SRBC + MRBC), was investigated at 4, 22, 29, 33 and 37 degrees C. SRBC clearly decrease at temperatures of more than 22 degrees C and they also decrease in rosette size, MRBC behave constant in temperature. At an incubation temperature of 4 degrees C SRBC-values of 59 +/- 7.5% and MRBC-values of 7.6 +/- 3.9% could be recognized. The two rosette-tests did not show any significant differences between the sexes, the blood groups and the groups. The temperature-depending SRBC-phenomenon demands the observation of the steadiness of temperature in incubation. The behaviour of the subpopulation of B-lymphocytes forming MRBC, which is constant in temperature, is again described. It speaks for completely other binding forces than in SRBC. The method of a differentiation of the normal person from a tumour carrier by the different rosette-formation with SRBC at 29 and 33 degrees C, inaugurated in literature by West and co-workers, does not find any corresponding case in our group of tumours. The hope of finding a criterion of differentiation for the immunological tumour diagnostics by means of the temperature-different behaviour of the T-lymphocytes must on account of the present level of knowledge be regarded as little hopeful, even when the groups of patients are enlarged. At present immune defect diseases are regarded as a field of secure diagnostic indication for the SRBC-test, selected lymphoproliferative diseases for the SRBC-test.