OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of iodine-125 implantation on immune cell subsets and cytokine production in patients undergoing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) resection.

METHODSSixty-eight patients with resectable HCC were randomly divided into intrahepatic iodine-125 embedding group and control group. The percentages of T lymphocyte phenotypes (CD3(+), CD4(+), CD8(+)), NK cells, and the plasma concentrations of IL-4, IL-10, IL-12 and IFN-gamma of the patients were determined with flow cytometry and ELISA, respectively.

RESULTSIn the control group, the postoperative CD3(+) and CD4(+) immunocytes were (39.38-/+6.98)% and (24.34-/+3.18)%, significantly lower than the preoperative levels [(62.58-/+8.67)% and (30.63-/+4.19)%, respectively, P<0.05)]. The postoperative concentrations of IL-4 and IL-10 were (29.83-/+7.99) and (87.54-/+2.89) ng/L, significantly higher than the preoperative levels (10.35-/+8.76 and 64.25-/+2.54 ng/L, respectively, P<0.05). In the treatment group, the percentages of the immunocytes and cytokine concentrations underwent no significant changes after the operation, but postoperative IL-12 (89.46-/+11.43 ng/L) and IFN-gamma (47.78-/+5.45 ng/L) levels were significantly higher than the preoperative levels (36.13-/+9.16 and 7.14-/+2.17 ng/L, respectively, P<0.05). Significant differences were found between the two groups in the postoperative CD3(+) and CD4(+) immunocytes and IL-4, IL-10, IL-12 and IFN-gamma levels.

CONCLUSIONIodine-125 implantation can strongly stimulates the anti-tumor immune response in HCC patients by increasing CD3(+) and CD4(+) immunocytes and promoting Th2/Th1 deviation.