Effects of perioperative cimetidine administration on natural killer cells in patients with gastrointestinal cancer

Objective: To study the effects of perioperative use of cimetidine on natural killer (NK) cells in gastrointestinal (GI) cancer patients. Methods: 49 GI cancer patients were randomized into treatment group which took cimetidine in the perioperative period, and control group which did not take the drug. NK cells were measured by immunocytochemical method, using mouse-anti-human CD₅₇ monoclonal antibody as the primary antibody. Blood samples from 20 healthy volunteers were treated in the same way as normal control. Comparisons were made within and between groups. Results: The NK cell percentage of normal control was 18.50±2.31. Both groups of patients had significantly lower than normal NK percentages before treatment (P<0.05). NK cell percentages at admission, before operation, on the 2nd and the 10th postoperative days were 14.60±3.91, 15.64±3.61, 17.40±3.28, 20.68±4.13, respectively, for the treatment group, and 14.88±2.76, 13.17±2.93, 14.50±2.77, 15.67±2.55, respectively, for control group. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant. Conclusion: Perioperative cimetidine application can help restore NK cells. The drug may be useful to reverse postoperative immuno-depression in GI cancer patients.