الفهرس 
Introduction
Immunophenotyping of peripheral blood lymphocytesOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Pancreatic cancer continues to be a major unsolved health problem in the world. The prognosis of pancreatic cancer is extremely poor with a median survival time of 3<U+2013>4 months and the 5 year survival rate being 14%. Tumor development is associated with defects in the immune system due to alterations in Tlymphocytes. The aim of this work is to identify and quantify the immunological changes occurring in patients suffering from pancreatic cancers and with regards to the lymphocyte subsets (CD3, CD4, CD8) in addition to some related enzymes such as serum amylase, as well as, the complete blood picture (white blood corpuscles count, red blood corpuscles count, hemoglobin percentage, platelets count, lymphocyte percentage, neutrophil percentage). Furthermore the determination of serum albumin, total proteins and serum creatinine. This work also aims at comparing these changes with a control group and to study the relationship between these parameters and the patients? pathological states. Samples were taken from eighteen healthy control persons, five patients with chronic pancreatitis, and forty three patients with pancreatic cancer. A reduction in CD3total Tlymphocytes and in CD4 helper/inducer lymphocytes was found in patients with pancreatitis and in cancer patients in comparison with those in the healthy control group. whereas CD8 (cytotoxic/suppressor) lymphocytes in cancer patients did not differ significantly from those in the control group. There was weak negative correlation in CD4/CD8 ratio in both grades and stages of pancreatic cancer patients. On studying the correlation between CD3, CD4 and CD8 with cancer stage and grade, a negative correlation was found between CD3 and CD4 with either cancer stage and grade. whereas CD8 correlated with neither cancer stage nor grade. Our results demonstrate that the reductions on CD3, CD4 and CD4/CD8 ratios with the progression of the disease reflect the depression of immunity demonstrated in pancreatic cancer patients. This could be an important factor in the early detection of pancreatic cancer and in following the progression of the tumor in order to make a more accurate prognosis. It can also be used to distinguish a primary tumor from an advanced one. In conclusion flow cytometry, using the monoclonal antibody and immunofluorescence technique, provides a new, efficient, objective, sensitive and quantitative method to attempt to reveal the complexity of the immune system and to increase our understanding of it.