Suppression of the phytohemagglutinin response to lymphocytes is an independent prognosticator in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus

Background The preoperative immunological condition of patients with malignant tumors should be considered in determining the prognosis. Methods A lymphoblastic transformation test in which lymphocytes were stimulated with phytohemagglutinin (PHA) was performed for 155 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Results Multivariate analysis demonstrated that a lower preoperative PHA response (p = 0.028), as well as the depth of the tumor (p = 0.011), lymph node metastasis (p = 0.0003), lymphatic permeation (p = 0.002), and the incidence of postoperative complication (p = 0.016) were independent factors associated with a poor prognosis for patients with SCC of the esophagus. Conclusions A suppressed PHA response is an additional significant prognosticator for SCC of the esophagus.