High-affinity erythrocyte rosette formation and inhibition in premalignant disease of the uterine cervix.

Total lymphocyte counts, total rosette formation, high-affinity rosette formation, and the rosette inhibition titer were studied in 104 patients with dysplasia, carcinoma in situ, or Stage I squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix. Although no changes were detected in total lymphocytes or total rosette formation, a significant decrease (p less than 0.001) was observed in high-affinity rosette formation in patients with moderate and severe dysplasia and carcinoma in situ. The rosette inhibition titer was significantly increased (p less than 0.001) in all stages of dysplasia and carcinoma in situ; incubation of patients' serum with normal lymphocytes did not reproduce this change but significantly decreased the rosette inhibition titer of the patients' lymphocytes (p less than 0.001). No change in high-affinity rosette formation or the rosette inhibition titer was observed in patients with Stage I squamous cell carcinoma as compared to controls. These changes are postulated to represent alterations in the normal balance of T-cell differentiation during the early stages of tumor development.