Immunosuppressive effect of estrogen on thymic dependent lymphocytic blastogenesis

Suppression of the in vitro blastogenic stimulation of thymic dependent lymphocytes (T-cells) from healthy adult males in the presence of diethylstilbestrol diphosphate suggests that further investigation of estrogenic hormones as potential immunosuppressants in selected instances is warranted. Furthermore, preliminary evidence of the suppression of blastogenesis of T-cells in the presence of autologous serum from patients with prostatic cancer receiving hormonal therapy suggests that the palliative effects of such endocrine manipulation may be countered by impairment of these patient's cell-mediated immunologic responsiveness to their malignancy.