Sekisui Kagaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Japan Immunoresearch Laboratories Co., Ltd.

Masahiro Nakatani

Masakazu Adachi

Seiichirou Honda

Granulocytes can be removed from blood by bringing the blood into contact with a carrier having higher affinity to granulocytes than to lymphocytes. the carrier may preferably be a substance having a contact angle in a range of 55.degree.-95.degree. to water, e.g., polystyrene, cellulose acetate, nylon, polytrifluoroethylene or polyethylene terephthalate. A granulocyte removing apparatus is also disclosed. It comprises a granulocyte-adsorbing portion enclosing therein a carrier having higher affinity to granulocytes than to lymphocytes, a blood inflow port for causing blood to flow into the adsorbing portion, and a blood outflow port for allowing the blood, which has flowed in the adsorbing portion, to flow out of the adsorbing portion.

Granulocyte removing apparatus

A method for assessing the prognosis of a patient undergoing therapy for cancer by measuring the granulocyte/lymphocyte ratio of the patient's blood and comparing the ratio to a normal range of 1.6.+-.0.6. The prognosis is considered improved when the G/L value is within the range as compared to when it is greater than the same.

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Shiga, Japan

Masahiro Nakatani