Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-gtxcr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-23T05:13:39.667Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

10A - Natural Killer Cell Assay in the Blood Is a Useless Investigation

For

from Section II - IVF Add-ons

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 November 2021

Roy Homburg
Affiliation:
Homerton University Hospital, London
Adam H. Balen
Affiliation:
Leeds Centre for Reproductive Medicine
Robert F. Casper
Affiliation:
Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto
Get access

Summary

There are many commercial tests for blood immune cell tests looking at NK cell numbers, cell cytotoxicity or associated cytokine levels. Despite the lack of evidence, patients with recurrent pregnancy loss and implantation failure are often advised to have these tests and are subsequently offered immunotherapies, not backed by trial evidence to treat apparently abnormal results. Blood NK cells are innate immune cells and a first line of host defence against pathogens and tumour cells. Uterine NK cells are phenotypically different to blood NK cells and function when activated to promote normal placentation when pregnancy occurs. Despite a lack of biological plausibility, meta-analyses have been suggestive of altered blood NK cells in subfertility and recurrent pregnancy loss. However they have not shown that blood NK cells have an impact on pregnancy outcome. It is imperative that we offer patients tests and treatment based on robust evidence rather than poor science.

Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Ander, SE, Diamond, MS, Coyne, CB. Immune responses at the maternal-fetal interface. Sci Immunol. 2019 Jan 11;4(31):eaat6114.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Colucci, F. The role of KIR and HLA interactions in pregnancy complications. Immunogenetics. 2017 Aug;69(8–9):557–65.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vento-Tormo, R, Efremova, M, Botting, RA, et al. Single-cell reconstruction of the early maternal-fetal interface in humans. Nature. 2018;563(7731):347–53.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Seshadri, S, Sunkara, SK. Natural killer cells in female infertility and recurrent miscarriage: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Hum Reprod Update. 2014 May–June;20(3):429–38.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tang, AW, Alfirevic, Z, Quenby, S. Natural killer cells and pregnancy outcomes in women with recurrent miscarriage and infertility: a systematic review. Hum Reprod. 2011;26(8):1971–80.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×