The kinetics of subpopulations and functional subsets of circulating immune cell, humoral antibody and complement were examined in the 18 patients undergoing surgery with thoracotomy and laparotomy for esophageal cancer. The following results were obtained. 1. Preoperative IgG-Fc-receptor (+) T cell (Tr cell) level was higher than normal level. 2. From 1st post operative day (1POD) to 14POD, WBC counts have increased, lymphocyte counts (especially T cell counts) have decreased significantly as compared with preoperative level. 3. In T cell subsets, counts of Tr cell have decreased significantly from 1POD to 3POD as compared with preoperative counts. 4. Counts of OKT8 positive cells (suppressor or cytotoxic T cell) and OKT4 positive cells (helper or inducer T cell) have decreased significantly from 1POD to 3POD as compared with preoperative count. OKT4/OKT8 ratio increased at 3POD (2.31 +/- 1.33). 5. In B cell subsets divided into using the type of cell surface immune antibody (sIgG, sIgA, sIgD), all subsets have decreased significantly as compared with preoperative counts. 6. Immune globulin (IgG, IgA, IgM, IgD) have decreased significantly from 1POD to 7POD, but at 14POD they increased significantly as compared with preoperative levels. 7. Complements (C3, C4) have decreased significantly from 1POD to 7POD. 8. The count of sIgG positive B cell had significant, negative correlation with carcinogenic factor and positive correlation with preoperative serum total protein. The other immune factors had no correlation with the factors before and during operation. These results suggest that cellular immunity of patients undergoing surgery with thoracotomy and laparotomy for esophageal cancer lose its autoregulation function especially in T cell, it does not recover until 14POD.