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- Title
A clinical study of T-regulatory lymphocyte function in cancer patients in relation to tumor histotype, disease extention, lymphocyte subtypes and Cortisol secretion.
- Authors
Vigorè, Luigi; Brivio, Fernando; Fumagalli, Luca; Vezzo, Roberto; Messina, Giusy; Rovelli, Franco; Colciago, Massimo; D'Amico, Giovanna; Di Fede, Giuseppe; Lissoni, Paolo
- Abstract
Summary Several clinical investigations showed that the immune status is a prognostic variable in cancer patients, even tough the evaluation of the anticancer immunity is not generally considered in the medical oncology. Several immune parameters, including lymphocyte subsets and cytokine blood concentration, had been proposed to quantify the functional status of the anticancer immunity, but recent discoveries would suggest that the end-result of the various immune interactions is represented by a subtype of CD4 lymphocytes capable of suppressing the antitumor immune reaction, the so called T-regulatory lymphocytes (T-reg). This study was performed to detect T-reg count and percentage in solid tumor patients, in relation to tumor histotype, disease extension, lymphocyte sub-populations and cortisol circadian secretion. The study included 114 consecutive cancer patients affected by the most frequent tumor histotypes, 69 of whom showed a metastatic disease. In each patient we evaluated T-reg cells, identified as CD4+CD25+, in relation to T helper (CD4), T cytotoxic (CD8) and NK (CD16CD56) cells. Abnormally high values of T-reg cells were seen in 52/1 14 (46%) patients, and the percentage of high values of T-reg was significantly higher in metastatic patients than in non-metastatic ones. In contrast, no significant difference was seen in relation to tumor histotype. Patients with increased T-reg count had a significantly lower NK cell number. Finally no significant difference in T-reg number was seen between patients with altered or normal rithm of cortisol. The study confirmed that, irrespectively of tumor histotype the metastatic disease is associated with a progressive and increased T-reg generation, with a following suppression of anticancer immunity.
- Subjects
IMMUNE system; CANCER patients; LYMPHOCYTES; CELLULAR immunity; KILLER cells; CYTOKINES
- Publication
Cancer Therapy, 2008, Vol 6, Issue 2, p699
- ISSN
1543-9135
- Publication type
Article