title: CD8-positive tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes influence the long-term survival of patients with mycosis fungoides.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Nonneoplastic mononuclear cells commonly infiltrate lesions of mycosis fungoides.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We sought to determine the immunophenotypic characteristics of these cells and to determine whether the presence of CD8+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes has an impact on prognosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Skin biopsy specimens from 78 patients were stained with immunopleroxidase techniques to determine their phenotypic characteristics. The proportion of CD8+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes was quantified and compared with stage of disease and survival rate.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with more limited T-stage disease tended to have a higher proportion of CD8+ cells in their skin biopsy specimens, compared with patients with more advanced T-stage disease. Within each T-stage patients with a larger proportion of CD8+ cells had a better survival rate than those with fewer CD8+ cells (p < 0.05 for T1 and T3). A multivariate analysis confirmed the importance of T stage (p = 0.0006), overall stage (p = 0.0112), and CD8 positivity (p = 0.0335) in this cohort of patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CD8+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in mycosis fungoides correlate with improved survival rate and may exert an antitumor effect rather than being mere bystander cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford University, CA.
authors.forename: R T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Hoppe
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Medeiros
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Warnke
authors.forename: G S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Wood
mesh_terms: D000206:Actuarial Analysis; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D016246:Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009182:Mycosis Fungoides / Q000276:immunology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D011379:Prognosis; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors