Local immune response in endometrial carcinomas.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether Langerhans cells act as antigen-presenting cells in endometrial carcinomas and their related lesions.


METHODS
Frozen endometrial samples were obtained from 13 women with normal menstrual cycles, 3 postmenopausal women, 11 women with hyperplasia (simple 4, complex 4 and atypical 3) and 32 women with endometrial carcinomas.


METHODS
Langerhans cells (CD1), T lymphocytes (CD4 and CD8), B lymphocytes (CD22), natural killer (NK) cells (CD57) and HLA-DR were all quantitatively assessed in endometrial samples using immunohistochemical method.


RESULTS
The numbers of Langerhans, CD4+, CD8+ and B cells were higher in the secretory phase than in the proliferative endometrium. The CD8+ cells appeared to be more plentiful than the CD4+ cells. When compared with the proliferative endometrium, the numbers of Langerhans cells were higher in hyperplasias and carcinomas. Most of Langerhans cells were HLA-DR+, showing a strong correlation with CD4+ cells in carcinomas. This suggests that MHC class II antigen restricted lymphocytes in carcinomas are activated by HLA-DR+ Langerhans cells. However, epithelial expression of HLA-DR in carcinomas did not show on association with high numbers of Langerhans and CD4+ cells. No correlation was observed between Langerhans cells and clinicopathologic features of carcinomas. In contrast, the number of NK cells significantly decreased in noninvasive carcinomas but increased in Grade 3 tumours.


CONCLUSIONS
Based on the above findings, Langerhans cells are considered to act as antigen-presenting cells in carcinomas, but it was not shown that they were activated by epithelial expression of HLA-DR in carcinomas.
Hachisuga
T
T
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, School of Medicine, Fukuoka University, Japan.
Fukuda
K
K
Nakamura
S
S
Iwasaka
T
T
Sugimori
H
H
D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D015704:CD4 Antigens; D016516:CD4-CD8 Ratio; D016827:CD8 Antigens; D004714:Endometrial Hyperplasia / Q000276:immunology; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*; D007801:Langerhans Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
D015704:CD4 Antigens; D016827:CD8 Antigens