title: TIA-1 positive tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in nevi and melanomas.
abstract: Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) have been shown to be an independent prognostic factor in melanomas. To better characterize the host immune response, we have classified TIL by their immunoreactivity against lymphoid markers in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue. Monoclonal antibodies to leukocyte common antigen (LCA) and TIA-1 (a granule-associated protein of cytotoxic T cells and NK cells) were used to immunostain a series of benign nevi, nontumorigenic radial growth phase, and tumorigenic vertical growth phase melanomas and metastases. Among nine nevi, few LCA+ TIL were found, among which rare cells were positive for TIA-1 (mean, 2.0). Five nontumorigenic radial growth phase melanomas also had few total TIL and rare TIA-1+ TIL (mean, 3.4); the nontumorigenic radial growth phase component of seven tumorigenic vertical growth phase melanomas had higher numbers of TIA-1+ TIL (mean, 11). Twelve cases of tumorigenic vertical growth phase melanoma showed a variable but significantly greater number of both LCA+ TIL and TIA-1+ TIL (mean, 30.6). Nine cases of metastatic melanoma had a wide range of variation in LCA as well as in TIA-1+ TIL (mean, 46). Although the mean total number of TIA-1+ TIL increased from nontumorigenic radial growth phase to tumorigenic vertical growth phase to metastases, TIA-1+ as a percentage of TIL declined across these categories of tumor progression (42%, 31%, and 26%, respectively). Our results show that these attributes of TIA-1+ TIL, both increasing total number but decreasing percentage, appear to be a marker of tumor progression of malignant melanomas. In addition, there was significant variability in the number of TIA-1+ TIL among advanced melanomas, raising the possibility that an assessment of TIA-1+ TIL may prove a useful prognostic tool for the evaluation of primary melanomas.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia 19104, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lyle
authors.forename: K E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Salhany
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Elder
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D017493:Leukocyte Common Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D016246:Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D008545:Melanoma / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D009506:Nevus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D039102:Poly(A)-Binding Proteins; D011379:Prognosis; D011506:Proteins; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D000074019:T-Cell Intracellular Antigen-1; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D008565:Membrane Proteins; D039102:Poly(A)-Binding Proteins; D011506:Proteins; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; D000074019:T-Cell Intracellular Antigen-1; C071558:TIA1 protein, human; D017493:Leukocyte Common Antigens