title: Treatment of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia reverses CD4/CD8 lymphocyte abnormalities in peripheral venous blood.
abstract: Immunosuppressed patients have an increased prevalence of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and apparently normal subjects with CIN have evidence of immunosuppression. The immunosuppression may antedate the cervical lesion or be a result of the CIN. One index of an impaired immune response is a reduced ratio of CD4/CD8 peripheral blood lymphocytes. This study sought to confirm that patients with CIN had a reduced CD4/CD8 ratio and to determine whether local treatment of the cervical lesion affected the abnormality. Patients with CIN had a lower mean CD4/CD8 ratio than controls (1.19 vs. 1.83, P < 0.01) and more of the patients with CIN had a ratio less than 1.0 [14/38 (37%) vs. 1/30 (3%), P < 0.01]. After laser treatment of CIN, the mean CD4/CD8 ratio was higher than before treatment (1.76 vs. 1.19, P < 0.01). Paired pre- and post-treatment values in 11 patients confirmed this improvement (mean CD4/CD8: 1.14 vs. 2.08, P < 0.01). These findings confirm an association between CIN and a reduced CD4/CD8 ratio. The effect on lymphocytes of treating CIN suggests that the altered ratio is a result of the disease rather than a pre-existing etiologic factor.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Royal Postgraduate Medical Centre, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UKUniversity Clinical Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
authors.forename: W.P.
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Soutter
authors.forename: V.
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kesic