Outcome in Hodgkin's lymphoma can be predicted from the presence of accompanying cytotoxic and regulatory T cells.
OBJECTIVE
Recent studies of Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) have suggested that the presence of regulatory T cells in the reactive background may explain the inhibition of the antitumoral host immune response observed in these patients. This study aimed to assess the relevance of regulatory T cells and CTLs present in the background of HL samples in the prognosis of a series of classic HL (cHL) patients.


METHODS
Expression of granzyme B and TIA-1 (markers for CTL) and FOXP3 (a marker for regulatory T cells) were evaluated independently by immunohistochemistry in tissue microarrays of 257 cHL patients and correlated with patient outcome.


RESULTS
The combined influence of the presence of FOXP3(+) and TIA-1(+) cells distinguished three risk groups of patients with 5-year overall survival of 100%, 88%, and 73%. The presence of a small number of FOXP3(+) cells and a high proportion of TIA-1(+) cells in the infiltrate represent an independent prognostic factor that negatively influenced event-free survival and disease-free survival in cHL. Compared with the features at diagnosis, relapsed samples tended to have more TIA-1(+) cells and a lower proportion of FOXP3(+) cells in the reactive background.


CONCLUSIONS
These data suggest that low infiltration of FOXP3(+) cells in conjunction with high infiltration of TIA-1(+) cells in cHL may represent biological markers predicting an unfavorable outcome. Moreover, the variation of these markers over the course of the disease implies a possible role for them in the progression of HL cases.
Alvaro
Tomás
T
Department of Pathology, Hospital Verge de la Cinta, C/Esplanetes n degree 14, 43500-Tortosa, Spain. talvaro.htvc.ics@gencat.net
Lejeune
Marylène
M
Salvadó
Ma Teresa
MT
Bosch
Ramón
R
García
Juan F
JF
Jaén
Joaquín
J
Banham
Alison H
AH
Roncador
Giovanna
G
Montalbán
Carlos
C
Piris
Miguel A
MA
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; D053804:Granzymes; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D039102:Poly(A)-Binding Proteins; D011379:Prognosis; D011506:Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000032:analysis; D016019:Survival Analysis; D000074019:T-Cell Intracellular Antigen-1; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*
D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C418974:FOXP3 protein, human; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; D039102:Poly(A)-Binding Proteins; D011506:Proteins; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; D000074019:T-Cell Intracellular Antigen-1; C071558:TIA1 protein, human; C509213:GZMB protein, human; D053804:Granzymes; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases