Prognostic significance of cell infiltrations of immunosurveillance in colorectal cancer.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether the mast cell (MCs) and tumor-associated macrophage (TAMs) counts have any correlation with clinical outcome in colorectal cancer, and to investigate whether MCs undergo phenotypic changes in colorectal cancer.


METHODS
The MC and TAM counts were determined immunohistochemically in 60 patients with colorectal cancer and the depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis rate, distant metastasis rates, and survival rates were compared between patients with low (less than the mean number of positive cells) and high (more than the mean number of positive cells) cell counts.


RESULTS
Both patients with a low MC count and patients with a low TAM count had significantly deeper depth of invasion than those with a high MC count and those with a high TAM count (P<0.01 and P<0.01 respectively). Patients with a high MC count and patients with a high TAM count were significantly higher showing significantly lower rates of lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis than those with a low MC count and those with a low TAM count. There were significant positive correlation between MC counts and TAM counts (r = 0.852, P<0.01). In both cancerous tissue and normal colorectal tissue, the predominant MC phenotype was MC(TC). The 5-year survival rate estimated was significantly lower in both patients with a low MC count and patients with a low TAM count than in those with a high MC count and those with a high TAM count (P<0.05 and P<0.01 respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
There appears to be a direct relationship between the number of MCs and clinical outcome in patients with colorectal cancer, even though MCs exhibited no significant phenotypic changes. TAM count is of value to predict the clinical outcome or prognosis. It is more beneficial for estimating biological character of colorectal carcinoma to combine MC and TAM counts.
Tan
Shi-Yun
SY
Department of Gastroenterology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, Hubei Province, China. tanshiyun@medmail.com.cn
Fan
Yan
Y
Luo
He-Sheng
HS
Shen
Zhi-Xiang
ZX
Guo
Yi
Y
Zhao
Liang-Jia
LJ
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000941:Antigens / Q000378:metabolism; D002452:Cell Count; D053818:Chymases; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000556:secondary; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007157:Immunologic Surveillance; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008264:Macrophages / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010641:Phenotype; D011379:Prognosis; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism; D016019:Survival Analysis; D053802:Tryptases
D000941:Antigens; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; D053818:Chymases; D053802:Tryptases