title: Deficiences in phenotype expression and function of dentritic cells from patients with early breast cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Monocytes derived from patients with early breast cancer (EBC) have shown functional deficiencies. These functional deficiencies are characterized by changes in phenotype and morphology. We have expanded these investigations to dendritic cells generated from monocytes from patients with early breast cancer. -
  
  
  METHODS
  Peripheral blood from 36 patients with EBC and from 26 healthy age-matched women was drawn and prepared for ex vivo generation of dendritic cells (DC) by incubation with granulocyte/macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and interleukin 4 (IL4). The phenotype of DC was examined by flow-cytometry. T cell - proliferation was induced with tetanus toxoid pulsed autologous dendritic cell. -
  
  
  RESULTS
  Dendritic cells generated from monocytes from EBC-patients showed a significantly lower expression of the phenotype-associated antigens CD1a, CD83, CD80, CD86 and CD54 than the dendritic cells from healthy controls. T cell - proliferation in response to TT-pulsed autologous dendritic cells was significantly decreased when induced with dendritic cells from patients with early breast cancer, when compared to healthy controls. Morphologically, only dendritic cells from healthy women possessed prominent dendrites indicating maturity. -
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings indicate that dendritic cells generated from monocytes from patients with early breast cancer express an immature phenotype, exhibit immature morphology and show functional deficits when compared to the cells derived from healthy age-matched controls. Whether these findings offer a potential target for therapeutic interventions remains to be elucidated.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine I, Medical University of Vienna, Austria. Christoph.Zielinski@meduniwien.ac.at
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kichler-Lakomy
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Budinsky
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wolfram
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hellan
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wiltschke
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Brodowicz
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Viernstein
authors.forename: Christoph C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Zielinski
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017951:Antigen Presentation; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000096:biosynthesis; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010641:Phenotype; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013745:Tetanus Toxoid / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D013745:Tetanus Toxoid