FOXP3+ regulatory T cells in cutaneous T-cell lymphomas: association with disease stage and survival.
FOXP3 is a unique marker for CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells (Tregs). In solid tumours, high numbers of Tregs are associated with a poor prognosis. Knowledge about the implications of Tregs for the behaviour of haematological malignancies is limited. In this study, skin biopsies from 86 patients with mycosis fungoides (MF) and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) unspecified were analysed for the expression of FOXP3 on tumour cells and tumour-infiltrating Tregs. Labelling of above 10% of the neoplastic cells was seen in one case classified as an aggressive epidermotropic CD8+ cytotoxic CTCL. In the remaining 85 cases, the atypical neoplastic infiltrate was either FOXP3 negative (n=80) or contained only very occasional weakly positive cells (n=5). By contrast, all biopsies showed varying numbers of strongly FOXP3+ tumour-infiltrating Tregs. MF with early or infiltrated plaques had significantly higher numbers of FOXP3+ Tregs than CTCL unspecified or advanced MF with tumours or transformation to large cell lymphoma. An analysis of all patients demonstrated that increasing numbers of FOXP3+ Tregs were associated with improved survival in both MF and CTCL unspecified. In conclusion, our data indicate that the presence of FOXP3+ Tregs in CTCL is associated with disease stage and patient survival.
Gjerdrum
L M
LM
Department of Pathology, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. lmgje@mail.dk
Woetmann
A
A
Odum
N
N
Burton
C M
CM
Rossen
K
K
Skovgaard
G L
GL
Ryder
L P
LP
Ralfkiaer
E
E
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D005260:Female; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D019169:Jurkat Cells / Q000737:chemistry; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D016246:Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D016410:Lymphoma, T-Cell, Cutaneous / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009182:Mycosis Fungoides / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology
C418974:FOXP3 protein, human; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins