Tissue detection of natural killer cells in laryngeal carcinoma.
Natural Killer (NK) cells have gained much attention as potential cells in antitumor immune defense mechanisms. In a group of 31 patients with surgically treated squamous cell laryngeal carcinoma, NK cell presence was semiquantitatively assessed by means of immunohistochemistry. A panel of three monoclonal antibodies including anti-CD16, was applied on frozen tissue sections. High CD 16+ cell presence was more frequently detected in poorly differentiated carcinomas (in 6 out of 14 cases) by comparison to carcinomas of high to moderate degrees of differentiation (in 1 out of 16 cases, p=0.031). No other clinicopathological variable appeared to influence NK cell presence in the examined specimens. No relation between NK cell detection and relapse-free survival emerged. Poorly differentiated laryngeal cancer cells appear to trigger off a greater NK cell tissue response than well and moderately differentiated cancer cells; however, the potential prognostic impact of this observation remains to be established.
Lazaris
A C
AC
First Department of Pathology, School of medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece. alazaris@med.uoa.gr
Segas
J V
JV
Nikolopoulos
T P
TP
Patsouris
E S
ES
D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000032:analysis; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery; D007825:Laryngectomy; D011379:Prognosis; D017452:Receptors, IgG / Q000032:analysis
D015703:Antigens, CD; D017452:Receptors, IgG