title: Low density of CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+ cells is associated with increased risk of relapse in squamous cell cervical cancer.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of the primary in situ cellular immune response in cervical squamous cell carcinoma. A study of 102 women treated for stage IB and IIA disease, between 1990 and 2000, was performed. Paraffin-embedded cervical tissue processed at the time of diagnosis was immunostained for CD3+ (T cells), CD4+ (T helper/regulatory T cells) and CD8+ (cytotoxic T cells) cells. Immune cell profile densities were estimated using stereology. Both intra- and peritumoural cell densities were estimated. Using Cox's proportional hazards regression modelling we found an increase in cell density to decrease the risk of relapse for all three cell types. The density of peritumoural CD3+ cells seems to have the strongest potential for predicting relapse. An increase in CD3+ cell density from 795 to 2043 cells per mm(2) (25-75 percentile) reduced the hazard ratio to 0.27.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Aalborg Hospital, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark. b.nedergaard@rn.dk
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Nedergaard
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ladekarl
authors.forename: H F
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Thomsen
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Nyengaard
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nielsen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017252:CD3 Complex / Q000276:immunology; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D016246:Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating / Q000276:immunology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000473:pathology*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D018307:Neoplasms, Squamous Cell / Q000276:immunology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D017252:CD3 Complex