Intratumoural FOXP3-positive regulatory T cells are associated with adverse prognosis in radically resected gastric cancer.
We investigated the clinical significance of tumour-infiltrating FOXP3-positive regulatory T cells (Tregs) in radically resected (R0) gastric cancer. From a single-institution database, tumors of 110 patients who underwent R0 resection for stage II-III disease were studied for FOXP3-positive Tregs by immunohistochemistry. The observed median number of FOXP3-positive Tregs was used as the cut-point in analyses (<6 versus >or=6 count). Tregs were significantly higher in gastric carcinomas than in normal tissue (P = 0.0001). Tregs count >or=6 was significantly associated with vascular/lymphatic/perineural invasion (VELIPI) in the tumour (P = 0.03). Multivariate analysis showed association between adverse relapse-free survival and grading 3, stage III, VELIPI and Tregs count >or=6 (P = 0.02). Adverse overall survival was associated with grading 3, stage III, VELIPI and Tregs count >or=6 (P = 0.006). FOXP3-positive Tregs may be a novel marker for identifying high-risk gastric cancer patients. Present findings deserve additional investigation as Tregs may also represent an innovative therapeutic target.
Perrone
Giuseppe
G
Department of Histopathology, University Campus Biomedico, Rome, Italy.
Ruffini
Pier Adelchi
PA
Catalano
Vincenzo
V
Spino
Cathie
C
Santini
Daniele
D
Muretto
Pietro
P
Spoto
Chiara
C
Zingaretti
Costantino
C
Sisti
Valerio
V
Alessandroni
Paolo
P
Giordani
Paolo
P
Cicetti
Andrea
A
D'Emidio
Silvia
S
Morini
Sergio
S
Ruzzo
Annamaria
A
Magnani
Mauro
M
Tonini
Giuseppe
G
Rabitti
Carla
C
Graziano
Francesco
F
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000601:surgery; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D005743:Gastrectomy / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000601:surgery; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000601:surgery; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000378:metabolism*
C418974:FOXP3 protein, human; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors