[Clinical significance of tumor interstitial T lymphocyte subset activity in non-small-cell lung cancer].
OBJECTIVE
To study the relation of tumor interstitial T lymphocyte subset activity to the clinical staging of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and the immune response.


METHODS
Immunohistochemical staining for CD4(+), CD8(+) and CD4(+)CD25(+) Foxp3(+) (regulatory T cells, Treg) T cells was performed on paraffin-embedded tissues from 60 NSCLC cases.


RESULTS
Compared to stage I/II NSCLC patients, patients in stage III/IV showed a significant decrease in the percentage of CD4(+) and CD4(+)/CD8(+) T cells (P<0.05) and an increase in CD8(+) and CD4(+)CD25(+) Foxp3(+) T cells (P<0.05). Treg cells were enriched in the tumor tissue as compared with those in the adjacent tissues.


CONCLUSIONS
The proportion of CD4(+)CD25(+) Foxp3(+) Treg cells is positively correlated to the clinical staging of NSCLC, in which T cell-mediated immune response is suppressed.
Xue
Lei
L
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510120, China. xueleichina@hotmail.com
Chen
Ju
J
Peng
Jiang-zhou
JZ
Chen
Bai-shen
BS
Hua
Ping
P
Yang
Yan-qi
YQ
D000368:Aged; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000276:immunology; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology*