title: Prognostic effect of stromal lymphocyte infiltration in thymic carcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship between the tumor infiltrating lymphocytes and clinical outcome in patients with thymic carcinoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Tissue specimens from 32 patients who underwent surgical resection for thymic carcinoma were immunohistochemically analyzed for CD4, CD8 and CD20 expression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes were generally more abundant in the stroma. The patients with low CD4+ lymphocytes (p=0.037) and low CD20+ lymphocytes (p=0.045) within tumor stroma showed poor survival. Furthermore, concurrent low levels of CD4+ and CD20+ (p=0.014), CD8+ and CD20+ (p=0.025), and, CD4+, CD8+, and CD20+ (p=0.025) in tumor stroma were significantly associated with poor prognosis when compared to the others group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results indicate that infiltrating CD4+, CD8+, and CD20+ lymphocytes in cancer stroma may cooperate to suppress cancer progression and their presence together appear to be prognostic factor in thymic carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Ewha University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Hyo Sup
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Shim
authors.forename: Chun Sung
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Byun
authors.forename: Mi Kyung
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Bae
authors.forename: Chang Young
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: In Kyu
authors.initials: IK
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Dae Joon
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Kyung Young
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Jin Gu
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000378:metabolism; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D002452:Cell Count; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000276:immunology; D003238:Connective Tissue / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D016246:Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D013934:Thymectomy; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D019139:Tumor Escape; D059016:Tumor Microenvironment / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD