title: Analysis of Treg cell population alterations in the peripheral blood of patients treated surgically for ovarian cancer - a preliminary report.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Treg cells constitute the main cell population that enables cancer cells to evade immune surveillance. An alteration in the Treg cell population might correspond to the diminishment of the tumour mass in patients with cancer and could therefore be a useful marker of the intensity of the selective suppression of the host immune system and also of the degree of radicalism of a procedure. Certainly, it is well known that in order for anti-cancer therapy to succeed the proper immune response against cancer cells must be restored. Furthermore, monitoring the level of selective immune system suppression during cancer therapy might yield information that would support a decision to supplement standard therapy by immunotherapy or to increase the degree of radicalism of the applied therapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined the Treg cell populations in the peripheral blood of a group of patients treated surgically for ovarian cancer. In each patient, the peripheral blood samples were collected both prior to and 1 day after the surgical procedure, and then again 5 days after the procedure. The presence of regulatory T cells in the samples was analyzed by means of flow cytometry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In our study, the percentages of FOXP3(+) cells in the subpopulation of CD4(+) T lymphocytes found in the peripheral blood of the patients before the surgical intervention were statistically significantly higher than those observed in the peripheral blood of these same patients after the surgical procedure.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It would seem that the alteration in the Treg cell subpopulation could be a key factor in determining the status of the tumour microenvironment. Most likely, it could provide information about whether the proper level of anti-cancer immune response could be restored. The possibility of restoring the immune response may directly correspond to the degree of radicalism of the surgical intervention.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Oncology, Lukaszczyk Oncological Center, Bydgoszcz, Poland. mowicher@cyf-kr.edu.pl
authors.forename: Lukasz
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wicherek
authors.forename: Wojciech
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Jozwicki
authors.forename: Wieslawa
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Windorbska
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Roszkowski
authors.forename: Ewelina
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lukaszewska
authors.forename: Michal
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wisniewski
authors.forename: Anna Aneta
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Brozyna
authors.forename: Pawel
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Basta
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Skret-Magierlo
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Koper
authors.forename: Wojciech
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Rokita
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dutsch-Wicherek
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000276:immunology / Q000601:surgery; D000368:Aged; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000276:immunology / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000601:surgery; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: C418974:FOXP3 protein, human; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors