title: Regulatory T lymphocytes and transforming growth factor beta in epithelial ovarian tumors-prognostic significance.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Regulatory T lymphocytes (Treg) are characterized by the presence of CD4+ surface antigen. Today the transcription factor FOXP3 is considered to be the most specific marker of Treg cells. The aim of the study was to estimate the percentage of Treg in peripheral blood and the tissue of the epithelial ovarian tumor and blood serum TGF-beta concentrations and relationships between them. Moreover, the aim of the study was to answer the question whether the percentage of Treg lymphocytes affects the time of survival in patients with ovarian cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  The patients were divided into four groups, depending on the histopathological examination result: I--a group without any pathology within the ovaries (C; n = 20), II--a group with benign tumors (B; n = 25), III - with borderline tumors (BR; n = 11), IV--a group with cancer of the ovary (M; n = 24). The percentage of Treg lymphocytes in peripheral blood and the tissue was assessed using the flow cytometry method. TGF-beta cytokine concentration was estimated with the ELISA immunoenzymatic test. Statistical analysis of the results was conducted using the computer program Statistica 10.0PL (StatSoft, Inc).
  
  
  RESULTS
  No significant differences were found in percentages of Treg lymphocytes in peripheral blood between individual groups of patients (p = 0.11). However, we observed marked differences in the tissue of malignant and non-malignant tumors between individual groups of patients (p = 0.003). The analysis with the post hoc test revealed significantly higher TGF-beta concentration in the group of women with malignant tumors. Moreover, no relationship was found between TGF-beta concentration and the percentage of Treg cells in peripheral blood and tumors of the ovary. No correlation was found between the percentage of Treg lymphocytes in peripheral blood (p = 0.4) and the tissue of ovarian tumors (p = 0.3) and the time of survival of patients with ovarian cancer.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The recruitment of Treg lymphocytes toward the tumor is one of the mechanisms of escape of neoplasm from the response of the immune system. The percentage of Treg lymphocytes in peripheral blood and the neoplastic tissue does not influence the time of survival of patients with ovarian cancer.
authors.affiliation: II Department of Surgical Gynaecology, Medical University in Lublin, Jaczewski Street, 20-954, Lublin, Poland. ikochans@interia.pl.
authors.forename: Izabela
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Winkler
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Immunology, Medical University in Lublin, Chodźki 4a Street, 20-093, Lublin, Poland. wilczynska.barbara1@gmail.com.|Department of Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetology with Endocrine-Metabolic Laboratory, Chodźki 2 Street, 20-093, Lublin, Poland. wilczynska.barbara1@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wilczynska
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Immunology, Medical University in Lublin, Chodźki 4a Street, 20-093, Lublin, Poland. agnieszkajunak@poczta.onet.pl.
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bojarska-Junak
authors.affiliation: II Department of Surgical Gynaecology, Medical University in Lublin, Jaczewski Street, 20-954, Lublin, Poland. gogacz@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Marek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gogacz
authors.affiliation: II Department of Surgical Gynaecology, Medical University in Lublin, Jaczewski Street, 20-954, Lublin, Poland. adamiak@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Aneta
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Adamiak
authors.affiliation: II Department of Surgical Gynaecology, Medical University in Lublin, Jaczewski Street, 20-954, Lublin, Poland. postawski@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Postawski
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Perinatology, Medical University of Lublin, Jaczewski Street, 20-954, Lublin, Poland. dorota.darmochwal-kolarz@umlub.pl.|Centre for Innovative Research in Medical and Natural Sciences, Medical Faculty of University of Rzeszów, Warzywna Street, 35-959, Rzeszów, Poland. dorota.darmochwal-kolarz@umlub.pl.
authors.forename: Dorota
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Darmochwal-Kolarz
authors.affiliation: II Department of Surgical Gynaecology, Medical University in Lublin, Jaczewski Street, 20-954, Lublin, Poland. rechbergt@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Tomasz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rechberger
authors.affiliation: Centre for Innovative Research in Medical and Natural Sciences, Medical Faculty of University of Rzeszów, Warzywna Street, 35-959, Rzeszów, Poland. kolgen@o2.pl.
authors.forename: Jacek
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tabarkiewicz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D000077216:Carcinoma, Ovarian Epithelial; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009375:Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D011379:Prognosis; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta