title: The prognostic influence of tumor infiltrating Foxp3(+)CD4(+), CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells in resected non-small cell lung cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Different subsets of tumor infiltrating T lymphocytes are believed to play essential role in the immune response to cancer cells. The data of these cells in NSCLC are relatively rare and controversial therefore we aimed to evaluate the infiltration patterns of Foxp3 + CD4+, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in NSCLC and to analyze their relations to survival.
  
  
  METHODS
  Lung tissue specimens from 80 newly diagnosed and untreated patients who underwent surgery for NSCLC (stages I-III), and 16 control group subjects, who underwent surgery due to recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax, were analyzed. Foxp3 + CD4+, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in tumor stroma and islets were evaluated immunohistochemically. All statistical analyses were performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), version 20.0.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Tumor infiltrating CD4+, CD8+ T cells were associated with neither overall survival nor disease-free survival. The presence of high tumor stroma infiltrating Foxp3 + CD4+ T cells was independently associated with improved NSCLC patients overall survival (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study demonstrated that tumor infiltrating Foxp3 + CD4+ T cells are associated with improved NSCLC patients' survival. In addition our findings highlight a tendency of high CD4+/CD8+ and CD8+/Foxp3 + CD4+ T cells ratio in prolonged NSCLC patients' survival.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonology and Immunology, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Jurgita
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jackute
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonology and Immunology, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Marius
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zemaitis
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Darius
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pranys
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonology and Immunology, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Brigita
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sitkauskiene
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonology and Immunology, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Skaidrius
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Miliauskas
authors.affiliation: Department of Heart, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Vytis
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bajoriunas
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonology and Immunology, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lavinskiene
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonology and Immunology, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Raimundas
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sakalauskas
keywords: CD4+ T cells; CD8+ T cells; Foxp3 + CD4+ T cells; Immunohistochemistry; Non-small cell lung cancer; Smoking; Tumor islets and stroma