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T lymphocytes infiltrating advanced grades of cervical neoplasia. CD8‐positive cells are recruited to invasion
Author(s) -
Edwards Robert P.,
Kuykendall Kay,
CrowleyNowick Peggy,
Partridge Edward E.,
Shingleton Hugh M.,
Mestecky Jiri
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(19951015)76:8<1411::aid-cncr2820760817>3.0.co;2-v
Subject(s) - medicine , cd8 , pathology , tumor infiltrating lymphocytes , immunology , immune system
Background . Impaired cellular immunity appears to be a risk factor for progression of cervical neoplasia, but the immunobiology of neoplastic progression is poorly understood. The objective of this study was to characterize the subpopulations of T lymphocytes that infiltrate various grades of cervical neoplasia including metaplasia to invasive cancer in immunocompetent women. Method . In 65 patients with a spectrum of cervical disease ranging from normal cytology to carcinoma, the relative proportions of total T lymphocytes and CD4‐ or CD8‐expressing (helper or cytotoxic) T lymphocyte subsets were determined by immunohistochemistry. Results . When the invasive carcinoma stromal infiltrate was compared with the infiltrate of preinvasive lesions, the numbers of total T cells and the CD8‐positive subset increased significantly in the invasive cancers ( P < 0.005). Although immunocyte infiltrates were highly concentrated in focal clusters beneath the preinvasive squamous lesions, the CD8‐positive immunocytes diffusely infiltrated the invading tumor. Conclusions . The CD8‐positive T cell infiltrate far exceeded the CD4‐positive cells in the invasive, but not in the preinvasive lesions, a finding that suggests that CD8 cells are recruited preferentially to cervical lesions with progression to invasion.