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Neoadjuvant therapy changes the lymphocyte composition of tumor‐draining lymph nodes in cervical carcinoma
Author(s) -
Fattorossi Andrea,
Battaglia Alessandra,
Ferrandina Gabriella,
Coronetta Ferdinando,
Legge Francesco,
Salutari Vanda,
Scambia Giovanni
Publication year - 2004
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/cncr.20130
Subject(s) - lymph , medicine , cd8 , il 2 receptor , cytotoxic t cell , tumor infiltrating lymphocytes , lymphocyte , neoadjuvant therapy , immunology , immune system , pathology , t cell , cancer , biology , biochemistry , breast cancer , in vitro
BACKGROUND The objective of the current study was to illustrate the influence of neoadjuvant therapy on the local immune response in patients with cervical carcinoma. METHODS Uninvolved tumor‐draining lymph nodes (TDLN) ( n = 158 lymph nodes), including internal, external, and common iliac lymph nodes as well as obturator, presacral, and aortic lymph nodes from 15 nontreated (NT) patients, 4 chemotherapy (CT)‐treated patients, and 19 chemoradiation (CR)‐treated patients, were analyzed for lymphocyte subset distribution and for the proliferative response of T cells to polyclonal activation and interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ) production. Lymphocyte subsets in peripheral blood also were assessed. RESULTS TDLNs from CR‐treated patients contained higher proportions of CD8 + cells and natural killer cells than NT and CT‐treated patients ( P values ranged from < 0.05 to < 0.01). TDLNs from CR‐treated patients were enriched in activated‐type CD4 + cells (HLA‐DR + , CD134 + , CD62L − , and CD25 + at an intermediate expression level; P values ranged from < 0.05 to < 0.01) and activated‐type CD8 + cells (CD62L − , P <0.001) compared with NT patients. Concomitantly, there was a reduction in the proportion of naïve‐type CD4 + and CD8 + cells (CD45RA + /CD62L + ) ( P < 0.01 and < 0.05, respectively). CR treatment increased the proportion of both CD4 + and CD8 + cells prone to produce IFN‐γ. All TDLNs contained suppressive CD4 + T regulatory (Treg) cells (CD25 + and CD152 + at a high expression level) whose frequency and suppressive activity was not influenced by the treatment. Therapy‐induced changes in TDLN were mirrored only in part by respective alterations in peripheral blood. CONCLUSIONS To our knowledge, the current study is the first to show that neoadjuvant therapy produces an enhancing effect on the immune competency of TDLNs from patients with cervical carcinoma. Cancer 2004;100:1418–28. © 2004 American Cancer Society.