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Circulating immunosuppressive cells of prostate cancer patients before and after radical prostatectomy: Profile comparison
Author(s) -
Brusa Davide,
Simone Mariagrazia,
Gontero Paolo,
Spadi Rosella,
Racca Patrizia,
Micari Jasmin,
Degiuli Maurizio,
Carletto Sara,
Tizzani Alessandro,
Matera Lina
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
international journal of urology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.172
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1442-2042
pISSN - 0919-8172
DOI - 10.1111/iju.12086
Subject(s) - medicine , prostate cancer , prostatectomy , cancer , prostate , immunotherapy , oncology , pca3 , immunology , cancer research
Objectives A dendritic cell‐based cancer vaccine has recently received Food and Drug Administration approval in the USA based on its ability to prolong the survival of prostate cancer patients with advanced disease. However, tumor‐mediated immunosuppressive mechanisms might represent an obstacle to optimal performance of this therapy. We have recently shown that monocytes from the blood of prostate cancer patients can fully mature to dendritic cells only after the tumor is removed. Here, we have tested the hypothesis that these tumor‐driven monocytes correspond to the recently described subset of CD 14 + HLA ‐ DR low immunosuppressor cells. Methods Prostate cancer patients were studied before and 1 month after prostatectomy. Pre‐ and postsurgical patients with colorectal cancer were also included for comparison. Flow cytometric analysis was applied to define CD 14 − HLA ‐ DR low CD 33 + CD 11b + (myeloid) and CD 14 + HLA ‐ DR low (monocytic) suppressor cells. Interferon‐γ release was used to assess the immunocompetence of lymphocytes. Results In both prostate cancer and colorectal cancer patients, the percentage of CD 14 + HLA ‐ DR low cells was several‐fold higher compared with normal subjects. This was not the case for CD 14 − HLA ‐ DR low CD 33 + CD 11b + cells. Furthermore, postsurgical normalization of CD 14 + HLA ‐ DR low cells only occurred in prostate cancer patients. In all patients, the interferon‐γ response of T lymphocytes to phorbolmyristate acetate‐ionomycin was higher compared with normal donors, but it was further increased after tumor ablation only in prostate cancer patients. Conclusions The direct link between CD 14 + HLA ‐ DR low increase and presence of primary tumor suggests a distinguishing immunosuppressive profile of prostate cancer. This observation supports the principle that the appropriate setting for prostate cancer vaccine therapy is a minimal disease status.