CD4+CD39+ cells in patients with hematologic malignancies

Abstract

Altered expression of the ectonucleotidase CD39 in T lymphocytes has been described in various immunopathologies including solid tumors. However, the information on the cells expressing this immune checkpoint molecule in patients with hematological malignancies is limited. The aim of the present study was to see the frequency of CD39+ cells in circulating and splenic CD4+ T lymphocyte populations of patients with hematological malignancies and to determine their correlation with blood biomarkers of systemic inflammation.The study was conducted on seven patients diagnosed with hematologic malignancies, who underwent splenectomy for therapeutic reasons. Two groups of splenectomized patients were used as controls. The first control group consisted of six patients without a diagnosis of cancer or autoimmune diseases, and the second control group consisted of nine patients diagnosed with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP).Our results revealed that the frequencies of CD4+CD39+ cells in the blood and spleen of patients with hematologic malignancies do not differ from similar values in splenectomized patients having no history of cancer or autoimmune disease. The frequency of CD4+CD39+ cells in the spleen of patients with hematologic malignancies is significantly higher than the similar rate of ITP patients. In addition, a strong negative correlation is confirmed between the frequency of CD4+CD39+ cells in the spleen of the patients of the study group and the platelets to monocytes ratio in the blood.