Clinical significance of level of CD4+ CD25Hi CD127Low regulatory T cells in the peripheral blood of patients with esophageal cancers.

Abstract

Objective To detect the levels of CD4+CD25HiCD127Low regulatory T cells (Treg) in the peripheral blood and its clinical significance in patients with esophageal cancer. Methods The levels of Treg in the peripheral blood were detected by three-color flow cytometry (FCM) in 80 patients with esophageal cancer and 20 healthy controls. Among the 80 patients, 30 patients were also further studied for preoperative and postoperative comparison after operation. The clinical and pathological data of each patient were collected and analyzed for the correlation with the Treg levels. Results The level of Treg in the peripheral blood of the control group was lower than that of the esophageal cancer patients [(3.36±1.14) % and (5.70±1.96) %, respectively], with significant difference (P <0.01). The levels of Treg in the peripheral blood was higher in the patients with metastasis of lymph node (n=40) than that in the patients without metastasis of lymph node (5.96±1.36) % and (4.23±1.18) %, respectively] (n=30), with significant difference (P <0.01). The levels of Treg in the peripheral blood of the patients were negatively correlated with their TNM classification. As the TNM classification advanced, the level of the Treg in the peripheral blood increased. Conclusion The levels of Treg in the peripheral blood of the patients with esophageal cancer are significantly higher than that of the healthy subjects, which is correlated with the clinical and pathological conditions. The development of esophageal cancer may relate with suppression of immune function. Key words: Esophageal neoplasms; Regulatory, T-lymphocytes; Flow cytometry