Correlation of clinico-pathologic data with inflammatory cells infiltration in colorectal cancer

Abstract

Introduction: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer worldwide. At every phase of cancer development, the inflammatory process has an important impact. Accurate assessment inflammatory cells in the tumour environment in conjunction with clinico-pathologic features can be a relevant prognostic or predictive parameter. Purpose: To analyse inflammatory cell infiltration in CRC tumour mass and correlate with chosen clinico-pathologic parameters. Materials and methods: The study group consisted of 160 patients (64 women, 96 men) diagnosed with colorectal cancer who underwent surgery. Tissue material obtained from routine histopathological diagnosis was stained with H&E and used to assess the type of inflammatory cells in the invasive front and centre of the tumour. Results were subjected to statistical analysis with the age and gender of patients, tumour localization, tumour growth and size, TNM stage, adenocarcinoma type, fibrosis, necrosis, metastasis and tumour invasion (by the Spearman’s correlation coefficient test). Results: The presence of neutrophils in the invasive front of tumour mass was associated with fibrosis and inflammatory cell infiltration in the invasive front of tumour. Macrophages in the invasive front of tumour were found to correlate with tumour growth (expanding and infiltrate). Macrophages and eosinophils were associated with inflammatory cell infiltration in the invasive front and in the centre of tumour. Conclusions: The type of inflammatory cells in the invasive front or centre of the tumour may be useful to prognoses clinical features of colorectal cancer