Lymphoreticular cells within primary colorectal carcinoma: A surface marker study

Abstract

Stromal lymphoreticular cell infiltration was studied in 60 colorectal carcinomas, using EAC-rosetting and immunofluorescent staining of B lymphocytes. Three distinct but partly overlapping patterns were found: (i) Diffuse leukocytosis concentrated in a bandlike fashion at the tumor edge and comprising plasma cells, eosinophils, macrophages, and lymphocytes, and seen in all cases. The lymphocytes did not generally react with EAC nor stain with the anti-B-cell serum: (ii) patchy lymphocytosis comprising a mixture of B and non-B lymphocytes and seen in 20 of the 60 tumors; and (iii) perivascular cuffs of small, dark lymphocytes (PLC) which did not generally rosette with EAC, nor stain with anti-B-lymphocyte serum, i.e., putative T lymphocytes, and seen in 16 of the 60 tumors. Stromal leukocytosis of the first type and defined as exceeding 2000 cells/mm 2, related significantly and directly to tumor differentiation and “localized” tumor stage. Both PLC and stromal leukocytosis were significantly ( P = 0.028 and 0.009, respectively) associated with a favorable prognosis.