Entourage: the immune microenvironment following follicular lymphoma

In follicular lymphoma, nonmalignant immune cells are important. Follicular lymphoma depends on CD4+ cells, but CD8+ cells counteract it. We hypothesized that the presence of follicular lymphoma is associated with higher CD4+ than CD8+ cell numbers in the tumor microenvironment but not in the immune...

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Published in:Blood cancer journal (New York) 2012-01, Vol.2 (1), p.e52-e52
Main Authors: Wahlin, B E, Sander, B, Christensson, B, Østenstad, B, Holte, H, Brown, P D, Sundström, C, Kimby, E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
631/250/1620/1342
631/67/327
692/698/1543/1565/1597/554
692/699/67/1990/291/1621
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biomedicine
bone marrow
Cancer Research
CD4/CD8 ratio
follicular lymphoma
Hematology
microenvironment
Oncology
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original-article
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Summary:In follicular lymphoma, nonmalignant immune cells are important. Follicular lymphoma depends on CD4+ cells, but CD8+ cells counteract it. We hypothesized that the presence of follicular lymphoma is associated with higher CD4+ than CD8+ cell numbers in the tumor microenvironment but not in the immune system. Using flow cytometry, pre-treatment and follow-up CD4/CD8 ratios were estimated in the bone marrow, blood and lymph nodes of untreated follicular lymphoma patients in two independent data sets ( N 1 =121; N 2 =166). The ratios were analyzed for their relation with bone marrow lymphoma involvement. Bone marrows were also investigated with immunohistochemistry. In either data set, the bone marrow CD4/CD8 ratios were higher in bone marrows involved with lymphoma ( P =0.043 and 0.0002, respectively). The mean CD4/CD8 ratio was 1.0 in uninvolved and 1.4 in involved bone marrows. Also higher in involved bone marrows were CD4/CD56 and CD3CD25/CD3 ratios. No blood or lymph node ratios differed between bone marrow-negative and -positive patients. Sequential samples showed increased bone marrow CD4/CD8 ratios in all cases of progression to bone marrow involvement. Immunohistochemistry showed CD4+, CD57+, programmed death-1+, forkhead box protein 3+ and CD21+ cells accumulated inside the lymphoma infiltrates, whereas CD8+, CD56+ and CD68+ cells were outside the infiltrates. This study provides evidence in vivo that the microenvironment changes upon follicular lymphoma involvement.
ISSN:2044-5385
2044-5385
DOI:10.1038/bcj.2011.53