Cellular factors of antitumor immunity in patients with chronic lympholeukemia
Natalya V. Issayeva, Galina A. Zaitseva, Tamara P. Zagoskina
FSE, Kirov Research Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion of FMBA of Russia, Kirov, Russia
Summary
The purpose of the study was to analyze a number of cellular factors of antitumor immunity in patients with chronic lympholeukemia (CLL) at the beginning of the disease. Using the method of flow cytometry, the absolute content of the following lymphocyte subpopulations in the peripheral blood were assessed as the main antitumor factors in 59 CLL patients: NC-cells (CD3-/CD(16+56)+), NC-cells with a high cytotoxic activity (CD3-/CD8+), Т-NK-lymphocytes (CD3+/CD(16+56)+), CD3+/CD8+-lymphocytes including T-lymphocytes with cytotoxic properties. The count of lymphocytes functioning as antitumor immunity activators was also taken into account, i.e., all T-lymphocytes (CD3+/CD19-) and T-helpers (CD3+/CD4+).
An expressed spread in the values of the indices studied was revealed in the result of the investigation. A decrease in the content of cells with the markers CD3-/CD(16+56)+, CD3-/CD8+, CD3+/CD(16+56)+, and CD3+/CD8+ was seen in 10%, 10.8%, 38.3%, and 19% of patients, respectively. A combined decrease in two or three studied effectors of antitumor immunity was noted in 52% of patients. A quantitative deficiency of antitumor immunity activators – all T-lymphocytes and T-helpers – was less commonly observed.
The conclusion was that laboratory assessment of the main effectors for antitumor protection of CLL patients with the aim to reveal patients with their depression is advisable and can be taken into consideration when stratifying the patients.
Keywords
chronic lympholeukemia, antitumor immunity, T-lymphocytes, NC-cells
