LYMPHOCYTE INFILTRATION IN ESOPHAGEAL-CARCINOMA - LACK OF CORRELATIONWITH MHC ANTIGENS, ICAM-1, AND TUMOR STAGE AND GRADE

Infiltration by T lymphocytes into oesophageal carcinomas was assessed immunohistochemically, total T lymphocyte numbers by staining for CD3 and activated T lymphocytes by staining for CD25. Five squamous carci nomas and seven adenocarcinomas, resected without neoadjuvant treatmen t, were studied. Computer aided quantitation showed that total numbers of tumour infiltrating CD3 positive cells were highly variable (range 48-1673 cells/mm(2)). They were located largely in the stromal (87.9- 99.2%) rather than intratumoral regions. Up to 84% of tumour infiltrat ing T lymphocytes were CD25 positive, although the median figure was 3 3%. There was no correlation between T lymphocyte infiltration or acti vation and expression of class I and II histocompatibility antigens, i ntercellular adhesion molecule-1, tumour stage or grade. These results imply that the local inflammatory response in oesophageal carcinomas is deregulated, which may be a factor contributing to the aggressive n ature of the tumours.