CD8(-LYMPHOCYTES ARE RECRUITED TO NEOPLASTIC CERVIX() T)

To(1iicIV) distinguish normal cervical lymphocyte populations from phe notypes recruited to the cervix in response to cervical neoplasia, lym phocytes were isolated from normal and neoplastic cervix. A portion of the cervical transformation zone was obtained from 19 patients with p athologically confirmed cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and from 20 patients with normal cervices undergoing hysterectomy for benign indi cations. Mononuclear cells were harvested from cervical tissue using a serial, multienzymatic digestion procedure and enriched by density gr adient centrifugation. Isolated cell populations were stained with sur face marker-specific monoclonal antibodies and analyzed by fluorescent activated cell sorter to determine the percentage of B cells, total T cells, CD4(+) T cells, CD8(+) T cells, and natural killer (NK) cells. The distribution of circulating peripheral blood lymphocyte phenotype s was similar for both patients with neoplasia and normal controls. A marked disparity in the proportions of NK cells and T cells was demons trated among lymphocyte phenotypes infiltrating the cervix. The percen tage of CD4(+) T cells and NK cells was significantly depressed (P = 0 .04, P = 0.03, respectively) in dysplastic tissue as compared to norma l cervical tissue, In contrast, the proportion of CD8(+) T cells was s ignificantly increased in the dysplastic tissue (P = 0.0001). Analysis of immunocompetent cells in the circulation appears to have little co rrelation with immunocytes present in the dysplastic epithelium. The d epression in the proportion of CD4(+) T lymphocytes and NK cells at th e cervical squamocolumnar junction reflects a local recruitment of CD8 (+) T cells to the site of neoplasia in the cervix.