Cytokine profiles in spontaneously regressing basal cell carcinomas

Background Basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) can cause considerable morbidity du e to their ability to enlarge progressively and to destroy underlying tissu es. However, some BCCs may undergo spontaneous regression in the absence of therapy capable of inducing antineoplastic effects. Histological criteria for this process have been described, and previous studies have suggested t hat it may be mediated by infiltrating activated CD4-positive T cells. Obje ctives The purpose of this study was to compare the expression of cytokines in actively regressing and non-regressing BCCs, to ascertain if active reg ression is associated with a particular cytokine profile. Methods Reverse t ranscriptase-polymerase chain reaction, a sensitive, quantitative technique allowing analysis of multiple cytokines from small tumour samples, was use d. Results Interferon (IFN)-gamma was significantly elevated in actively re gressing BCCs compared with non-regressing BCCs. Furthermore, interleukin ( IL)-2, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-beta and CD3 delta tended to be elevate d in actively regressing tumours, although not to statistically significant levels. IFN-gamma, IL-2, IL-10, TNF-beta, granulocyte-macrophage colony-st imulating factor and Fas ligand showed strong positive correlations with CD 3 delta, indicating an association between infiltrating T cells and these c ytokines. Conclusions These findings support a role for T-helper 1 type cyt okines in mediating spontaneous regression of BCCs.