B. Melichar et al., CD4(+) T-lymphocytopenia and systemic immune activation in patients with primary and secondary liver tumours, SC J CL INV, 61(5), 2001, pp. 363-370
Citations number
35
Categorie Soggetti
Research/Laboratory Medicine & Medical Tecnology","Medical Research General Topics
Journal title
SCANDINAVIAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL & LABORATORY INVESTIGATION
Using flow cytometry, we evaluated peripheral blood leucocyte subsets in 84
patients with primary and secondary liver cancer. The patients had signifi
cantly lower absolute (659 +/- 386 vs, 906 +/- 360 cells per mul, p=0.004)
numbers of CD3(+)CD4(+), relative (9 +/-5 vs. 12 +/-4%, p=0.02) and absolut
e (154 +/- 115 vs. 221 +/- 83 cells per mul, p=0.02) numbers of CD8(+)CD28(
+), absolute numbers of CD3(+) and relative and absolute numbers of CD19(+)
. Relative and absolute numbers of CD3(+)DR(+), CD3(+)CD69(+) and CD14(+)CD
16(+) cells were significantly elevated in patients compared to controls. T
he phenotype was similar in 54 patients exposed to chemotherapy compared to
30 untreated patients. Urinary neopterin, a marker of systemic immune acti
vation, was significantly higher in patients with liver tumours compared to
controls. A negative correlation was observed between urinary neopterin an
d the absolute numbers of CD3(+)CD4(+) (Spearman rank correlation coefficie
nt, rs= -0.54, p<0.0025) and CD19(+) (rs= -0.49, p<0.01) in untreated patie
nts. We conclude that, independently of prior chemotherapy, patients with l
iver present with markedly decreased numbers of CD3(+)CD4(+) lymphocytes as
well as with other abnormalities of peripheral blood leukocyte phenotype.
Similar to patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection, the decrea
se in CD3(+)CD4(+) lymphocytes is associated with systemic immune activatio
n.