Monitoring of serum levels of angiogenin, ENA-78 and GRO chemokines in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in the course of the treatment.

Tumour progression requires the presence of a rich vascular supply. A number of cytokines, chemokines and proteases participate in the process of tumour angiogenesis. We evaluated serum levels of angiogenin, panGRO (Growth Related Oncogene) (CXCL 1,2,3) and ENA-78 (Epithelial Neutrophil Activating) (CXCL5) in the serum of 32 patients with RCC (renal cell carcinoma) and 14 healthy blood donors by means of a protein array analysis. The patients were divided into three groups according to their disease stages (I+II, III, IV). We discovered significant differences between the blood donors and patients with RCC both in pre-operative and post-operative angiogenin, panGRO and ENA-78 levels. The increase in angiogenic factors lasted in patients even without metastases 2 months after surgery. We found no correlation between the levels of angiogenin and stages I+II, III and IV RCC. Patients with advanced carcinoma (stage III) had pre-operatively higher serum levels of ENA-78 than patients with stages I+II (p = 0,009) and IV (p< 0.001). Eight weeks after surgery the patients with stages I+II had significantly higher levels of panGRO than patients with stage IV.

Phenotype analysis of tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes and lymphocytes in peripheral blood in patients with renal carcinoma.

INTRODUCTION: When checking tumour growth, a number of observations indicate that the immune system plays a significant role in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Infiltration by lymphocytes (tumour infiltrating lymphocytes, TILs) is more prevalent in RCC than any other tumours. T lymphocytes are the dominant population of TIL cells. Views concerning the role of T lymphocytic subpopulations, B lymphocytes and NK cells in an anti-tumour response are not established. AIM: The aim is to determine the phenotype and activation of T and B lymphocytic subpopulations and NK cells and to compare their representation in tumour stroma and peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) in patients with RCC. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Samples of peripheral blood taken from the cubital and renal veins and tumour stroma cells were obtained from 44 patients in the course of their surgeries carried out due to primary RCC. TILs were isolated from mechanically disintegrated tumour tissue. Immunophenotype multiparametric analysis of PBL and TILs was carried out. Their surface and activation characteristics were determined by means of flow cytometer. RESULTS: CD3+ T lymphocytes (69.7%) were the main population of TILs. The number of CD3+/CD8+ T lymphocytes was significantly higher in TILs, 42.6% (p < 0.01), while CD4+ T lymphocytes were the majority population in peripheral blood, 41.35% (p < 0.001). The representation of CD3+/69+ T lymphocytes was significantly higher in TILs, 32.9%, compared to PBL (p < 0.001). On the contrary, the numbers of CD3+/CD25+, CD8+/57+ and CD4+/RA+ (naive CD4+ T lymphocytes) were higher in PBL (p < 0.001). The differences in representation of (CD3-/16+56+) NK cells and CD3+/DR+ T cells in TILs and PBL were not significant. CONCLUSION: The above-mentioned results prove that the characteristics and intensity of anti-tumour responses are different in compared compartments (tumour/PBL). CD3+/CD8+ T lymphocytes are the dominant lymphocytic population of TILs. The knowledge of the phenotype and functions of effector cells, which are responsible for anti-tumour response, are the basic precondition for understanding the anti-tumour immune response and the cause of its failure.