Expression of CD4~+CD25~+ regulatory T cells in colorectal cancer patients and its significance / 中国癌症杂志

ABSTRACT

Background and purpose:CD4+CD25+ regulatory T (Treg) cells are an important naturally accruing subpopulation of regulatory T cells. They not only prevent the spontaneous emergence of autoimmune diseases and contribute to the establishment of dominant tolerance on allogeneic transplantation, but also play an essential role in the generation, development and immunotherapy of many different kinds of malignant tumors. We studied the expression of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells(Tregs) in colorectal cancer patients and its significance. Methods:The tissues of tumors and counterpart normal tissue of 30 colorectal cancer patients were collected, the proportion of CD4+CD25+ Tregs as the percentage of the total CD4+ T cells were analyzed using flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry.Results:Compared with counterpart normal tissue(5.5?1.3)%, the percentage of CD4+CD25+ Tregs in tumor tissues was significantly higher (24.1?4.8)%(t=5.155,P=0.002). The proportion of CD4+CD25+ Tregs in the patients with lymph nodes metastasis was (27.9?3.6)% which was significantly higher than that in patients without lymph nodes metastasis[(20.3?1.3)% (t=3.489,P=0.025)].Conclusions:The proportion of CD4+CD25+ Tregs in tumor tissues of colorectal cancer patients was significantly increased, and they may play an essential role in the development of colorectal cancer.