Introduction
iNKT cells constitute a small population of immune cells that share functional and phenotypic characteristics of lymphocytes T and NK cells. Due to their involvement in specific and non-specific immune response, iNKT may represent an important component of antitumor and anti-infectious immunity.
Material and methods
The study included material from 41 laryngeal cancer patients aged between 45 and 77 years (median age: 60 years). Based on the TNM classification, the patients were classified as having stage I (n=4), stage II (n=4), stage III (n=22) or stage IV laryngeal cancer (n=11). The control group was comprised of 15 healthy volunteers. The samples for cytometric analyses were prepared from freshly obtained peripheral blood incubated with a set of monoclonal antibodies: anti-CD3 FITC, anti-CD3 PECy5, anti-CD4 FITC, anti-CD8 PE, anti-CD19 PE, anti-iNKT FITC, anti-CD69 PECy5, anti-CD25 PECy5, anti-CD95 PECy5, and anti-CD3 FITC/anti-CD16 PE/anti-CD56PE and assessed by flow cytometry method.
Results and conclusions
The percentages of iNKT cells and lymphocytes T and B in peripheral blood of laryngeal cancer patients were analysed; moreover, we determined the expression of activation markers on lymphocytes T. The distribution of immune cells in peripheral blood of laryngeal cancer patients pointed to a predominance of cell response, a crucial element of cancer control. However, also a decrease in the percentage of iNKT cells, and simultaneous increase in the fraction of regulatory lymphocytes T were documented in laryngeal cancer patients. Moreover, our study showed that advanced clinical stages of laryngeal cancer are associated with impaired activation of lymphocytes, probably resulting from the influence of suppressive factors present in neoplastic tissue.
Keywords
Laryngeal cancer, iNKT cells, regulatory lymphocytes T, activation markers