The Correlation Study Of Regulatory T Cells And Prognosis Of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Objective:Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignant tumors, especially in Asia. Its prognosis is poor and there are limited methods to predict patient survival. This study was carried out to analyze the effect of Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), especially regulatory T cells (Tregs), in prognostic value of HCC patients.Methods:Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) were analyzed from 57 randomly selected HCC patients. The prognostic effect of groups with high and low numbers was evaluated by the Kaplan-Meier and Cox model analysis.Results:Although higher densities of CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ CTLs and CD56+NK cells, CD68+ macrophages were observed in peritumoral tissue,the increased numbers of Foxp3+ Tregs were found in intratumoral tissue, and for ICOS+Foxp3+Tregs, the increased prevalence in carcinoma was not only in terms of absolute number but also in the percentage in total Foxp3+ cells. The higher Tregs in tumor tissue indicated a worse prognosis and Foxp3+ Tregs/CD4+ T cells ratio was an independent prognostic factor for OS.Conclusions:Foxp3+Tregs, especially ICOS+Foxp3+Tregs contribute to the immunosuppression microenvironment of HCC.High tumor-infiltrating Tregs and Foxp3+ Tregs/CD4+ T cells ratio are thought to be an unfavorable prognostic indicator for HCC. Inhibition the accumulation of regulatory T cells into hepatocellular carcinoma tissue may be a new treatment strategy for HCC.