Effect And Biological Significance Of Follicular Helper T Cells On Regulatory B Cells And Plasma Cells In Invasive Breast Cancer

Part I:Percentage and correlation of follicular helper T cells,regulatory B cells and plasma cells in peripheral blood of patients with breast tumorObjectives: To explore the percentage and significance of Tfh,Bregs and plasma cells in the peripheral blood of patients with invasive breast cancer and breast fibroadenomaMethods: In this study,flow cytometry was used to analyze the percentage of Tfh,Bregs and plasma cells in 76 cases of invasive breast cancer and the relationship between the three.Results:(1)The percentage of Tfh in peripheral blood of patients with invasive breast cancer was significantly higher than that in healthy people,and the difference was statistically significant(P=0.042).(2)The percentage of Bregs in peripheral blood of patients with invasive breast cancer was significantly higher than that in patients with fibroadenoma,and the difference was statistically significant(P=0.0365).(3)The percentage of plasma cells in patients with invasive breast cancer was the highest,which was significantly higher than that in healthy group,and the difference was statistically significant(P=0.0355).(4)With the increase of TNM grade,Tfh in peripheral blood was increased;ER and PR positive breast cancer patients compared with the percentage of Tfh negative patients also tended to increase the percentage of Tfh and other pathological parameters were not statistically significant.(5)Histological grade II grade,lymph node metastasis,TNM classification and high percentage of ER,PR,HER2 negative expression in peripheral blood of patients with Bregs were higher.And the percentage of Bregs in PR negative patients have higher up to the PR positive patients,with statistical significance(P=0.049).(6)ER positive invasive breast cancer patients with peripheral blood plasma cells were higher than those in patients with negative close to statistical significance(P=0.053),had no statistical significance with other clinical and pathological parameters.(7)There was a positive correlation between Tfh and plasma cells in the peripheral blood of patients with invasive breast cancer(P=0.008,r=0.478),while Bregs was negatively correlated with plasma cells(P=0.006,r=-0.369).There was a close negative correlation between Tfh and Bregs(P=0.054,r=-0.335).Conclusion: High levels of Tfh,Bregs and plasma cells were found in the peripheral blood of patients with invasive breast cancer.There was a negative correlation between Tfh and Bregs,Tfh was positively correlated with plasma cells,and the relationship between them and the significance of tumor immunity was still needed to be further studied.Part II:Effect of follicular helper T cells on Bregs and plasma cells of invasive breast cancer and its biological significanceObjectives: To explore Tfh cells or CD4+T cells were separately co-cultured with B cells in peripheral blood of patients with breast cancer,and the interaction of plasma cells,Bregs and Tfh cells.Methods: Tfh cells and T cells were separated from tonsil to be co-cultured and cultured with B cells in peripheral blood of breast tumor.Flow cytometry was used to analyze the expression of plasma cells,Bregs and Tfh cells and their interaction.Results:(1)Co-cultured with breast fibroadenoma with Tfh or No Tfh,the percentage of plasma cells were 7.01±0.74% and 4.36±1.01%(P=0.0258),invasive breast cancer patients with Tfh or No Tfh after incubation,the percentage of plasma cells were 8.07 ± 0.58% and 3.40 ± 0.44%(P=0.0004),were with statistical significance.(2)Compared with No Tfh,the percentage of Bregs in patients with breast cancer was significantly higher than that of Tfh,which was statistically significant(P=0.0046).(3)CD4+T cells were co-cultured with B cells from patients with invasive breast cancer,the percentage of measured Tfh cells was 3.635 ± 0.16%,which was significantly lower than the percentage of patients with breast fibroadenoma 6.19 ± 0.42%,by statistical analysis,with statistical significance(P=0.0151).Conclusion: Compared with No Tfh,both breast fibroadenoma or invasive breast cancer B cells,Tfh can significantly promote the differentiation of B cells into plasma cells;Tfh could promote the differentiation of B cells into Bregs,but the need to increase the sample size to further study;invasive breast cancer derived B cells can reduce the expression of Tfh cells.May be the high level of Bregs in peripheral blood of breast cancer patients to inhibit Tfh.