Skewing the Balance of Regulatory T-Cells and T-Helper 17 Cells in Breast Cancer Patients

Abstract

This study investigated the distribution of interleukin (IL)-17-producing CD4⁺ T-cells (T-helper [Th17] cells) in relation to CD4⁺CD25⁺CD127⁻ cells (regulatory T-cells [T_reg]) in tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from breast cancer patients. The Th17 and T_reg cells were evaluated by flow cytometry and reported as a percentage of total CD4⁺ cells. In TILs from early breast cancer patients (n = 12), the frequency of Th17 cells was significantly higher than in PBMCs (14.5 ± 7.2% versus 6.9 ± 2.1%). In TILs from patients with advanced breast cancer (n = 15), the frequency of Th17 cells was also significantly higher than that in PBMCs (9.1 ± 5.7% versus 3.2 ± 2.3%) but lower compared with early disease. The Th17/T_reg ratio in TILs was markedly increased in early versus advanced disease. In conclusion, Th17 and T_reg cell accumulation in the tumour microenvironment of breast cancer occurred in early disease; Th17 cell infiltration gradually decreased and T_reg cells accumulated with disease progression.

Keywords

Breast cancer Th17 cells Tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes Peripheral blood mononuclear cells Immunity

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