Differences in circulating γδ T cells in patients with primary colon cancer and relation with prognostic factors

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 15; no. 12; p. e0243545
• Main Authors: Andreu-Ballester, Juan Carlos, Galindo-Regal, Lorena, Hidalgo-Coloma, Julia, Cuéllar, Carmen, García-Ballesteros, Carlos, Hurtado, Carolina, Uribe, Natalia, Del Carmen Martín, María, Jiménez, Ana Isabel, López-Chuliá, Francisca, Llombart-Cussac, Antonio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 01.12.2020; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Adenocarcinoma; Aged; Antigens; Apoptosis; Biology and Life Sciences; Biomarkers - blood; Blood; Cancer; Carcinogenesis; Carcinogens; Case-Control Studies; CD3 antigen; CD56 antigen; CD8 antigen; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes - immunology; Colon; Colon cancer; Colonic Neoplasms - immunology; Colorectal cancer; Cytokines; Cytotoxicity; Effector cells; Female; Flow cytometry; Gastrointestinal cancer; Humans; Immunity; Immunology; Immunomodulation; Interferon-gamma - analysis; Interferon-gamma - blood; Intraepithelial Lymphocytes - immunology; Intraepithelial Lymphocytes - metabolism; Lymphocytes; Lymphocytes T; Male; Medical prognosis; Medicine and Health Sciences; Metastases; Middle Aged; Monoclonal antibodies; Patients; Peripheral blood; Prognosis; Prostate cancer; Quality control; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta - immunology; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta - immunology; Surgery; T-Lymphocyte Subsets - immunology; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha - analysis; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha - blood; Tumors; Uterine cancer; γ-Interferon; Florida; United States > US; Spain
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0243545

Downregulation of the T cell system has been proposed as a mechanism to block immunity in colonic cancer (CC). However, little has been studied about circulating αβ and γδ T cells and their immunological status in newly diagnosed patients. The aim of this study was to characterize the αβ and γδ T cell subsets in peripheral blood of patients with CC matched with healthy volunteers. In this prospective case-control study, blood samples were obtained from 96 patients with newly diagnosed treatment-naïve infiltrating colonic adenocarcinoma and 48 healthy volunteers. Pathological report at surgery was obtained from all CC patients. A significant decrease in CD3+ γδ T cells and CD3+CD8+ γδ T cells (p<0.001) were observed in CC patients. Apoptosis was significantly increased in all conventional and both αβ and γδ T cell subsets in patients with CC vs healthy subjects. γδ T cells were decreased in peripheral blood of patients with microscopic infiltration in tissues, history of cancer and synchronous colon cancer (p < 0.05). IFN-γ was significantly reduced in CC patients compared to controls. Cytotoxic effector γδ T cells TEMRA (CD8 and CD56) are the proportionally most abundant T cells in peripheral blood of CC patients. Patients with CC present a deep downregulation in the systemic T-cell immunity. These variations are evident through all tumor stages and suggest that a deficiency in γδ T cell populations could be preventing control of tumor progression. This fact prove the role of immunomodulation on CC carcinogenesis.