Sousan Farazmand; Dawar Amani; Zohair-Mohammad Hassan
Volume 2, Issue 3 , September 2005, , Pages 152-157
Abstract
Background: Alteration in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) is usually investigated to provide an evidence of the host immune responses to tumor antigens. The tumor infiltrating NK cells interact most closely with the tumor cells and more accurately reflect tumor host interactions. Objective: To analyze ...
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Background: Alteration in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) is usually investigated to provide an evidence of the host immune responses to tumor antigens. The tumor infiltrating NK cells interact most closely with the tumor cells and more accurately reflect tumor host interactions. Objective: To analyze peripheral blood and tumor associated Natural Killer (NK) cells in patients with breast cancer by immunophenotyping. Methods: Twenty women suffering from breast cancer were examined; 12 of them were confirmed histologically to be invasive ductal carcinoma. PBL and tissue samples from patients and matched control group were processed for analysis by flow cytometry. Results: Results of PBL analysis indicated a significant (P<0.05) increase in both the total number and activated NK cells in invasive ducal carcinoma patients compared to normal controls. No significant differences were noticed in the percent of NK cells and their activation marker expression in intra tumor lesion of the invasive ductal carcinoma and other tumors compared to benign lesions, however a decrease in the total NK number and activated NK cells was observed with progression of the tumor. Conclusion: Data of this investigation conclude that the total and activated NK cell number increase in peripheral blood of patients with breast cancer. The relationship between peripheral blood and intratumor NK cells needs more clarification, however, a decrease in intratumor NK cell number and their activation status occurs with tumor progression.
Dawar Amani; Zohair Mohammad Hassan; Fatemeh Ravangard; Susan Frazmand; Mojtaba Karim Zadeh
Volume 2, Issue 2 , June 2005, , Pages 117-122
Abstract
Background: Invasive ductal carcinoma is the most common type of breast cancer in Iran. Impaired immune responses occur frequently in cancer patients, but the mechanisms of the induced immune defects remain poorly understood. It is believed that infiltrated immune cells, especially macrophages, may provide ...
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Background: Invasive ductal carcinoma is the most common type of breast cancer in Iran. Impaired immune responses occur frequently in cancer patients, but the mechanisms of the induced immune defects remain poorly understood. It is believed that infiltrated immune cells, especially macrophages, may provide help for tumor cell growth and metastasis. Objective: To analyze the status of tumor associated macrophages (TAM) by immunophenotyping method. Methods: Twenty-three women suffering from breast cancer were examined; nineteen of them were confirmed histologically to have invasive ductal carcinoma. Tumor cell suspensions from biopsy specimens and peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients and matched controls were processed for analysis by flow cytometry. Results: No significant changes in the percentages of intra-tumor leukocytes and macrophages in the different stages of tumor were observed. There were no significant differences in the percentages of leukocytes (CD45 +), monocytes (CD45 +/CD14+) and activated monocytes (CD14+/HLA-DR+ and CD14+/CD16+) in the peripheral blood of patients and controls. Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that human breast cancer contain substantial, although variable numbers of macrophages, however, the activation status of these macrophages remain to be elucidated.