Detection of immune suppressive neutrophils in peripheral blood samples of cancer patients.

Neutrophils provide first-line defense against infections and are potent effectors in innate and adaptive immunity. Recently neutrophils have been shown to play important roles in multiple antitumor reactions. A subset of mature neutrophils in human systemic inflammation has been identified as a unique circulating population of myeloid cells, which is capable of inhibiting T cell responses. These neutrophils show unique immunophenotype (CD11c bright/CD62L dim/CD11b bright/CD16 bright). This study reports detection of mature neutrophils with similar immunophenotype in the peripheral blood samples of cancer patients using flow cytometry analysis. This population of neutrophils is not detected in peripheral blood samples of normal controls. Thus this finding suggests the involvement of mature neutrophils in antitumor immunity.