Hana Park1,2, Jae Hyung Jung3, Min Kyung Jung4, Eui-Cheol Shin3,5, Simon Weonsang Ro6, Jeon Han Park7, Do Young Kim1,6, Jun Yong Park1,6, Kwang-Hyub Han8,9. 1. Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei Liver Center, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50-1 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea. 2. Health Screening and Promotion Center, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea. 3. Biomedical Science and Engineering Interdisciplinary Program, KAIST, Daejeon, Republic of Korea. 4. Laboratory of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291, Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea. jungmk@kaist.ac.kr. 5. Laboratory of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 291, Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea. 6. Institute of Gastroenterology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea. 7. Department of Microbiology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea. 8. Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei Liver Center, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50-1 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea. gihankhys@yuhs.ac. 9. Institute of Gastroenterology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea. gihankhys@yuhs.ac.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Regulatory T cell (Treg) plays an essential role in regulating anti-tumor immunity. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) on Treg in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. METHOD: The frequency of peripheral blood Tregs in 27 HCC patients who underwent TACE were measured at baseline and 1 month after TACE. The frequency of peripheral blood Tregs at baseline were compared with those in 23 healthy controls. Tregs were further classified into three subpopulations [Treg (I), Treg (II), Treg (III)] based on expression levels or markers and their function. The patients were divided into two groups according to tumor response after TACE; complete response group and incomplete response group. The correlations between the frequency of Treg and clinical factors were analyzed. RESULTS: The frequency of Treg in HCC patients (7.52%) was significantly higher than in healthy controls (4.99%) at baseline. Regarding Treg subpopulations, the frequency of Treg (II) was significantly higher in HCC patients (2.51%) than in healthy controls (0.60%). In comparison of Treg numbers at baseline and post-TACE by tumor response, the change of Treg (III) in complete response group from baseline to post-TACE was significantly decreased (63.8 → 53.2/mm3). Patients with a high post-TACE Treg (III) (3.8 months) exhibited a significantly shorter median time to progression than those with a low post-TACE Treg (III) (11.6 months). In multivariate analyses, hypoalbuminemia (hazard ratio 3.324; 95% CI 1.098-10.063, p = 0.034) and high post-TACE Treg (III) (hazard ratio 3.080; 95% CI 1.091-8.696, p = 0.034) were significant factors for associating with progression. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of Tregs in HCC patients was significantly higher than in healthy controls. In addition, patients with a high post-TACE Treg (III) exhibited a significantly lower progression-free survival rate than those with a low post-TACE Treg (III).
BACKGROUND: Regulatory T cell (Treg) plays an essential role in regulating anti-tumor immunity. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) on Treg in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. METHOD: The frequency of peripheral blood Tregs in 27 HCCpatients who underwent TACE were measured at baseline and 1 month after TACE. The frequency of peripheral blood Tregs at baseline were compared with those in 23 healthy controls. Tregs were further classified into three subpopulations [Treg (I), Treg (II), Treg (III)] based on expression levels or markers and their function. The patients were divided into two groups according to tumor response after TACE; complete response group and incomplete response group. The correlations between the frequency of Treg and clinical factors were analyzed. RESULTS: The frequency of Treg in HCCpatients (7.52%) was significantly higher than in healthy controls (4.99%) at baseline. Regarding Treg subpopulations, the frequency of Treg (II) was significantly higher in HCCpatients (2.51%) than in healthy controls (0.60%). In comparison of Treg numbers at baseline and post-TACE by tumor response, the change of Treg (III) in complete response group from baseline to post-TACE was significantly decreased (63.8 → 53.2/mm3). Patients with a high post-TACE Treg (III) (3.8 months) exhibited a significantly shorter median time to progression than those with a low post-TACE Treg (III) (11.6 months). In multivariate analyses, hypoalbuminemia (hazard ratio 3.324; 95% CI 1.098-10.063, p = 0.034) and high post-TACE Treg (III) (hazard ratio 3.080; 95% CI 1.091-8.696, p = 0.034) were significant factors for associating with progression. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of Tregs in HCCpatients was significantly higher than in healthy controls. In addition, patients with a high post-TACE Treg (III) exhibited a significantly lower progression-free survival rate than those with a low post-TACE Treg (III).
Entities:
Keywords:
Hepatocellular carcinoma; Regulatory T cell; Transarterial chemoembolization; Treg
Authors: Yuan Liao; Bo Wang; Zhi-Liang Huang; Ming Shi; Xing-Juan Yu; Limin Zheng; Shengping Li; Lian Li Journal: PLoS One Date: 2013-04-02 Impact factor: 3.240