Association between HLA-expression and infiltration of immune cells in cervical carcinoma.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

To determine the degree of specificity of the cellular immune response in cervical carcinoma, that is known to be human papillomavirus-related, we investigated the exact relationship between in situ tumor-infiltrating immune cells and the monomorphic/allele-specific HLA expression on the tumor cells.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN:

Attention was focussed on the type, location and number of in situ immunocompetent cells in malignant cervical tissue (N = 30). Immune cell distribution was quantitatively assessed by morphometry for stromal and tumor tissue separately. These results were related to the degree of expression of monomorphic- and allele-specific HLA I and II antigens on the cervical tumor cells.

RESULTS:

In monomorphic HLA class I downregulated cervical tumors, a significant decrease in tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells was observed. However, allele-specific downregulation of respectively HLA-A2, HLA-A3, HLA-Bw4, and HLA-Bw6, did not correlate significantly with a decrease in tumor-infiltrating immune cells. For HLA class II-positive cervical tumors, HLA-DR expression significantly correlated with an increase in the presence of tumor-infiltrating CD3+/CD4+/CD8+ T cells, CD56+ natural killer cells and CD16+ macrophages. No significant correlations were found between alterations in HLA class I or II expression on the tumor cells and stromal infiltrating immune cells.

CONCLUSIONS:

Our observations provide in situ immunomorphologic evidence that in cervical carcinoma, de novo expression of HLA class II antigens on the tumor cells resulted in an increase of tumor-infiltrating immune cells. In addition, the tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T lymphocytes correlated with monomorphic HLA class I expression on the tumor cells, which stresses the existence of a HLA-restricted immune response of T lymphocytes in cervical carcinoma. These findings might have implications for the biologic behavior of this disease and have to be taken into account in strategies concerning immunotherapy of cervical carcinoma.

• Authors: C G Hilders, J G Houbiers, H H van Ravenswaay Claasen, R W Veldhuizen, G J Fleuren
• Journal: Laboratory investigation; a journal of technical methods and pathology (Lab Invest) Vol. 69 Issue 6 Pg. 651-9 (Dec 1993) ISSN: 0023-6837 [Print] United States
• PMID: 8264228 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• HLA Antigens

Topics

• Carcinoma (immunology)
• Female
• HLA Antigens (immunology)
• Humans
• Immunohistochemistry
• Immunophenotyping
• Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating (immunology)
• Uterine Cervical Neoplasms (immunology)