OBJECTIVE: This research aims to investaigate the effect of cetuximab and dendritic cells (DCs) to kill the head and neck squamous cell (HNSCC), in order to provide a new way for the patients of HNSCC. METHOD: DCs were induced from peripheral blood monocytes by rhIL-4, rhGM-CSF and TNF-alpha in vitro, 7days later, detecting the surface marks of DCs for example CD83, CD86, and then using MTT and flow cytometry detecting the effect T lymphocytes induced by DCs combining cetuximab to kill HNSCC; EGFR and pEGFR in each group were anlysised by Western blot. RESULT: It is successful to induce DCs in vitro. Mature DCs (mDCs) expressed the suface mark such as CD83, CD86 higher compared with immature DCs (imDCs). Compared with other groups, cetuximab combined with DCs significantly enhanced the cytotoxicty and apoptosis to HNSCC (P < 0.05). pEGFR were gradually reduced as the concenetration of cetuximab increasing (P < 0.05). However, comparing with the group of cetuximab, the group of cetuximab combined with DC has no significant difference at the same concentration of cetuximab. In each group EGFR also has no significant diference (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION Cetuximab and DCs have synergistic effects, which can significantly enhance the killing effect of HNSCC.
Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized ; pharmacology ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; pathology ; Cetuximab ; Dendritic Cells ; immunology ; Head and Neck Neoplasms ; pathology ; Humans ; Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck ; Tumor Cells, Cultured

Adenocarcinoma ; drug therapy ; immunology ; pathology ; radiotherapy ; surgery ; Adult ; Antigens, Neoplasm ; metabolism ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; therapeutic use ; Carboplatin ; administration & dosage ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; drug therapy ; immunology ; pathology ; radiotherapy ; surgery ; Chemoradiotherapy, Adjuvant ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Female ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Iridium Radioisotopes ; therapeutic use ; Middle Aged ; Neoadjuvant Therapy ; methods ; Neoplasm Staging ; Paclitaxel ; administration & dosage ; Preoperative Period ; Radiotherapy, Adjuvant ; Retrospective Studies ; Serpins ; metabolism ; Treatment Outcome ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; immunology ; pathology ; radiotherapy ; surgery

OBJECTIVETo analyze the expression of co-stimulatory molecules PD-1/PD-L1 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in lung cancer patients, and to explore its biological significance.

METHODSOne hundred and thirty-three lung cancer patients, 25 lung infection patients and 23 healthy donors were enrolled in this study. 100 µl of whole blood from these subjects were collected. Multi-color immunofluorescence staining and flow cytometry were used to detect PD-1/PD-L1 expression. The results were statistically analyzed.

RESULTSThe expression level of CD3⁺CD8⁺ T cells in the lung cancer patients was (38.83 ± 1.74)%, significantly lower than that in the control group [(43.25 ± 3.35)%, P < 0.05]. CD8⁺CD28⁺ T cell subset in the peripheral blood of lung cancer patients was (17.73 ± 1.21)% significantly lower than that of the healthy donors [(27.96 ± 2.72)%, P < 0.01]. The CD8⁺CD28⁻ T cell subset was (21.19 ± 1.92)% in the lung cancer patients, significantly higher than that of the healthy control group [(15.18 ± 2.93)%, P < 0.05]. The expression level of PD-1 on the surface of CD8⁺CD28⁺ T cells was (10.67 ± 1.12)% in the group of lung cancer patients, significantly higher than that of the control group [(5.32 ± 1.58)%, P < 0.01]. It was also found that the expression of PD-1 on CD8⁺CD28⁻ T cells was up-regulated in the group of lung cancer patients (7.46 ± 1.25)%, significantly higher than that of the healthy control group [(2.68+1.07)%, P < 0.01]. The expression level of PD-L1 on CD68⁺ cells in the lung cancer patients was (16.03 ± 2.06)%, significantly higher than that of the healthy control group [(9.32 ± 2.00)%, P < 0.05].

CONCLUSIONUp-regulation of PD-1/PD-L1 on peripheral blood cells in lung cancer patients negatively regulates the lymphocytes, inhibits the immune response for killing tumor cells, and promotes tumor development and immune escape.

Adenocarcinoma ; blood ; pathology ; B7-H1 Antigen ; metabolism ; CD28 Antigens ; metabolism ; CD3 Complex ; metabolism ; CD8 Antigens ; metabolism ; Carcinoma, Large Cell ; blood ; pathology ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; blood ; pathology ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; blood ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor ; metabolism ; Small Cell Lung Carcinoma ; blood ; pathology ; T-Lymphocytes ; immunology ; metabolism ; Up-Regulation

OBJECTIVETo explore the clinical significance of cytokeratin 19 fragments test in the diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

METHODSThe study included 102 cases of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, 90 cases of nasal polyp/nasopharyngitis, and 150 healthy individuals. RT-PCR was used to detect CK19 mRNA expression and Western blot to detect CK19 fragment protein expression in tissues of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Expression of CK19-2G2 was examined by immunohistochemistry. Chemiluminescence analysis was used to detect the serum levels of CK19-2G2, and ELISA to detect that of EB-VCA IgA.

RESULTSAmong 102 cases of nasophryngeal carcinoma, 64 showed CK19 mRNA expression by RT-PCR, 60 showed CK19 protein fragments in tumor tissues by Western blot, and 66 showed expression of CK19-2G2 by immunohistochemistry in nasopharyngeal carcinoma, including strong positivity in 20 cases, moderate in 34 cases and weak in 12 cases. The sensitivity and specificity of CK19-2G2 in the diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma were 49.0% and 89.2%, and those of EB-VCA IgA were 52.9% and 85.4%, respectively. The combined detection of CK19-2G2 and EB-VCA IgA increased the sensitivity to 73.5% while the specificity remained at 80.0%.

CONCLUSIONSHigh levels of CK19-2G2 fragment expressed in tissue and serum are present in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The serum level of CK19-2G2 is helpful in the diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Furthermore, the combination of serum CK19-2G2 and EB-VCA IgA improves the detection sensitivity.

Adult ; Aged ; Antigens, Viral ; blood ; Blotting, Western ; Capsid Proteins ; blood ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; diagnosis ; metabolism ; pathology ; Herpesvirus 4, Human ; immunology ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin A ; blood ; Immunohistochemistry ; Keratin-19 ; blood ; metabolism ; Middle Aged ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; metabolism ; pathology ; Neoplasm Staging ; Peptide Fragments ; blood ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; metabolism ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Sensitivity and Specificity

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Antibodies, Monoclonal ; metabolism ; Antigens, Neoplasm ; immunology ; metabolism ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; metabolism ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; diagnosis ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cell Cycle Proteins ; immunology ; metabolism ; Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia ; diagnosis ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16 ; metabolism ; DNA Topoisomerases, Type II ; immunology ; metabolism ; DNA-Binding Proteins ; immunology ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Ki-67 Antigen ; metabolism ; Middle Aged ; Minichromosome Maintenance Complex Component 2 ; Nuclear Proteins ; immunology ; metabolism ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; metabolism ; pathology ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVE: To examine the expression of soluble major histocompatibility complex class I-related chain A (sMICA) in the serum in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and to explore its clinicopathological significance. METHODS: Seventy-eight OSCC patients were selected as an experiment group, and 19 healthy persons as a control group. The sMICA in the serum in the experiment group and the control group was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: The detection rate of sMICA in the serum in the experiment group was 98.7% (77/78), with the 95% confidence interval 74.30-93.95 pg/mL and the median 82.17 pg/mL, The detection rate in the control group was 94.7% (18/19), with the 95% confidence interval 29.48-50.30 pg/mL and the median 37.54 pg/mL. The sMICA in the serum in the experiment group was higher than that in the control group (P<0.01). There was statistic difference in the serum sMICA in the experiment group among the different clinicopathological parameters such as tumor size, disease stage and regional lymph node status (P<0.05), but no difference was found in gender, age, and tumor differentiation (P>0.05). CONCLUSION The sMICA in the serum in the OSCC patients increases, and is related with the tumor size, disease stage and regional lymph node status. Determination of sMICA in the serum may provide useful information to evaluate the immune state of OSCC patients.
Aged ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; blood ; immunology ; pathology ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Histocompatibility Antigens Class I ; blood ; Humans ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mouth Neoplasms ; blood ; immunology ; pathology ; Solubility

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) can elicit contrasting effects on tumor progression, depending on different tumor microenvironment. This study aimed to explore the correlation between TAM infiltration and clinicopathologic characteristics, metastasis, and prognosis of supraglottic laryngeal carcinoma. TAMs in intratumoral and peritumoral regions of 84 specimens of supraglottic laryngeal carcinoma tissues were detected by immunohistochemical staining with monoclonal CD68 antibody. The density of peritumoral CD68(+) TAMs in recurrence cases (9/11) and in dead cases (17/23) were significantly higher than those in non-recurrence cases (33/73) and in survival cases (25/61), with significant differences (P = 0.024 and 0.007, respectively). The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed a significant relationship between the infiltration of both intratumoral and peritumoral CD68(+) TAMs and the overall survival of patients. The 5-year survival rate was significantly lower in the group with a high density of intratumoral CD68(+) TAMs than in the group with a low density (39.6% vs. 82.5%, P < 0.05). Similarly, the 5-year survival rate was significantly lower in the group with a high density of peritumoral CD68(+) TAMs than in the group with a low density (50.6% vs. 73.1%, P < 0.05). Cox regression analysis revealed that T classification, distant metastasis, and intratumoral or peritumoral CD68(+) TAMs were independent factors for disease-free survival, whereas T classification and intratumoral CD68(+) TAMs were independent factors for overall survival. The results indicate that TAM infiltration in supraglottic laryngeal carcinoma can be used to predict metastasis and prognosis and is an independent factor for prognosis.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Antigens, CD ; metabolism ; Antigens, Differentiation, Myelomonocytic ; metabolism ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; immunology ; pathology ; Disease-Free Survival ; Female ; Humans ; Laryngeal Neoplasms ; immunology ; pathology ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Macrophages ; immunology ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Neoplasm Staging ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Survival Rate

In a prospective study, 42 048 adults residing in Zhongshan City, Guangdong, China, were followed for 16 years, and 171 of them developed nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Although Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) antibody levels of the cohort fluctuated, the antibody levels of 93% of the patients with NPC were raised and maintained at high levels for up to 10 years prior to diagnosis. This suggests that the serologic window affords an opportunity to monitor tumor progression during the preclinical stage of NPC development, facilitating early NPC detection. We reviewed the clinical records of the 171 patients with NPC in the prospective study to assess the efficacy of early NPC detection by serologic screening and clinical examination. Of the 171 patients, 51 had Stage I tumor (44 were among the 73 patients detected by clinical examination and 7 were among the 98 patients presented to outpatient department). Initial serologic screening predicted 58 (95.1%) of the 61 patients detected within 2 years. The risk of the screened population (58/3093) raised 13 times relative to cohort (61/42 048) during this period. Clinical examination detected all the 58 predicted cases, and 35 (60.3%) of which were diagnosed with Stage I tumor. The serologic prediction rate fell to 33.6% (37/110) 2 to 16 years after screening. The proportion of cases detected by clinical examination fell to 40.5% (15/37). The proportion of Stage I tumors among the cases detected by clinical examination during both periods remained at about 60%. We concluded that early detection of NPC can be accomplished by repeated serologic screening to maintain high prediction rates and by promptly examining screened subjects to detect tumors before the symptoms develop.
Adult ; Aged ; Antibodies, Viral ; blood ; Antigens, Viral ; immunology ; Capsid Proteins ; immunology ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; blood ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Cohort Studies ; Early Detection of Cancer ; methods ; Female ; Herpesvirus 4, Human ; immunology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; blood ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Neoplasm Staging ; Remission Induction ; Survival Rate

OBJECTIVETo investigate the efficacy and toxicity of neoadjuvant chemotherapy with paclitaxel and carboplatin or cisplatin for patients with locally advanced cervical cancer.

METHODSA total of 70 patients with locally advanced cervical cancer were treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy with paclitaxel and carboplatin or cisplatin in our department from July 2007 to May 2010. The stage distribution among the patients included 45 stage IB2, 21 stage IIa, and 4 stage IIb. Of the 70 patients, 6 were G1, 26 were G2, 32 were G3, and the rest 6 patients were not histologically classified. Sixty-five patients had squamous cell carcinoma, 3 had adenocarcinoma, and 2 patients had adenosquamous cell carcinoma. The clinicopathological parameters were analyzed, and their impact on tumor response were investigated.

RESULTSOf the 70 patients, 14 (20.0%) showed a complete response, 37 (52.9%) had a partial response to chemotherapy, making an overall response rate of 72.9%. Sixty-eight (95.7%) patients underwent surgery, and among them 12 (17.1%) pathological CR were identified. Eleven (16.2%) patients were found to have lymph node metastasis after surgery. Response rates of stage Ib2 and IIa patients were 73.7% and 52.3%, respectively, P<0.05. Patients with SCC exhibited a better response rate than patients with adenocarcinoma and adenosquamous cell carcinoma (73.8% vs. 60.0%). Initial tumor volume, histological classification and cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy were not significantly correlated with the response rate.

CONCLUSIONPaclitaxel and carboplatin or cisplatin regimen is a promising therapy with definite short-term efficacy, can improve the resection rate with tolerable side effects, and is an applicable option of treatment for patients with locally advanced cervical cancer in the neoadjuvant setting.

Adenocarcinoma ; drug therapy ; immunology ; pathology ; surgery ; Adult ; Antigens, Neoplasm ; metabolism ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; therapeutic use ; Carboplatin ; administration & dosage ; Carcinoma, Adenosquamous ; drug therapy ; immunology ; pathology ; surgery ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; drug therapy ; immunology ; pathology ; surgery ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Cisplatin ; administration & dosage ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; methods ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Middle Aged ; Neoadjuvant Therapy ; Neoplasm Staging ; Paclitaxel ; administration & dosage ; Remission Induction ; Serpins ; metabolism ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; immunology ; pathology ; surgery

OBJECTIVE: To observe the immunity changes of patients after CIK cells being transfused back, and then to discuss the effects of CIK cells on curing laryngeal cancers. METHOD: Forty eight laryngeal cancer patients with low immune function were collected. The immunity index in the peripheral blood of patients before/after radiotherapy and after CIK cells therapy were measured and compared with normal one. RESULT: After radiotherapy, the percentage of CD3+, CD4+ cells declined, the percentage of CD8+ cells increased; the rate of CD4+ /CD8+ declined and the rate of Th1/Th2 reversed. There were no significant difference between the immunity indexes before and after radiotherapy (P < 0.05). After CIK cell therapy, the above indexes were improved (P < 0.05), but the values didn't returned to normal. After radiotherapy and after CIK therapy, the value of B cell didn't changed obviously (P > 0.05), while the percentage of NK cells changed obviously (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION Radiotherapy can restrain the immune function of the patients with laryngeal cancers. CIK therapy is safe and might improve the recent immune function of the patients.
Aged ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; immunology ; pathology ; radiotherapy ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Cytokine-Induced Killer Cells ; immunology ; Humans ; Immunotherapy, Adoptive ; Killer Cells, Natural ; immunology ; Laryngeal Neoplasms ; immunology ; pathology ; radiotherapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging