Aim: To reveal the classification of lymphocytes and expression of cytokines infiltrating in HCC, and investigate the significance of changes of immune microenvironment in HCC.
Methods: 76 tumor and non-tumor tissues of HCC were collected to detect the amount of immune cells in the tissues by FCM and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Th1/Th2 cytokines in tissues were detected by Cytometric bead array (CBA), and TGF-1, VEGF detected by ELISA.
Results: There were more CD3(+); T cells, CD4(+); Th cells, Treg cells, and CD45RO(+); memory T cells in tumors than in non-tumor tissues. On the contrary there were less CD8(+); CTLs in tumors. There was negative correlation between Treg and Th or CTL cells. CD69, which is the early activating factor, expressed less on CD3(+); T cells and NK cells in tumors than non-tumor tissues. Whereas HLA-DR, which is the late activating factor, expressed more on CD3(+); T cells in tumors than non-tumor tissues. More IL-10, TGF-1 and VEGF were secreted in tumors than non-tumor tissues.
Conclusion: Along with the decrease of effective immune cells and increase of suppressor immune cells and cytokines, the lymphocytes infiltrating in the tumor were immune incompitence, which contributed to the tumorigenesis.