Tumor-associated cytotoxic lymphocytes and macrophages as predictive factors in follicular lymphoma

To evaluate the prognostic significance of tumor-associated cytotoxic lymphocytes and macro-phages, an immunohistochemical study of lymph node biopsies obtained from patients with follicular lymphoma (FL) was carried out. The immunohistochemical survey was performed using anti-granzyme B and anti-CD68 antibodies before the patients received the anti-FL treatment. It was shown that the number of cytotoxic lymphocytes (cytotoxic T lymphocytes and NK cells) in patients with good outcome (group 1, n = 31) was significantly higher ( p ≤ 0.05) than in patients with poor outcome (group 2, n = 28). The number of CD68-positive macrophages in tumors with nodular-diffuse type of growth in group 2 was significantly higher ( p ≤ 0.01) than in group 1. An increased number of cytotoxic lymphocytes may point to the activation of adaptive immunity that favors the good outcome of the disease. In contrast, an increased number of macrophages was associated with a poor outcome of FL. These data suggest that the parameters of cellular microenvironment can be used as prognostic criteria of the FL outcome. Further investigations are needed for the elucidation of the role of the cellular microenvironment in the FL development.