The prognostic value of peripheral CD4+CD25+ T lymphocytes among early stage and triple negative breast cancer patients receiving dendritic cells-cytokine induced killer cells infusion

Objective

This study aimed to assess the prognostic value of CD4⁺CD25⁺ T lymphocyte in peripheral blood among breast cancer patients treated with adoptive T lymphocytes immunotherapy.

Methods

217 patients participated in the follow-up study. CD4⁺CD25⁺ proportion was measured by flow cytometry in peripheral T cells. The median survival was estimated by Kaplan-Meier curve, Log-rank test and Cox hazard proportion regression model, between groups of CD4⁺CD25⁺ proportion more than 5% and less than or equal to 5% in peripheral T cells.

Results

Peripheral CD4⁺CD25⁺ T lymphocytes had not a relationship with progression-free survival. It was featured that above 5% peripheral CD4⁺CD25⁺ proportion of T cells was related with the median overall survival by a shorten of 51 months (p < 0.05) with the HR 1.65 (95%CI 1.04, 2.62). Above 5% CD4⁺CD25⁺proportion of T cells produced the HR to be 1.76 (95%CI 1.07, 2.87) In stage 0-II patients, and 3.59 (95%CI 1.05, 12.29) in triple negative breast cancer patients.

Conclusion

Cellular immunity restoration recovered by adoptive T cell infusions which resulted in less proportion of peripheral CD4⁺CD25⁺T lymphocytes could be a potential prognostic indicator among early stage and triple negative patients.