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T Cell Density and Location Can Influence the Prognosis of Ovarian Cancer

  • Published:
Pathology & Oncology Research

Abstract

The aims of this study were to examine the significance of CD3+ cells in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer and to determine their influence on the disease in relation to their location within tumours. A 157-core tissue-microarray constructed from primary ovarian cancer patients treated at Nottingham-University-Hospitals (2000–2007) was stained for the T-cell marker CD3. The number of CD3+ cells in direct contact with tumour cells was counted per tumour area. These were considered as “intra-tumoural T-cells (ITTC)”. Cores were divided into CD3 ‘high’ or ‘low’ density tumours. “Stromal T-cells (STC)” were assigned as ‘positive’ or ‘negative’. The study population had a median follow-up time of 36-months (0–75). The number of ITTC counted in tumour cores ranged between 0 and 184/mm2. 90-tumours-(57%) were found to be in the “low-density” rubric, while 56-(36%) were of a “high-density” T-cell population. STC were found in 118-cores-(75%)-compared to 22-cores-(14%)-negative cores. Higher number of ITTC correlated with lower-grade-(p = 0.045), tumour-type-(p = 0.034), and longer-median-survival-times (57-versus 37-months for high-and low-ITTC densities, respectively, p = 0.038). This relationship was reversed when tumours were infiltrated by CD3+ cells in the stroma, predicting worse-survival (Log-rank-test, p = 0.028). Combining ITTC with STC produced an interesting pattern where the ITTC-low/STC + ve had the worst prognosis (p = 0.003). Infiltration of ovarian cancer by T-cells can influence its prognosis depending on the location of these cells (intra-tumoural-versus-stromal). The former predicts improved survival, while the latter is probably contributing to tumour progression and, in turn, worse survival.

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Acknowledgement

We would like to thank Nottingham University Hospitals Charitable Research Fund for partially funding this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Oncology, Nottingham University Hospitals, NHS Trust–City Campus, Hucknall Road, Nottingham, NG5 1PB, UK

    Ahmad Al-Attar, Mohamed Shehata, Paul Moseley & Stephen Chan

  2. Department of Academic Oncology, University of Nottingham, Hucknall Road, Nottingham, NG5 1PB, UK

    Lindy Durrant

  3. Department of Histopathology, Nottingham University Hospitals, NHS Trust–QMC Campus, Derby Road, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, UK

    Suha Deen

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  1. Ahmad Al-Attar
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Correspondence to Stephen Chan.

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Al-Attar, A., Shehata, M., Durrant, L. et al. T Cell Density and Location Can Influence the Prognosis of Ovarian Cancer. Pathol. Oncol. Res. 16, 361–370 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12253-009-9230-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12253-009-9230-5

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