Higher Peripheral Blood IFN-γ-/IL-4+ Th2 Lymphocytes Are Associated with Lower Rate of Relapse in Patients with Lymphoma

ABSTRACT

Background

The role of T-helper lymphocytes especially T helper 2 (Th2) subsets in lymphoid malignancies is debatable and unknown.

Methods

Herein, we evaluated the polarization of the IFN-γ⁺/IL-4⁻ Th1 and IFN-γ⁻/IL-4⁺ Th2 lymphocytes in 95 lymphoma patients including 47 classical Hodgkin’s lymphoma (cHL) and 48 diffuse large B cell lymphoma patients (DLBCL) at different disease phases and its correlation with the clinical outcomes of patients using flow cytometry method.

Results

The proportion of IFN-γ⁺/IL-4⁻ Th1 lymphocytes was significantly higher in cHL patients at remission compared to the newly diagnosed ones. Both cHL and DLBCL patients at remission phase had significantly more IFN-γ⁻/IL-4⁺ Th2 lymphocytes than those patients at relapse/refractory phase as well as newly diagnosed ones. Despite having higher frequency of IFN-γ⁺/IL-4⁻ Th1 lymphocytes, the mean fluorescent intensity (MFI) of IFN-γ was lower in relapsed cHL patients, in those with high-risk IPI score, performance status (PS) ≥2 and B symptom-positive groups compared to their corresponding counterparts in newly diagnosed patients.

Conclusion

Taken together, higher peripheral blood IFN-γ⁻/IL-4⁺ Th2 lymphocytes might be associated with a favorable prognosis like lower rate of relapse in lymphoma patients.

KEYWORDS:

• Classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL)
• non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL)
• prognosis
• T-helper 2 (Th1)
• T-helper 2 (Th2)

Authors’ contributions

Dehghani M. contributed to study design, analysis, interpretation of data and writing the paper, Kalani M. contributed to performing the research and critically revision of the manuscript, Golmoghaddam H. and Ramzi M. contributed to analysis and interpretation of data, Arandi N. contributed to study design, analysis and interpretation of data, writing paper and performing the research.

Consent to participate

Informed consent was obtained from all patients for being included in the study.

Disclosure of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

This study was performed according to the ethical standards of the Ethical Committee of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences and in compliance with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Additional information

Funding

This study was financially supported by a grant provided by Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (grant number 95-01-32-13636).