Expression and significance of CD4⁺ CD25⁺ regulatory T cells in patients with lung cancer

Objective: To explore the expression and clinical significance of CD4⁺ CD25⁺ regulatory T cells in patients with lung cancer.Methods: The expression of CD4⁺ CD25⁺ regulatory T cells in the peripheral blood of 42 patients with lung cancer(lung cancer group) and 15 healthy volunteers was determined by flow cytometry.Results: The number of CD4⁺ CD25⁺ regulatory T cells in the lung cancer group(7.17±3.63)% was significantly higher than that in the healthy controls(4.25±2.11)%(P<0.01).The level of CD4⁺ CD25⁺ regulatory T cells in the lung cancer patients with different pathological classifications had no statistically significant difference(P>0.05).The level of CD4⁺ CD25⁺ regulatory T cells in patients with advanced lung cancer was significantly higher than that in patients with early lung cancer(P<0.05).Conclusions: The proportion of CD4⁺ CD25⁺ regulatory T cells in the peripheral blood of patients with lung cancer is significantly increased,which is related to the progression of lung cancer.