Increased proportion of CD4⁺ CD25^high regulatory T cells in peripheral blood of patients with gastric cancer

Objective:To study the proportion of CD4⁺ CD25^high regulatory T cells (Treg) in the peripheral blood of patients with gastric cancer and its clinical significance.Methods:The proportion and the phenotype of Treg cells in the peripheral blood of 50 gastric cancer patients and 20 healthy controls were determined by flow cytometry.In addition,the changes of Treg cell levels of 10 patients with gastric cancer were analyzed before and one week after the operation.Results:Compared with the healthy controls (3.41±1.13)%,the proportion of Treg cells in the peripheral blood of patients with gastric cancer was significantly increased (14.67±6.55)% (P<0.01).In addition,the CD4⁺ CD25^high Treg cells expressed high levels of FOXP3,CD152 (CTLA-4),CD134 (OX40) and GITR.The Treg cell level in patients with gastric cancer was significantly reduced after the tumor was resection (P<0.05).Conclusions:The proportion of Treg cells is increased in the peripheral blood of patients with gastric cancer;The Treg cells may suppress the immune response against cancer and be related to the progress of the tumor.