مرکز منطقه ای اطلاع رساني علوم و فناوري - Analysis of lymphocyte subtypes by flow cytometry after adjuvant chemotherapy for early-stage breast cancer

Abstract :

Aim: Adjuvant chemotherapy decreases the risk of relapse in early breast cancer. Impairment of innate immunity with chemotherapy is associated with significant morbidity; however the effect of chemotherapy on adaptive immunity is not fully known. In this study, we aimed at determining the recovery of cellular immunity by flow cytometry in patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy for early-stage breast cancer Material and Methods:Forty-two patients were studied. Peripheral blood samples were collected before and at 3, 6 and 12 months after chemotherapy. Anti-CD3, CD4, CD8, CD16, CD19 and CD56 monoclonal antibodies were used to determine T-, B- and NK- cell subsets. Results:While CD19+ B cell numbers at 3 months after chemotherapy were significantly lower than baseline, they returned to normal at 6 months in most patients. CD4+ T cell numbers were significantly lower than baseline at 3 and 6 months postchemotherapy. T cells recovered in most patients by 12 months. CD8+ T cells were low at 3 months; however, they were not significantly different than baseline at 6 and 12 months postchemotherapy. NK cell numbers were significantly lower than baseline at 3 and 6 months. At 12 months, they were numerically lower than baseline, although the difference was not statistically significant.Conclusion: Recovery of the cellular immune system is delayed up to 12 months postchemotherapy. Potential implications of delayed immune recovery on infectious diseases and risk of relapse should be investigated in studies with adequate statistical power.