Number of CD4+ cells and location of forkhead box protein P3-positive cells in diagnostic follicular lymphoma tissue microarrays correlates with outcome

Abstract

Purpose: To examine the immune microenvironment in diagnostic follicular lymphoma (FL) biopsies and evaluate its prognostic significance.

Patients and methods: Immunohistochemistry was used to study numbers and location of cells staining positive for immune cell markers CD4, CD7, CD8, CD25, CD68, forkhead box protein P3 (FOXP3), T-cell intracellular antigen-1, and Granzyme B in tissue microarrays of paraffin-embedded, diagnostic lymph node biopsies taken from 59 FL patients who lived less than 5 years (short-survival group; n = 34) and more than 15 years (long-survival group; n = 25).

Results: CD4 and FOXP3 expression were significantly different between the two groups. Samples from the long-survival group were more likely than those from the short-survival group to have CD4+ staining cells and to have FOXP3-positive cells in a perifollicular location.

Conclusion: This study has identified differences in immune cell composition of the diagnostic FL lymph node immune microenvironment and these have the potential for use as prognostic biomarkers in a routine histopathology setting.