[Correlation between immuno-morphological parameters of regional lymph nodes and the mortality of patients with stage I and II bronchial squamos cell carcinoma]

Abstract

Histological changes in tracheobronchial and bronchopulmonary lymph nodes of patients with operable (i.e. stages T 0/2, N 0/1, M0) bronchogenic squamous cell carcinoma were examined histometrically. Out of 29 patients 10 survived less than 12 months and 19 lived longer than two years after surgery. Quantitive methods were employed for measuring structural changes in lymph node sections at the histological and cellular level. The following parameters reflecting both cellular and humoral immune responses correlated with survival: relative numbers of large lymphoid cells and mitotic figures in the paracortical "thymus dependent") area; volume of the follicular (predominantly B-cell) cortex and volume of germinal centers. Pronounced accumulation of histiocytes or dust-loaded marcrophages in the paracortex and presence of "empty" lymph sinusoids (i.e. without sinushistiocytosis) correlated inversely with survival. Besides the theoretical importance and considerations of a documented immune response, such data could help in identifying high risk groups within the same stage of bronchogenic carcinoma of a given type.