Phenotypic and Functional Evaluation of the Intra-hepatic Populations of Lymphocytes during Hepatocellular carcinoma ; Evaluation phénotypique et fonctionnelle des populations de lymphocytes intrahépatiques au cours carcinome hépatocellulaire

Immune cells infiltrating the liver (CD3 +, CD4 +, CD8 +, CD20 +, CD56 +, TCRγδ +, FoxP3 + and CD123 +) are more likely (p <0.05) in areas with cirrhosis compared to areas tumor in 2 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (induced by Hepatitis C (HCV-HCC) or alcohol (HCC-OH)). The expression levels of tumor in the group CD8β HCV and HCC-CD8α and IFN-γ in the HCC-OH group are higher (p <0.05) than those areas with cirrhosis. Comparisons of cirrhosis cancer show that CD3 +, CD4 +, CD8 +, CD20 +, FoxP3 +, CD123 + and TCRγδ + (p = 0,089) and the ratios CD3/CD20, FoxP3/CD4 are higher (p <0.05) in cirrhosis HCV than in OH. The expression levels of IFN-γ, CD8α and perforin were lower (p <0.05) in cirrhosis in HCV cirrhosis OH. In addition, the number of CD8 + cells correlates with that of FoxP3 + cells in the parenchymal nodules in cirrhosis whereas HCV is the level of expression of IFN-γ and perforin for cirrhosis OH . The results for the HCC-HCV and cirrhosis C without cancer show that CD3 +, CD4 +, CD20 + and CD8 + cells are more numerous in cirrhosis cancer (p <0.05) but the number of CD56 + (p = 0.067) and CD3/CD20 ratio (P <0.05) was lower in cirrhosis cancer. TGF-β and IFN-γ are correlated in cirrhosis C. No differences were observed within the tumors in the 2 groups at the cellular and transcriptional level with the exception of CD8α, lower in HCV-HCC group (p <0.05). The number of intratumoral FoxP3 + cells is positively correlated with that of CD4 and CD8 + cells and negatively with tumor expression of perforin. In tumors, positive correlations between the number of CD4 + and CD8 +, CD56 + and TCRγδ +, perforin with IFN-γ and RANTES were also observed. It is important to note that the CD3 + cells are almost always correlated with CD20 + in all areas and groups. Regarding the immunity-related tumor aggressiveness, the levels of ALT, AFP and METAVIR score were correlated with CD3 +, CD4 + TCRγδ + and in HCV-HCC group. Tumor size is correlated with age in the two groups and with the expression of ...