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Original research
Correlation between circulating blood and microenvironment T lymphocytes in diffuse large B-cell lymphomas
  1. Filomena Emanuela Laddaga1,
  2. Giuseppe Ingravallo2,
  3. Anna Mestice3,
  4. Roberto Tamma4,
  5. Tommasina Perrone3,
  6. Eugenio Maiorano2,
  7. Domenico Ribatti4,
  8. Giorgina Specchia5,
  9. Francesco Gaudio3
  1. 1 Clinical Pathology Unit, AOU Consorziale Policlinico, Bari, Italy
  2. 2 Pathology Unit, AOU Consorziale Policlinico, Bari, Italy
  3. 3 Hematology and Stem Cell Transplantation Unit, AOU Consorziale Policlinico, Bari, Italy
  4. 4 Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neurosciences and Sensory Organs, University of Bari, Bari, Italy
  5. 5 School of Medicine, University of Bari, Bari, Italy
  1. Correspondence to Dr Francesco Gaudio, University Hospitals Hematology and Stem Cell Transplantation Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Consorziale Policlinico di Bari, Bari, Italy; fragaudio{at}alice.it

Abstract

Aims Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is characterised by marked clinical and biological heterogeneity, attributable to the tumour cells and their microenvironment.

Methods In this study, we investigated circulating subsets of blood lymphocytes and monocytes and their relationship with T cells in the tumour microenvironment (TME) in chemoresistant and chemosensitive patients with DLBCL.

Results The study showed that (1) absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) and CD3+ and CD4+ cells were reduced in chemoresistant patients compared with chemosensitive patients; (2) lymphocyte:monocyte ratio (LMR) showed a positive correlation with peripheral blood CD3+ and CD4+ cells; (3) ALC, LMR, peripheral blood CD3+ and CD4+ cells showed a positive correlation with T cells in the TME.

Conclusions Overall, these data suggest that DLBCL with high TME T cells display a pre-existing antitumour immune response. In the rituximab-containing regimen, TME T cells are stimulated further to participate in the immune response against lymphoma cells. In contrast, DLBCL lymphomas with low T-cell infiltration reflect the absence of a pre-existing antitumour immunity and have a lower likelihood of obtaining an optimal response to therapy.

  • lymphocyte count
  • lymphoma
  • lymphocytes

Data availability statement

Data are available upon reasonable request.

https://doi.org/10.1136/jclinpath-2020-207048

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    Data availability statement

    Data are available upon reasonable request.

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    Footnotes

    • Handling editor Mary Frances McMullin.

    • Contributors FG, GS and DR conceived and directed the project; FG and FEL contributed to the design and implementation of the research, analysis of the results and drafting of the manuscript. All authors discussed the results and contributed to the final manuscript.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.