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Corelation between proportions of different lymphocyte subsete and presence of melanoma cells in blood of patients with melanoma

Tyrosinase-specific RT-PCR is highly sensitive and specific method for detection of circulating melanoma cells. Although circulating melanoma cells might be the target of tumor-specific immune reaction, correlation between immunocompetence and the presence of circulating melanoma cells hasn’ t been studied so far. The aim of our study was to investigate if there is a correlation between the presence of circulating melanoma cells and proportions of different lymphocyte subsets in peripheral blood. Blood samples were taken from 500 patients with melanoma. The presence of melanoma cells in blood samples was analyzed by tyrosinase-specific RT-PCR. The proportions of lymphocyte subsets in blood samples were determined by flow-cytometry. Melanoma cells were detected in blood samples from 55 out of 500 (11%) melanoma patients. The proportions of: CD3+ cells (T cells), CD4+ cells, CD8+ cells, CD3-/CD19+ cells (B cells), CD3-/CD16+/CD56+ cells (NK cells) and CD4+/CD8+ ratio weren’ t significantly different between groups of patients with and without detected circulating melanoma cells (Mann-Whitney U test, p>0, 05). The proportion of CD3+/HLA-DR+ cells (activated T cells) was significantly higher in patients with detected circulating melanoma cells (Mann-Whitney U test, p=0, 03). Our results indicate that T-cell mediated immune mechanisms in peripheral blood might be activated by the presence of circulating tumor cells.

melanoma cells; RT-PCR; lymphocyte subsets; tyrosinase

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