IDENTIFICATION OF T-LYMPHOCYTES AND B-LYMPHOCYTES IN HUMAN BREAST-CANCER WITH IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL TECHNIQUES

  • 1 January 1976
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 84  (3) , 529-+
Abstract
Cryostat sections of 50 breast cancer specimens and several lymphoid organs were investigated with antisera against human T [thymus-derived] lymphocyte antigen, human lymphocytes and human immunoglobulins using the immunofluorescence technique and the immunoperioxidase technique. These methods made it possible to discriminate between T and B [bone marrow-derived] cells in lymphocytic infiltrates in tissue sections. In nearly all mammary carcinomas studied, T cells predominated in and around tumor cell nests. Only the intraductal carcinomas of this series contained a substantial number of B cells in addition to T cells. The presence of T cells indicates that the host-tumor interaction in vivo may, at least for some tumors studied, be attributed to a cell mediated immune reaction. The role of B cells found in the lymphocytic infiltrates of intraductal carcinomas is still a matter of speculation. These findings enhance the value of established histologic classifications. These classifications may have to be modified to provide them with a more functional basis.