Skewed immunological balance between Th17 (CD4(+)IL17A (+)) and Treg (CD4 (+)CD25 (+)FOXP3 (+)) cells in human oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: Several studies have documented modulation of Th17 and T regulatory (Treg) cells in various human malignancies which may vary with the type and extent of the disease. However, such data in patients with oral cancer is scarce and hence the current study was designed to elaborate the immunological balance between these two T cell subsets in oral cancer.

Methods And Results: We analyzed various T cell subsets in the peripheral blood of 45 oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients and 40 healthy volunteers.