Higher Peripheral Blood IFN-γ-/IL-4+ Th2 Lymphocytes Are Associated with Lower Rate of Relapse in Patients with Lymphoma.

Background: The role of T-helper lymphocytes especially T helper 2 (Th2) subsets in lymphoid malignancies is debatable and unknown.

Methods: Herein, we evaluated the polarization of the IFN-γ/IL-4 Th1 and IFN-γ/IL-4 Th2 lymphocytes in 95 lymphoma patients including 47 classical Hodgkin's lymphoma (cHL) and 48 diffuse large B cell lymphoma patients (DLBCL) at different disease phases and its correlation with the clinical outcomes of patients using flow cytometry method.

Results: The proportion of IFN-γ/IL-4 Th1 lymphocytes was significantly higher in cHL patients at remission compared to the newly diagnosed ones. Both cHL and DLBCL patients at remission phase had significantly more IFN-γ/IL-4 Th2 lymphocytes than those patients at relapse/refractory phase as well as newly diagnosed ones. Despite having higher frequency of IFN-γ/IL-4 Th1 lymphocytes, the mean fluorescent intensity (MFI) of IFN-γ was lower in relapsed cHL patients, in those with high-risk IPI score, performance status (PS) ≥2 and B symptom-positive groups compared to their corresponding counterparts in newly diagnosed patients.

Conclusion: Taken together, higher peripheral blood IFN-γ/IL-4 Th2 lymphocytes might be associated with a favorable prognosis like lower rate of relapse in lymphoma patients.