Blood lymphocyte subsets in operable breast-cancer - relation to extent of tumor disease and prognosis.

Previously we have reported that a high frequency of E-rosette forming cells (T-cells) in the blood of newly diagnosed breast cancer patients was associated with the development of distant metastases and a short survival. In the present investigation, comprising 204 untreated breast cancer patients, we showed that the proportion of the total T-cell population (CD2 and CD3 positive cells) and the proportion of helper/inducer T-cells (CD4 positive) was positively linked to spread of cancer cells to axillary nodes which in turn Was strongly correlated to prognosis. The latter subset also correlated significantly to time to development of distant metastases. Cox multivariate regression analysis showed that the frequency of these lymphocytes, independently of other variables, predicted prognosis. Our present as well as our previous results do not support the view that a high proportion of T-cells in the blood forecast a good prognosis.