Dendritic cells in esophageal cancer and lymph node tissues.

The density of infiltrating S-100 protein-positive dendritic cells (DCs) on histological sections and that of CD1- and L-M2 positive DCs on cryostat sections of esophageal dysplastic and cancerous lesions were examined. There was no significant correlation between the number of S-100 protein-positive DCs and the degree of dysplasia, tumor of S-100 protein-positive DCs and the degree of dysplasia, tumor differentiation, depth of invasion or lymph node metastasis of esophageal cancer, but the numbers of these cells in patients after preoperative radiotherapy were significantly lower than those in patients without radiotherapy. Immunohistochemical staining of cryostat sections with anti-CD1 antibody and L-M2 revealed that poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) contained significantly more DCs than well differentiated SCC. Analysis of the numbers of Langerhans cells (LCs) and interdigitating cells (IDCs) revealed that well differentiated SCC contained 32.8% LCs and 67.2% IDCs, moderately differentiated SCC contained 37.0% LCs and 63.0% IDCs, and poorly differentiated SCC contained 2.1% LCs and 97.9% IDCs, the overall proportions being 24.2% for LCs and 75.8% for IDCs. Morphometrical analysis of regional primary lymph nodes revealed that the degree of paracortical hyperplasia with cancer metastasis was significantly higher than that without cancer metastasis, and that the degree of sinus hyperplasia with cancer metastasis was significantly lower than that without. Furthermore, lymph nodes with cancer metastasis contained significantly more S-100 protein-positive IDCs than those without.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)