The effects of treatment on peripheral blood immune cell profile in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC)

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIM: This study evaluated whether circulating lymphocytes, assessed by flow cytometry, is a prognostic biomarker in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We studied T cell subsets in blood samples from a cohort of 41 patients diagnosed with PDAC. Patients underwent surgery of the primary site and adjuvant chemotherapy or were treated with 1st line chemotherapy (mFOLFIRINOX regimen or gemcitabine alone). The changes in T cell subpopulations during treatment were evaluated at the initial diagnosis before surgery, and after 2 and 4 months. Friedman test was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: A decline in CD19+ B lymphocytes, natural killer (NK) cells CD3-CD56+CD16+, and T regulatory cells CD4+FOXP3+ during treatment was observed. NKT-like cells CD3+CD56+ and cytotoxic T cells CD3+CD8+ tended to increase after two months and decrease after that. CONCLUSION: Statistically significant changes in lymphocyte counts in peripheral blood were detected in patients with PDAC during treatment.