Regulatory T Cells but Not Tumour-Infiltrating Lymphocytes Correlate with Tumour Invasion Depth in Basal Cell Carcinoma

• Main Authors: Ferronika, Paranita, Dhiyani, Safira Alya, Budiarti, Tri, Widodo, Irianiwati, Rinonce, Hanggoro Tri, Anwar, Sumadi Lukman
• Format: Article PeerReviewed
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI 2022
• Subjects: Cancer Diagnosis
• Online Access: https://repository.ugm.ac.id/283173/1/20.pdf; https://repository.ugm.ac.id/283173/; https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85144832564&doi=10.3390%2fdiagnostics12122987&partnerID=40&md5=2ed77a43fc0b28eba80dd447df664627
• Institution: Universitas Gadjah Mada

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common skin malignancy worldwide. Current evidence suggests tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) may influence the clinical outcomes of patients with BCC. The present study aimed to profile the infiltrative characteristics of stromal TILs and regulatory T cells (Treg cells) in the tumour centre (TC), tumour periphery (TP), and normal adjacent tissue (NAT) of BCC. A total of 111 samples from 43 cutaneous BCC cases were examined for TIL (CD3+) and Treg cell (FOXP3+/CD3+) expression using immunohistochemical techniques. The correlations of Treg cells with TILs, invasion depth, and tumour morphological risk were analysed. We identified a high mean proportion of Treg cells within the tumour (TC = 46.9, TP = 56.1, NAT = 51.8) despite a relatively low median of TILs (TC = 12.7, TP = 10.3, NAT = 3.6), supporting the classification of BCC as a cold tumour. A significant positive correlation was observed between the proportion of Treg cells and sTILs (ρ = 0.325, p < 0.001), suggesting a predominant role of TILs in the infiltration of Treg cells. An inverse correlation discovered between Treg cells and tumour invasion depth (r = −0.36, p = 0.017) might indicate Treg cells’ anti-tumour capacity in BCC. © 2022 by the authors.