[Intraepithelial mononuclear lymphocytes and progression of stomach and colon cancers]

Levels of intraepithelial lymphocytes were assayed in 60 bioptic samples taken from the stomach and colon. The pathologies included non-specific inflammation, benign epithelial proliferation, adenoma with grave epithelial dysplasia and adenocarcinoma. Among the methods used were routine histological staining, direct immunostaining with FITC-conjugated monoclonal antibodies against the human antigen CD4 and antibody Fab-fragment as well as an original procedure for DNA identification. In the colon, adenocarcinoma was distinquishable a high level of intraepithelial CD4(+) lymphocytes while, in the stomach, this was true for tubular adenoma with grave epithelial dysplasia, too.