CD8⁺ T-cell percentage increases in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients receiving mannatide combined with standard...

Suppression of antilymphoma effector cells, mainly T cells, is a key prerequisite for tumorigenesis and resistance in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The aim of the study was to determine whether mannatide (MT), an immunomodulator, could enhance the immunological response in DLBCL patients receiving standard regimens.

Patients with aggressive DLBCL treated with first-line standard regimens were included in this single-centre retrospective study. T-cell subtypes were detected using flow cytometry before and after the first cycle of treatment. Patients in MT group were treated with MT combined with standard first-line regimens, and patients in control group with standard first-line regimens. Chi-square test or Fisher's exact tests were used for categorical variables and independent t-tests for continuous variables.

Among the 138 DLBCL patients enrolled in this study, 34 (24.64%) were assigned to the MT group, while 104 (75.36%) patients were included in the control group. There were no significant differences in clinicopathological characteristics and baseline T-cell subtypes between the two groups (p > 0.05). After treatment, CD3⁺ CD8⁺ T-cell percentage of MT group was significantly higher than that of control group (p = 0.01), while CD3⁺ CD4⁺ T-cell percentage of MT group was significantly lower than that of control group (p < 0.01). Thus, the CD4⁺ /CD8⁺ ratio of MT group was significantly lower than that of control group (p = 0.03). In the subgroup of DLBCL patients treated with EPOCH/R-EPOCH, significant differences were also found in post-treatment CD3⁺ CD8⁺ T-cell percentage (p < 0.01), CD3⁺ CD4⁺ T-cell percentage (p = 0.02) and CD4⁺ /CD8⁺ ratio (p = 0.01) between MT and control groups.

CD3⁺ CD8⁺ T-cell percentage increased in DLBCL patients receiving MT treatment. Further studies are required to determine the clinical benefits of MT.