Peripheral immune cell profiles and tumor marker expression in high-risk HPV-infected cervical lesions: a comparative
Hui-Ying Wang1, Li-Rui Wu1, Peng-Fei Guo1
1Department of Gynecology, Hebei PetroChina Central Hospital, Langfang, Hebei, China.
Objective:
This study aimed to investigate the levels of peripheral blood immune cells CD4+, CD8+, CD56+, and regulatory T cells (Tregs) and the expression of tumor markers K-ras and Ki-67 in pathological tissues of patients with high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV)-infected cervical lesions, and to explore their correlations with HPV-DNA viral load.
Methods:
A total of 240 female patients with HR-HPV infection treated at Hebei Central Hospital of Petroleum between January 2022 and December 2023 were retrospectively enrolled and categorized into three groups based on histopathological diagnosis: cervical cancer group (n=80), cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) group (n=80), and chronic cervicitis group (n=80). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated, and the percentages of CD4+, CD8+, CD56+, and Tregs (defined as CD4+CD25highFoxP3+ lymphocytes) were determined by flow cytometry. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed to assess the expression of K-ras and Ki-67 in cervical biopsy specimens. HPV-DNA viral load was quantified by fluorescent quantitative PCR. Correlation analyses were conducted between immune cell levels, tumor marker expression, and HPV-DNA content.
Result:
The cervical cancer group showed significantly lower CD4+ (31.45 ± 5.68%) and CD56+ (10.21 ± 2.15%) but higher CD8+ (29.84 ± 4.23%) and Tregs (8.98 ± 1.74%) than the CIN and cervicitis groups (all P<0.001). Proportions of K-ras+ (62.34 ± 10.57%) and Ki-67+ (68.45 ± 11.23%) cells were also highest in cervical cancer (P<0.001). HPV-DNA load increased progressively from cervicitis (median 58.16 RLU/CO) to CIN (103.83) to cervical cancer (173.68). Tregs (r=0.603) and CD8+ (r=0.628) correlated positively with HPV-DNA load, while CD4+ (r=-0.586) and CD56+ (r=-0.542) correlated negatively (all P<0.001). Both K-ras (r=0.647) and Ki-67 (r=0.689) showed positive correlations with HPV-DNA load (P<0.001).
Conclusion:
Patients with HR-HPV-infected cervical lesions exhibit distinct alterations in peripheral immune cell profiles and tumor marker expression. Assessment of these biomarkers may facilitate the early identification of cervical lesions associated with HR-HPV infection and inform the development of preventive and therapeutic strategies.
