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Intraepithelial lymphocytes in flat colorectal adenomas
1Gastrointestinal and Liver Pathology Research Laboratory, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
The occurrence of intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) was investigated in 118 flat colorectal adenomas. IEL infiltration was recorded in 61.9% or in 73 of the 118 flat adenomas. Of the 58 flat adenomas with LGD, 30 (or 51.7%) had IELs, and of the 60 flat adenomas with HGD, 43 (71.7%) had IELs. The significance of IELs in flat colorectal adenomas remains obscure. The finding that the epithelium of flat adenomas with HGD had more IELs than the epithelium of flat adenomas with LGD suggests that the degree of IEL infiltration may increase with increasing degree of epithelial severity in adenomas. One possible implication from this work may be that immunologic mechanisms orchestrated by the host and directed towards the neoplastic cells, may be acting at the early stages of colorectal carcinogenesis.
The occurrence of intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) was investigated in 118 flat colorectal adenomas. IEL infiltration was recorded in 61.9% or in 73 of the 118 flat adenomas. Of the 58 flat adenomas with LGD, 30 (or 51.7%) had IELs, and of the 60 flat adenomas with HGD, 43 (71.7%) had IELs. The significance of IELs in flat colorectal adenomas remains obscure. The finding that the epithelium of flat adenomas with HGD had more IELs than the epithelium of flat adenomas with LGD suggests that the degree of IEL infiltration may increase with increasing degree of epithelial severity in adenomas. One possible implication from this work may be that immunologic mechanisms orchestrated by the host and directed towards the neoplastic cells, may be acting at the early stages of colorectal carcinogenesis.