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The high frequency of T regulatory cells in patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia is diminished through treatment with thalidomide

Leukemia volume 22, pages 222–224 (2008)Cite this article

The control of the rather slowly progressing disease B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) by the immune system is not yet fully understood.1 Several immunosuppressive mechanisms lead to the escape of B-CLL cells from immunosurveillance. CD4+CD25high T regulatory cells (Tregs) are considered to be key immunomodulatory cells of the immune system. Recently, enhanced frequencies of Tregs in B-CLL were reported by Beyer et al.2 Tumor progression and increased numbers of Tregs have also been described for gastrointestinal tumors.3 The addition of CD4+CD25high cells to mixed lymphocyte reactions resulted in a decreased antigen recognition by CD8+ T cells, which clearly proved the potency of Tregs to suppress the T-cell response.2 The forkhead family transcription factor FOXP3 is critically involved in the development and function of Tregs.4 In this study, we investigated the expression of FOXP3 in CD4+ cells of the peripheral blood from patients with B-CLL.

Thalidomide (THAL) has been shown to inhibit the production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF), and several groups have reported a clinical benefit in patients treated with THAL and THAL analogues, suggesting an effective induction of an anti-tumor effect.5 The addition of fludarabine (FLU) to the regimen has been reported to constitute an effective treatment for naive CLL patients.5 However, the mechanism of action is still not well defined. In this study, we evaluated the influence of THAL alone as well as in combination with FLU on the Treg population to test the hypothesis that an effective treatment with these cytostatic drugs might not only reduce the malignant B-CLL cells, but also diminish the number of Tregs.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by a grant from the Scientific Committee KBN (N40203431/1138).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine III, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany

    K Giannopoulos, M Schmitt & J Chen

  2. Department of Hematooncology, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland

    P Własiuk, M Kowal & A Dmoszyñska

  3. Department of Clinical Immunology, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland

    K Giannopoulos, A Bojarska-Junak & J Roliñski

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  1. K Giannopoulos
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Correspondence to K Giannopoulos.

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Giannopoulos, K., Schmitt, M., Własiuk, P. et al. The high frequency of T regulatory cells in patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia is diminished through treatment with thalidomide. Leukemia 22, 222–224 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.leu.2404869

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