Retrospective Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Surg. Aug 27, 2024; 16(8): 2521-2527
Published online Aug 27, 2024. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v16.i8.2521
Clinical significance of peripheral blood immune cells in patients with gastric cancer after surgery
Qian-Wen Wang, Jie-Wen Zhu, Ling-Zhen Gong
Qian-Wen Wang, Jie-Wen Zhu, Ling-Zhen Gong, Department of Clinical Laboratory, Huangshi Central Hospital (Affiliated Hospital of Hubei Polytechnic University), Huangshi 435000, Hubei Province, China
Qian-Wen Wang, Jie-Wen Zhu, Ling-Zhen Gong, Hubei Key Laboratory of Kidney Disease Pathogenesis and Intervention, Huangshi 435000, Hubei Province, China
Qian-Wen Wang, Jie-Wen Zhu, Ling-Zhen Gong, Huangshi Tumor Molecular Diagnosis and Treatment Key Laboratory, Huangshi 435000, Hubei Province, China
Co-first authors: Qian-Wen Wang and Jie-Wen Zhu.
Author contributions: Wang QW, Zhu JW and Gong LZ were involved in the critical review of the results and have contributed to, read, and approved the final manuscript. Wang QW and Zhu JW contributed equally to this work as co-first authors.
Institutional review board statement: This study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of Huangshi Central Hospital.
Informed consent statement: We explained the purpose, process, risks and benefits of the study to all individuals involved in the study orally or in writing, and obtained their informed consent. Participants have the right to know that their participation is voluntary and can withdraw from the study at any time.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declared no conflict of interest existing in this paper.
Data sharing statement: Available from the corresponding author.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Ling-Zhen Gong, BMed, Technologist in charge, Department of Clinical Laboratory, Huangshi Central Hospital (Affiliated Hospital of Hubei Polytechnic University), No. 141 Tianjin Road, Huangshigang District, Huangshi 435000, Hubei Province, China. 13647146857@163.com
Received: April 1, 2024
Revised: May 24, 2024
Accepted: July 4, 2024
Published online: August 27, 2024
Processing time: 137 Days and 1.5 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Gastric cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors worldwide, and surgical resection is one of the main ways to treat gastric cancer. However, the immune status of postoperative patients is crucial for prognosis and survival, and immune cells play an important role in this process. Therefore, it is helpful to understand the immune status of postoperative patients by evaluating the levels of peripheral blood immune cells, especially total T cells (CD3+), helper T cells (CD3+CD4+), and suppressor T cells (CD3+CD8+), and its relationship to survival.

AIM

To analyzed the immune cells in peripheral blood of patients with gastric cancer after surgery, detect the levels of total T cells, helper T cells and suppressor T cells.

METHODS

A total of 58 patients with gastric cancer who received surgical treatment were included in the retrospective study. Flow cytometry was used to detect the level of peripheral blood immune cells and analyze the correlation between total T cells, helper T cells and inhibitory T cells. To explore the relationship between these immune markers and patient survival.

RESULTS

The results showed that the levels of total T cells, helper T cells, and suppressor T cells changed in patients after gastric cancer surgery. There was a significant positive correlation between total T cells, helper T cells and suppressor T cells (r = 0.35, P < 0.01; r = 0.56, P < 0.01). However, there was a negative correlation between helper T cells and suppressor T cells (r = -0.63, P < 0.01). Follow-up showed that the survival rate of patients in the high-level total T cell group was significantly higher than that in the low-level group (28.87 ± 24.98 months vs 18.42 ± 16.21 months). The survival curve shows that the curve of patients in the high-level group is shifted to the upper right, and that of the low-level group is shifted downward. There was no significant difference between the levels of helper T cells and suppressor T cells and patient survival time.

CONCLUSION

By detecting peripheral blood immune cells with flow cytometry, we can initially evaluate the immune status of patients after gastric cancer surgery and initially explore its relationship with patient survival.

Keywords: Gastric cancer surgery; Peripheral blood immune cells; Flow cytometry; Survival analysis; Immune monitoring

Core Tip: Gastric cancer is one of the most common malignancies worldwide and one of the leading causes of cancer-related death. To detect immune cells in the peripheral blood of patients after gastric cancer surgery by flow cytometry, evaluate the levels of total T cells (CD3+), helper T cells (CD3+CD4+), and suppressor T cells (CD3+CD8+), and analyze them. By detecting peripheral blood immune cells with flow cytometry, we can initially evaluate the immune status of patients after gastric cancer surgery and initially explore its relationship with patient survival. This provides a certain clinical basis for personalized immune monitoring and intervention, and helps guide patient treatment and management.