Investigation of Th1/Th2 cytokine profiles in patients with laryngo-pharyngeal, HPV-positive cancers

Abstract

The aim of this study was to reveal the relationships between the features of the primary tumour, the degree of tumour stage, the presence of human papillomaviruses (HPV) in blood and the severity of Th1/Th2 serum cytokine imbalance in patients with laryngo-pharyngeal cancer. The study was performed on 50 patients (47 men and 3 women), with age ranging from 40 to 83 years (the mean of the patients' ages was 58.4 ± 9.43 years, with a median of 60 years). A control group was represented by age-matched healthy patients (with no clinical diseases). The viral DNA was detected by PCR; the cytokine levels were determined by ELISA. A clear switch from cytokine Th1 to cytokine Th2 in cancer patients, low levels of IL-2 and IFNγ in advanced stages, as well as a positive correlation of increased levels of both IL-2 and IL-12 with the early stages of laryngo-pharyngeal cancer was observed. Loco-regional metastases were correlated with increased levels of IL-8 and IL-10 and drastic decrease of IFNγ. In advanced cancer stages, we found that the most affected were IL-2 and IFNγ correlated with increased levels of Th2 cytokines. Patients with HPV present in both primary tumours and blood showed increased values of IL-4:IL-2 ratio as compared with patients with HPV-positive primary tumours only, demonstrating the aggravation of the immunosuppressive state. The most important finding of our study is that for a correct evaluation of the Th1 to Th2 switch in cancer patients, it is necessary to establish not only the negative/positive correlations between different Th1 and Th2 type cytokines, but also the ratio between them. These parameters allowed us to state that the presence of HPV DNA in blood was associated with the most severe immunological imbalance that could potentially lead to a poor prognosis of these patients. Our findings encourage us to consider that the ratio between different Th1 and Th2 cytokines could represent a useful marker for clinical and pathological evaluation of cancer patients.

Development of biomarker panel to predict, prevent and create treatments tailored to the persons with human papillomavirus-induced cervical precancerous lesions

“…The level of IL-10 in serum also increased in HPV-positive patients with CIN III according to other studies [16]. …”

“…According to the literature data, the reduction of IFN-γ and IL-2 and increased levels of IL-4 and IL-10 in serum may be considered as a predictive biomarker for unfavorable prognosis in some forms of HPV-induced cancers as a shift from Th-1 to Th-2 cytokines observed in metastases and in later stages of carcinogenesis [16,43]. …”

Regulation of Differentiation and Function of Helper T Cells by Lymphocyte-Derived Catecholamines via α₁- and β₂-Adrenoceptors

“…In the body, there is fine regulation of Th1- and Th2-type immune responses to maintain normal immune balance [14]. The Th1/Th2 imbalance is associated with the onset and progression of many autoimmune diseases, microbial infections and tumors [15,16,17,18,19,20]. Exogenous CAs can inhibit the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines and promote the release of anti-inflammatory cytokines [21].…”

Immune Modulation and Treatment of Human Papilloma Virus-Related Warts with Energetics of Living Systems Acupuncture

“…[30][31][32] These facilitate a decline in efficacy of the key response for clearing the HPV infection. 28,33,34 The hypothesis of the current study was that acupuncture treatment could help resolve chronic HPV infection via manipulation of the lesion's immunologic microenvironment by inducing activation of innate immunity, followed by activation of the acquired immune system, including modulation of Th1/Th2 ratio toward enhanced Th1. Very few studies have been published on the treatment of HPV with acupuncture, 4,5 and no work has been published on the treatment of chronic HPV cases with acupuncture or, in particular, ELS acupuncture.…”