Quantifying T-Regulatory Cells and Their Clinicopathological Relevance in Hodgkin Lymphomas

Achoimre

Introduction: Regulatory T cells (Tregs) constitute a distinct subset of lymphocytes recognized for their ability to dampen immune responses. The significance of Tregs as prognostic indicators in individuals with lymphoma has sparked ongoing debates. Therefore, this study was undertaken to enumerate and correlate the clinicopathological findings of T-regulatory cells in Hodgkin lymphomas. Methodology: This hospital-based prospective observational study included a total of 50 participants. All the enrolled participants were divided into cases (all biopsy/immunophenotypically proven cases of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma; n=30) and controls (healthy individuals; n=20). Clinico-demographic details were recorded and compared. Sample collected from the patients were tagged with specific antibody and fluorochrome combinations and analysed on flow cytometry. Results: In the present study, a significantly higher lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels were observed in both HL [1013.75±692.85] compared to the control group [249.58±56.84]. A significant difference was noted in the haematological and immunological parameters among groups. Treg% of CD4 T-cells was positively correlated with disease stage LDH levels and IPS score, while negatively correlated with ALC and platelet count. The Treg % of ALC showed significant negative correlations with ALC. The Treg % of CD4 demonstrated excellent discriminatory power (AUC = 0.984) with a high sensitivity of 0.983, outperforming Treg % of ALC (AUC = 0.610) in distinguishing Hodgkin lymphoma from control patients. Conclusion: Elevated Tregs levels are indicative of a more favourable prognosis among individuals with Hodgkin lymphoma. Tregs can potentially serve as a valuable prognostic biomarker for patients diagnosed with lymphoma.