BACKGROUND: The goal of this study is to examine the effect of neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy on the density of CD8(+) tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in endoscopical biopsies and resection specimens from patients with rectal adenocarcinoma before and after therapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In total, 53 patients with locally advanced rectal cancer were studied. RESULTS: The median density of CD8(+) TILs in pretreatment biopsies was 12 (1- 232) and that in surgical specimens after radiochemotherapy was 18 (1- 319). During radiochemotherapy, the density of CD8(+) TILs increased in 30 patients (57%), decreased in 18 (34%), and did not change in one. It was not possible to assess the dynamics of CD8(+) TILs density in four patients. The increased density of CD8(+) TILs after radiochemotherapy was associated with a median survival rate 2.5 times longer than that associated with no increase in density. CONCLUSION: In the present study, the density of CD8(+) TILs in endoscopical biopsies before radiochemotherapy, the density in resection specimens after radiochemotherapy, or in changes in the density after radiochemotherapy showed no predictive or prognostic significance. However, studying a larger number of patients may show that CD8(+) TILs density is of predictive or prognostic significance.

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