Effects of the conventional antitumor therapies surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and immunotherapy on regulatory T lymphocytes in cancer patients.

Abstract

The commonly used anticancer therapies profoundly modify the levels of amounts of T-reg lymphocytes. Because of the fundamental role of T-reg cells in suppressing the anticancer immunity, thus diminishing survival, the monitoring of the CD4/CD4CD25 ratio could constitute an important clinical index during conventional anticancer therapies to predict the prognosis of cancer patients.