Identification of common lymphoid precursors cells in tumor tissues and peripheral blood of cancer patients.

PURPOSE: Identification of novel Common Lymphoid Precursors (CLP) cells in peripheral blood and tissue derived from cancer patients characterized by the expression of Lin-CD34+DNAM-1bright CXCR4+ markers and Lin-CD34-CD16+CD7- markers, previously identified in peripheral blood of patients with chronic inflammation and not found in healthy donors. In vitro culture of CLPs cells derived from tumor samples. METHODS: Phenotypic and functional analyses on novel CLPs were performed by multiparametric cytofluorimetric assays. RESULTS: Analysis of peripheral blood and tissue samples of cancer patients revealed the presence of Lin-CD34+DNAM-1bright CXCR4+ and Lin-CD34-CD16+CD7- inflammatory CLPs. In addition, an increase of Lin-CD34DNAM-1brightCXCR4+ inflammatory lymphoid precursors is shown in peripheral blood of cancer patients following NSCLC therapeutic treatment. Characterization of in vitro derived progenies from CLP cells derived from cancer patients highlighted the presence of mature and functional T progenies. DISCUSSION: The identification of novel CLPs not only in peripheral blood of patients with chronic inflammation but also in peripheral blood and tissue of cancer patients (Lymphoma, Kaposi’s Sarcoma, NSCLC) suggests that these lymphoid precursors are released in peripheral blood during inflammatory condition and could be involved in tumor progression control. CONCLUSION: The presence of precursor cells in tumor samples is a starting point for discovering their role in tumor pathogenesis.