IMMUNOMORPHOLOGICAL FEATURES OF PROGNOSTIC SIGNIFICANCE IN DUKES CLASS-B COLORECTAL CARCINOMA

Abstract

Histological slides of primary tumors and regional lymph nodes from 134 unselected patients operated on for colorectal carcinoma of Dukes'' Class B were assessed semiquantitatively for the presence of perivascular lymphocyte cuffing in the muscular layers and pericolic/suberosal fat immediately subjacent to the tumors and paracortical hyperplasia in the regional lymph nodes. These 2 immunomorphological features related significantly to each other (P < 0.05), and their combined presence related significantly to favorable disease-free interval (P = 0.02) and survival (P = 0.04), making possible the identification of a subgroup of .apprx. 1/2 of Dukes'' B class patients with an estimated better than 85% chance for 5-yr recurrence-free survival.