Interleukin-10 expression significantly correlates with minor CD8+T-cell infiltration and high microvessel density in patients with gastric cancer

Abstract

We aimed to investigate the relationships between interleukin‐10 (IL‐10) expression and both the clinicopathological findings and prognoses in patients with gastric cancer and to compare IL‐10 expression with microvessel (MV) density and CD8⁺ T lymphocyte infiltration to evaluate its effects on angiogenesis and immune responses in gastric cancer. IL‐10 expression was determined in gastric cancer patients by reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) or immunohistochemical procedures. Two of 7 normal gastric tissues showed IL‐10 mRNA expression, while its expressions were confirmed in all advanced gastric carcinoma tissues examined (n = 11) by RT‐PCR. Immunohistochemical staining demonstrated that IL‐10 expression was detected in 52 (47.7%) of 109 cases. There was a close correlation between IL‐10 expression and MV density. IL‐10 expression inversely correlated with CD8⁺ T‐lymphocyte infiltration. The prognoses of patients whose tumors expressed IL‐10 were significantly worse than those of patients whose tumors did not express IL‐10. Multivariate analysis indicated IL‐10 expression was an independent prognostic factor. IL‐10 might be associated with tumor progression by stimulating angiogenesis and suppressing immune responses in gastric cancer.