IJCEP Copyright © 2007-All rights reserved.
International Journal of Clinical and
Experimental Pathology
Int J Clin Exp Pathol 1(4):376-380;2008

Original Article
The Clinical Significance of Massive Intratumoral Lymphocytosis in Squamous Cell
Carcinoma of the Anus

Carlos A Rubio, Per J Nilsson, Fredrik Petersson, Ander Höög, Harald Blegen and Runjan Chetty

Departments of Pathology, Karolinska University Hospital, 17176, Stockholm; Surgery, Centre of Gastrointestinal Disease, Ersta Hospital,
Stockholm, Sweden and University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Received  10 Sept 2007 accepted and available online 1 January 2008

Abstract: A recent report indicates that patients with squamouus cell carcinoma of the anus (SCCAC) having intraepithelial lymphocytes,
have a poor prognosis. Against that background histological sections from 277 consecutive SCCACs were reviewed searching for cases
with massive tumoral-intraepithelial lymphocytosis (TILs; ≥ 50 ITIELs /100 tumor cells). Of the 277 SCCACs, 8 (3 %) had massive TILs.
These 8 patients (all females) had both more advanced clinical stage than the remaining 269 control SCCACs patients. Follow-up
studies revealed that the 8 patients with SCCACs having massive TILs had a much better 15 years survival rate than control SCCACs
patients. It is concluded that despite SCCACs patients with massive TILs had a more advanced clinical stage than SCCACs controls,
SCCACs+TILs patients had a longer survival rate (with no deaths after 5 years) than control cases. The search (v.gr. via proteomic
methodology) for the lymphocyte-attracting tumor-protein, might bring forward a novel co-adjuvant therapy, capable to increase prolonged
survival time in patients having SCCACs without massive TILs. (IJCEP709006).

Key Words: squamous carcinoma, anal canal, intratumoral lymphocytes

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Address all correspondences to: Carlos A. Rubio, MD, PhD, Gastrointestinal and Liver Pathology Research Laboratory, Department of
Pathology, Karolinska Institute and University Hospital, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden. Fax: 46 8 51774524, Email:
Carlos.Rubio@ki.se