Search

Objective To observe the proportion of peripheral blood T follicular helper (Tfh) cell subsets and serum cytokine levels in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and to analyze the relationship between the two and their relationship with the prognosis of patients. Methods Thirty newly treated ALL patients (observation group, includ‑ ing13 patients with good prognosis and 17 patients with poor prognosis according to the risk stratification criteria for ALL patients) and 20 healthy subjects (control group) were selected. Flow cytometry was used to detect the proportion of Tfh cell subgroups (Tfh, Tfh1, Tfh2, Tfh17) in the peripheral blood of the two groups. Serum cytokine levels [interferon-γ (IFN-γ), interleukin (IL）-4, IL-17] were detected by ELISA, and the correlation between the proportion of Tfh subsets in peripheral blood and serum cytokine level in the observation group was analyzed by Pearson correlation analysis. Results Compared with the control group, the proportions of Tfh and Tfh2 in peripheral blood increased, and the proportion of Tfh1 decreased in the observation group (all P<0. 05). Compared with those with poor prognosis, the proportions of Tfh and Tfh2 decreased in the observation group with good prognosis (both P<0. 05). Compared with the control group, the serum IFN-γ level decreased and serum IL-4 level increased in the observation group (both P<0. 05). Compared with those with poor prognosis, the serum IFN-γ level increased and serum IL-4 level decreased in patients with good prognosis in the observation group (both P<0. 05). The proportions of Tfh and Tfh2 in the observation group were positively correlated with the serum IL-4 level of ALL patients (r=0.860 and 0. 965, respectively; both P<0. 05), and the proportion of Tfh was negatively correlated with the serum IFN-γ level (r =–0. 289, P<0. 05). Conclusion In ALL patients, the proportions of Tfh and Tfh2 in peripheral blood increase, the proportion of Tfh1 decreases, the level of serum IFN-γ decreases, and the level of IL-4 increases, which are related to the poor prognosis of patients, and they may participate in the immune dysfunction of ALL, enhance the immunosuppressive effect, and participate in the disease progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]