Deficiency in infiltration of CD8/CD3 positive lymphocytes and macrophages plays a role in lip carcinogenesis: an immunohistochemical study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the immunoexpression profile for CD8, CD3, CD20 and CD68 in the process and carcinogenesis of Carcinoma of the vermilion lip.

METHODS: Average cell count with positive expression for CD3, CD8, CD20 and CD68. The CD8/CD3 ratio calculated in the region was based on the percentage of positive cells in a total of malignant cells. Kruska-Wallis/Dunn, Mann-Whitney and Spearman correlation tests (SPSS, p < 0.05) were used.

RESULTS: In the Aquitic Cheilitis samples, there was an increase in intraepithelial CD8+ and CD68+. In LSCCs, there was an increase in peritumoral and intratumoral CD3+, CD8+, CD20+ and CD68+ cells. In peritumoral LSCC, CD3+ and CD8+ showed a direct correlation (p = 0.004), and CD68+ and CD8+ (p = 0.017). In the intraepithelial region, CD8+ correlated with CD20+ (p = 0.014) and CD68+ (p = 0.013). In the CAs, CD3 (p < 0.001) and CD8 (p = 0.025) correlated intraepithelial and subepithelial. In LSCC CD3+ (p = 0.002), CD8+ (p = 0.001) and CD68+ (p = 0.030) had intra and peritumoral correlation.

CONCLUSION: CD68+ is the first interacting cell with the greatest capacity to migrate to the tumor and interact with CD3, CD8 and CD20. Apparently, CD20 affects perineural invasion.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 2.