Expression of CD40 by the cells of benign and malignant breast tumors and antitumor action of autologous lymphocytes against chemoresistant and chemosensitive tumors

Bereznaya N.M., Kirnasovskaya Е.А., Vinnichuk Yu.D., Belova О.B., Lukyanova N.Yu.

Aim: To study the expression of CD40 by cells of benign and malignant tumors of mammary gland, and to compare the efficacy of lymphocytes antitumor activity against drug resistant and sensitive breast tumors in relevance to CD40 expression. Methods: Breast tumor explants were cultured with autologous lymphocytes in double diffusion chambers. The results were evaluated by morphological criteria of explants growth. Expression level of molecules on tumor cells was analyzed using immunohistochemical method (paraffin embedded slides), and on lymphocytes — by the method of indirect immunofluorescence. Results: The highest level of CD40 expression was detected on cells of chemoresistant malignant breast tumors, and the lowest one — on cells of benign breast tumors. The decreased CD40 expression on lymphocytes from patients with drug resistant breast cancer was compared with that on lymphocytes of the patients with drug sensitive breast cancer. The study of antitumor activity of autologous lymphokine activated killer cells (LAK) has shown their pronounced antitumor activity against drug resistant malignant breast tumors. Conclusion: Marked antitumor activity of LAK from the patients with drug resistant breast cancer is associated with high expression level of CD40 on tumor cells and with its decreased expression on lymphocytes.