Investigators have seen increased Treg cells in lymph nodes with Melanoma! Jim Breitfeller

"Other investigators have demonstrated an increased proportion of Treg cells in lymph nodes with metastatic melanoma [28]. Furthermore, the failure of an objective clinical response in patients undergoing immune therapies has been mechanistically linked with elevated percentages of Treg cells in these patients [29, 30]. Although the percentage of Treg cells was relatively small in our study (ranging from 1.3% to 3.7% of CD4+ T cells), Treg cells are quite active in small concentrations and have been shown to inhibit cellular proliferation and cytokine secretion in effector cells in in vitro studies at concentrations as low at 3% of CD4+ T cells [31]. In addition, the immunosuppressive activity of Treg cells follows a dose response curve and small increases in their concentration greatly enhance their immune suppression [31]. These findings, taken together with the results of our study, point toward a mechanism of immunosuppression in melanoma involving Treg cells."

source:http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=2043471

Treg cells in lymph nodes with metastatic melanoma



I know this paper is very technical, but it is the needle in the hay stack. If we can contol the Tregs, than we have a fighting chance of involking an immune repsonse.

Please take a moment to read this paper.

Take care

Jimmy B