HLA-DR ANTIGEN-POSITIVE AND S-100 PROTEIN-POSITIVE DENDRITIC CELLS IN ESOPHAGEAL SQUAMOUS-CELL CARCINOMA - THEIR DISTRIBUTION IN RELATION TO PROGNOSIS

The distribution of immunohistochemically labeled HLA-DR antigen- and S-100 protein-positive dendritic cell (DR + DC and S100 + DC) was investigated in 59 human esophageal squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs). A dense infiltration of both DR + DC and S100 + DC was detected in 11, only DR + DC in two, and only S100 + DC in one. In the remaining 45 tumors infiltrating DC were sparse. By means of double immunostaining or the mirror section method, three different types of DC, namely S-100-negative and HLA-DR-positive DC(S100-DR + DC), S-100-positive and HLA-DR-negative DC(S100 + DR-DC) and double-positive DC(S100 + DR + DC) were clearly identified. With regard to postoperative survival, these patients with tumors in which there was a dense infiltration of DR + DCs and/or S100 + DCs showed a significantly better survival rate than those in which DC were sparse (DR + DCs - P < 0.001; S100 + DCs - P < 0.01). These results indicate that DC infiltration may be a prognostic factor in esophageal SCCs.