Impact of the immune cell population in peripheral blood on response and survival in patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer

We aimed to investigate the prognostic value of the immune cells population in peripheral blood from patients with advanced gastric cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy. A total of 105 patients with advanced gastric cancer were evaluated in this study. Blood samples were collected before and 1 week after the last dose of chemotherapy. The percentage of CD3+, CD3+CD4+, CD3+CD8+, and CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ T cells was assessed using flow cytometry analysis. The relationship between T cell subsets and clinical outcome was evaluated. The percentage of CD3+CD8+ lymphocytes was significantly increased after chemotherapy and CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) decreased (p = 0.003 and p < 0.001, respectively). The percentage of CD3+CD8+ lymphocytes and Tregs was strongly associated with response to chemotherapy (p = 0.017 and p < 0.030, respectively). Patients with high CD3+CD8+ T cells and low CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Tregs had significantly increased overall survival (p = 0.012 and p = 0.048, respectively). Nei...