Dendritic cells are significantly reduced in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and express less CCR7 and CD62L.

Despite the lack of tumor control, infiltration of immune cells has been demonstrated for several malignancies including non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Since dendritic cells play a pivotal role in the initiation and control of the immune response, the frequency and phenotype of recently described sub-types of dendritic cells in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma were characterized. Myeloid and plasmacytoid dendritic cells were analysed in 55 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and 33 reactive lymph nodes by flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry. Overall frequency of dendritic cells in reactive lymph nodes was higher than in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma while the pDC/mDCs ratio was comparable. The low frequency of dendritic cells in infiltrated lymph nodes was confirmed by immunohistochemistry; however, no significant difference in the distribution within lymphoid and tumor tissue was detected. For further characterization of the dendritic cells in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, the expressions of adhesion molecules, costimulatory molecules, chemok...