Klin Onkol 2001; 14(5): 154-156.
Summary: Present review describes the involment of CD4+ lymphocytes and their subsets in control of cellular and humoral immune cascades. It also analyzes the role of CD4+ in etiopathogenesis of immunopathy and cancer. Native T helper cells differentiate into two subsets, Th1 and Th2, each with distinct function and cytokine profiles. Recent theories have established that, during an ongoing immune response, the cytokines produced by Th1 and Th2 subsets are critical to the effectiveness of that response. Cytokines also play a role by stimulating the host immune system to generate anti-tumor specific reactions. Disregulated expansion of one or other Th subset may contribute to the development of certain pathological disorders such as inflamatory, autoimmune and allergic diseases. Several studies have showen that an imbalance of Th1/Th2 cytokines in cancer patients might be involved in mechanism, that allows the tumor to escape from host immune surveillance.
