[Local immune reactions in carcinoma in situ and cervix cancer--a histologic and immunohistochemical study].

50 conisation or hysterectomy specimens with different degrees of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), carcinoma in situ (CiS) or invasive carcinoma, as well as controls, were studied by conventional histological methods as well as by immunohistochemistry. In CIN I and II there is a significant reduction of T lymphocytes, macrophages and T accessory cells, whereby CIN III, CiS and invasive carcinoma show a noticeable increase in the number of immunocompetent cells. The depletion of immunocompetent cells in CIN probably represent a local immunodeficiency state which permits progression of HPV-associated CIN, whilst the marked increase of accessory and effector cells in the stroma of high grade CIN and invasive carcinoma does not appear to exert control over the neoplastic cells, due to an ineffective tumour-specific activation.