Abstract
PURPOSE: The regulatory T cells (Tregs) are a subpopulation of lymphocytes that suppress the immune responses. The prognostic value of Tregs in lymphoma patients remains controversial. Thus, we conducted this meta-analysis to clarify the role of Tregs in the prognosis of lymphoma patients. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science to obtain eligible studies that evaluated the prognostic factor of Tregs for lymphoma patients. Hazards ratios (HRs) with the matching 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) were merged to estimate the prognostic value of Tregs. RESULTS: We finally retrieved 23 eligible studies, including a total of 2269 patients. The overall pooled analysis on all types of lymphomas showed that Tregs had a significantly positive association with prolonged overall survival (OS) (HR = 0.633, 95% CI 0.528-0.758) and progression-free survival (PFS) (HR = 0.451, 95% CI 0.261-0.779). Subgroup analysis indicated that high Tregs were significantly correlated with longer OS in Hodgkin lymphoma, diffuse large B cell lymphoma, and natural killer/T cell lymphoma. However, there was no significant association of Tregs with T cell lymphoma and follicular lymphoma. CONCLUSIONS: Increased Tregs indicates a better prognosis for patients with lymphoma. Tregs could be used as a valuable prognostic biomarker of lymphoma patients.