scholarly journals Analysis of Immune Landscape Reveals Prognostic Significance of Cytotoxic CD4+ T Cells in the Central Region of pMMR CRC

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingwen Qi ◽  
Xiaoyan Liu ◽  
Peian Yan ◽  
Shangwen He ◽  
Yuhao Lin ◽  
...  

BackgroundMismatch repair proficient colorectal cancer (pMMR CRC) lacks effective treatments and has a poor prognosis, which can be attributed to the complexity of tumor microenvironment. The coordinated function of immune cells is vital to anti-tumor immunity. However, the spatial characteristics of immune cells in the pMMR CRC immune microenvironment and their relationship with clinical prognosis are not fully understood. Meanwhile, the immune modulatory effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT), which is the first-line treatment of pMMR CRC, needs further investigation. Therefore, this study aims to explore the spatial dynamics of immune cells and its prognostic value in pMMR CRC.MethodsWe analyzed the various immune cells in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumor tissues which were collected from 77 patients with stage II/III of pMMR CRC, including 39 non-NCT treated and 38 NCT treated patients. We used the optimized multiplex immunohistochemistry (mIHC) to identify and quantify the density, type and location of immune cells in pMMR CRC. Multivariate survival analysis was performed to assess the relationship of immune profiles and clinical prognosis of pMMR CRC patients.ResultsThe densities of most T cell subsets, B cells and macrophages were higher in the central region of the pMMR CRC than in the invasion margin. Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), especially the infiltration of CD4+ GzmB+ T cells in the central region of the tumor was identified to be positively correlated with the prognosis of the patients. Multivariate analysis confirmed that CD4+ GzmB+ T cells population was an independent predictor of disease-free survival (DFS) in non-NCT group. Meanwhile, NCT enhanced the infiltration of CD4+ GzmB+ T cells in the central region of the pMMR CRC, which was also identified as an independent protective factor of overall survival (OS) and DFS in NCT group.ConclusionWe demonstrated that the level of CD4+ GzmB+ T cells located in the center of tumor could provide great prognostic value for pMMR CRC patients. And the application of neoadjuvant chemotherapy further improves the infiltration of CD4+ GzmB+ T cells in the central compartment. Further studies into the application of CD4+ GzmB+ T cells in tumor immunotherapy are needed.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Yao ◽  
Tingting Zhang ◽  
Lingyu Qi ◽  
Ruijuan Liu ◽  
Gongxi Liu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background/purpose Cancer immunotherapy has revolutionized the clinical treatment of several tumors. Immune infiltration has been found to be closely related to clinical prognosis, but it shows limited activity in breast cancer (BC). Therefore, this study aimed to explore the infiltration pattern of immune cells in BC, and to find potential prognostic markers and new therapeutic targets.Patients and methods We downloaded the immune genome data of BC from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and analyzed the tumor- infiltrating immune cells (TIICs) in BC for the first time using the CIBERSORT algorithm. The aim of this study was to assess the proportions of 22 immune cell subsets in BC and examine the correlation between each TIIC and overall survival (OS) as well as clinical characteristics.Results The results indicated that: (1) there was a significant difference between the immune infiltration spectrum of cancerous and adjacent tissues, with M2 macrophages, M0 macrophages, and CD4 + T cells being highly expressed in BC; (2) CD8 + T cells were positively correlated with activated CD4 + memory T cells and negatively correlated with M0 macrophages, and M2 macrophages was inversely correlated with M1 macrophages, T cells regulatory, T cells CD8; (3) T cells, macrophages and BC TNM stage, age, clinical stage were correlated (P < 0.05); and (4) high expression of M2 macrophage markers could be an independent biomarker of poor prognosis and a potential therapeutic target for BC.Conclusion This study provides a new research method for the systematic study of immune cells in the BC tumor microenvironment, and provides theoretical guidance for further experiments to verify M2 macrophages and T cell subsets as a potential target for immunotherapy and prognosis.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Rongqiang Liu ◽  
Shiyang Zheng ◽  
Qing Yuan ◽  
Peiwen Zhu ◽  
Biao Li ◽  
...  

Purpose. The prognostic value of a new scoring system, termed F-NLR, that combines pretreatment fibrinogen level with neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio has been evaluated in various cancers. However, the results are controversial. The purpose of this study was to comprehensively analyze the prognostic value of F-NLR score in patients with cancers. Methods. An integrated search of relevant studies was conducted by screening the PubMed and Embase databases. Pooled hazard ratios, with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), for overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS)/progression-free survival (PFS) were calculated to estimate the prognostic significance of F-NLR score in patients with various tumors. A random effects model was used for comprehensive analysis, and subgroup and meta-regression analyses were used to explore sources of heterogeneity. Results. Thirteen articles reporting data from of 4747 patients were included in the study. Pooled analysis revealed that high F-NLR score was significantly associated with poor OS ( HR = 1.77 ; 95% CI, 1.51–2.08) and poor DFS/PFS ( HR = 1.63 ; 95% CI, 1.30–2.05). Subgroup and meta-regression analyses did not alter the prognostic role of F-NLR score in OS and DFS/PFS. Conclusions. Increased F-NLR score is significantly associated with poor prognosis in patients with cancers and can serve as an effective prognostic indicator.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Zhao ◽  
Yan Zhang ◽  
Zhenlin Gao ◽  
Yaguang Han

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of peripheral naive and memory CD8+ and CD4+ T cells and other immune cells in patients with oligometastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) undergoing radiotherapy (RT). Methods: A total of 142 patients with oligometastatic NSCLC treated with RT were enrolled, and their blood samples were collected within 3 days before RT. Immune cells were identified by flow cytometry. Results: Patients with high levels of naive CD8+ T cells had longer overall survival (p = 0.004) and progression-free survival (p = 0.001) than those with low levels of naive CD8+ T cells. Multivariate analyses revealed that naive CD8+ T cells were independently correlated with overall survival (p = 0.019) and progression-free survival (p = 0.024). Conclusion: The results suggest that peripheral naive CD8+ T cells may be an independent prognostic indicator for patients with oligometastatic NSCLC undergoing RT.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hee Young Na ◽  
Yujun Park ◽  
Soo Kyung Nam ◽  
Jiwon Koh ◽  
Yoonjin Kwak ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Natural killer (NK) cells mediate the anti-tumoral immune response as an important component of innate immunity. The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic significance and functional implication of NK cell-associated surface receptors in gastric cancer (GC) by using multiplex immunohistochemistry (mIHC). Methods We performed an mIHC on tissue microarray slides, including 55 GC tissue samples. A total of 11 antibodies including CD57, NKG2A, CD16, HLA-E, CD3, CD20, CD45, CD68, CK, SMA, and ki-67 were used. CD45 + CD3-CD57 + cells were considered as CD57 + NK cells. Results Among CD45 + immune cells, the proportion of CD57 + NK cell was the lowest (3.8%), whereas that of CD57 + and CD57- T cells (65.5%) was the highest, followed by macrophages (25.4%), and B cells (5.3%). CD57 + NK cells constituted 20% of CD45 + CD57 + immune cells while the remaining 80% were CD57 + T cells. The expression of HLA-E in tumor cells correlated with that in tumoral T cells, B cells, and macrophages, but not CD57 + NK cells. The higher density of tumoral CD57 + NK cells and tumoral CD57 + NKG2A + NK cells was associated with inferior survival. Conclusions Although the number of CD57 + NK cells was lower than that of other immune cells, CD57 + NK cells and CD57 + NKG2A + NK cells were significantly associated with poor outcomes, suggesting that NK cell subsets play a critical role in GC progression. NK cells and their inhibitory receptor, NKG2A, may be potential targets in GC.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Pangrazzi ◽  
Erin Naismith ◽  
Carina Miggitsch ◽  
Jose’ Antonio Carmona Arana ◽  
Michael Keller ◽  
...  

Abstract Background. Obesity has been associated with chronic inflammation and oxidative stress. Both conditions play a determinant role in the pathogenesis of age-related diseases, such as immunosenescence. Adipose tissue can modulate the function of the immune system with the secretion of molecules influencing the phenotype of immune cells. The importance of the bone marrow (BM) in the maintenance of antigen-experienced adaptive immune cells has been documented in mice. Recently, some groups have investigated the survival of effector/memory T cells in the human BM. Despite this, whether high body mass index (BMI) may affect immune cells in the BM and the production of molecules supporting the maintenance of these cells it is unknown.Methods. Using flow cytometry, the frequency and the phenotype of immune cell populations were measured in paired BM and PB samples obtained from persons with different BMI. Furthermore, the expression of BM cytokines was assessed. The influence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) on T cell subsets was additionally considered, dividing the donors into the CMV- and CMV+ groups.Results. Our study suggests that increased BMI may affect both the maintenance and the phenotype of adaptive immune cells in the BM. While the BM levels of IL-15 and IL-6, supporting the survival of highly differentiated T cells, and oxygen radicals increased in overweight persons, the production of IFNγ and TNF by CD8+ T cells was reduced. In addition, the frequency of B cells and CD4+ T cells positively correlated with BMI in the BM of CMV- persons. Finally, the frequency of several T cell subsets, and the expression of senescence/exhaustion markers within these subpopulations, were affected by BMI. In particular, the levels of bona fide memory T cells may be reduced in overweight persons.Conclusion. Our work suggests that, in addition to aging and CMV, obesity may represent an additional risk factor for immunosenescence in adaptive immune cells. Metabolic interventions may help in improving the fitness of the immune system in the elderly.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lourdes Rocamora-Reverte ◽  
Franz Leonard Melzer ◽  
Reinhard Würzner ◽  
Birgit Weinberger

The immune system is a tightly regulated network which allows the development of defense mechanisms against foreign antigens and tolerance toward self-antigens. Regulatory T cells (Treg) contribute to immune homeostasis by maintaining unresponsiveness to self-antigens and suppressing exaggerated immune responses. Dysregulation of any of these processes can lead to serious consequences. Classically, Treg cell functions have been described in CD4+ T cells, but other immune cells also harbour the capacity to modulate immune responses. Regulatory functions have been described for different CD8+ T cell subsets, as well as other T cells such as γδT cells or NKT cells. In this review we describe the diverse populations of Treg cells and their role in different scenarios. Special attention is paid to the aging process, which is characterized by an altered composition of immune cells. Treg cells can contribute to the development of various age-related diseases but they are poorly characterized in aged individuals. The huge diversity of cells that display immune modulatory functions and the lack of universal markers to identify Treg make the expanding field of Treg research complex and challenging. There are still many open questions that need to be answered to solve the enigma of regulatory T cells.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weili Li ◽  
Wenling Zhang ◽  
Lixin Sun ◽  
Li Wang ◽  
Zhumei Cui ◽  
...  

ObjectiveTo compare the 5-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) of patients with cervical cancer who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery (NACT) with those who received abdominal radical hysterectomy alone (ARH).MethodsWe retrospectively compared the oncological outcomes of 1410 patients with stage IB3 cervical cancer who received NACT (n=583) or ARH (n=827). The patients in the NACT group were divided into an NACT-sensitive group and an NACT-insensitive group according to their response to chemotherapy.ResultsThe 5-year oncological outcomes were significantly better in the NACT group than in the ARH group (OS: 96.2% vs. 91.2%, respectively, p=0.002; DFS: 92.2% vs. 87.5%, respectively, p=0.016). Cox multivariate analysis suggested that NACT was independently associated with a better 5-year OS (HR=0.496; 95% CI, 0.281-0.875; p=0.015), but it was not an independent factor for 5-year DFS (HR=0.760; 95% CI, 0.505-1.145; p=0.189). After matching, the 5-year oncological outcomes of the NACT group were better than those of the ARH group. Cox multivariate analysis suggested that NACT was still an independent protective factor for 5-year OS (HR=0.503; 95% CI, 0.275-0.918; p=0.025). The proportion of patients in the NACT group who received postoperative radiotherapy was significantly lower than that in the ARH group (p&lt;0.001). Compared to the ARH group, the NACT-sensitive group had similar results as the NACT group. The NACT-insensitive group and the ARH group had similar 5-year oncological outcomes and proportions of patients receiving postoperative radiotherapy.ConclusionAmong patients with stage IB3 cervical cancer, NACT improved 5-year OS and was associated with a reduction in the proportion of patients receiving postoperative radiotherapy. These findings suggest that patients with stage IB3 cervical cancer, especially those who are sensitive to chemotherapy, might consider NACT followed by surgery.


2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dafeng Xu ◽  
Yu Wang ◽  
Kailun Zhou ◽  
Jincai Wu ◽  
Zhensheng Zhang ◽  
...  

Abstract Although extracellular vesicles (EVs) in body fluid have been considered to be ideal biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and prognosis, it is still difficult to distinguish EVs derived from tumor tissue and normal tissue. Therefore, the prognostic value of tumor-specific EVs was evaluated through related molecules in pancreatic tumor tissue. NA sequencing data of pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD) were acquired from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC). EV-related genes in pancreatic cancer were obtained from exoRBase. Protein–protein interaction (PPI) network analysis was used to identify modules related to clinical stage. CIBERSORT was used to assess the abundance of immune and non-immune cells in the tumor microenvironment. A total of 12 PPI modules were identified, and the 3-PPI-MOD was identified based on the randomForest package. The genes of this model are involved in DNA damage and repair and cell membrane-related pathways. The independent external verification cohorts showed that the 3-PPI-MOD can significantly classify patient prognosis. Moreover, compared with the model constructed by pure gene expression, the 3-PPI-MOD showed better prognostic value. The expression of genes in the 3-PPI-MOD had a significant positive correlation with immune cells. Genes related to the hypoxia pathway were significantly enriched in the high-risk tumors predicted by the 3-PPI-MOD. External databases were used to verify the gene expression in the 3-PPI-MOD. The 3-PPI-MOD had satisfactory predictive performance and could be used as a prognostic predictive biomarker for pancreatic cancer.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rehab Farouk Mohamed ◽  
Donia Hussein Abd El Hameed ◽  
Mohamed Alaa Eldeen Hassan

Abstract Purpose: Novel molecular characterization of breast cancer with cellular markers has allowed a new classification that offers prognostic value. This study investigates the prognostic value of the Bioscore among non-metastatic breast cancer patients with respect to disease free survival (DFS).Methods: This study included 317 patients with non-metastatic surgically treated breast cancer; they were identified in the period from January 2015 to December 2018 at Clinical Oncology Department of Assiut University Hospital. Many variables were used; pathologic stage (PS), T stage (T), nodal stage (N), grade (G), estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptors (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER2) status. Univariate & two multivariate analyses were performed to identify which of these variables are associated with disease-free survival (DFS). Results: The only significant factors in the Univariate analysis were PS3, T2, T3, T4, N3, G2, G3, ER -ve, PR -ve, and HER2 –ve. The factors which were significant in the first multivariate analysis; PS3, G3, ER –ve, and in the second one were; T2, T4, N3, G3, and ER –ve. Two sets of models were built to determine the utility of combining variables. Models incorporating G and E status had the highest C-index (0.72) for T+N + G + ER in comparison with (0.69) for (PS+ G + ER) and the lowest AIC (953.01) for T + N + G + E and (966.9) for PS + G + E. Conclusions: This study confirms the prognostic significance of bioscore in non-metastatic breast cancer in concerning DFS.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Pangrazzi ◽  
Erin Naismith ◽  
Carina Miggitsch ◽  
Jose’ Antonio Carmona Arana ◽  
Michael Keller ◽  
...  

Abstract Background. Obesity has been associated with chronic inflammation and oxidative stress. Both conditions play a determinant role in the pathogenesis of age-related diseases, such as immunosenescence. Adipose tissue can modulate the function of the immune system with the secretion of molecules influencing the phenotype of immune cells. Recently, the importance of the bone marrow (BM) in the maintenance of antigen-experienced adaptive immune cells has been documented. Despite this, whether high body mass index (BMI) may affect immune cells in the BM and the production of molecules supporting the maintenance of these cells it is unknown. Methods. Using flow cytometry, the frequency and the phenotype of immune cell populations were measured in paired BM and PB samples obtained from persons with different BMI. Furthermore, the expression of BM cytokines was assessed. The influence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) on T cell subsets was additionally considered, dividing the donors into the CMV - and CMV + groups. Results. Our study suggests that increased BMI may affect both the maintenance and the phenotype of adaptive immune cells in the BM. While the BM levels of IL-15 and IL-6, supporting the survival of highly differentiated T cells, and oxygen radicals increased in overweight persons, the production of IFNγ and TNF by CD8 + T cells was reduced. In addition, the frequency of B cells and CD4 + T cells positively correlated with BMI in the BM of CMV - persons. Finally, the frequency of several T cell subsets, and the expression of senescence/exhaustion markers within these subpopulations, were affected by BMI. In particular, the levels of bona fide memory T cells may be reduced in overweight persons. Conclusion. Our work suggests that obesity may represent an independent risk factor supporting immunosenescence, in addition to aging and CMV. Metabolic interventions may help in improving the fitness of the immune system in the elderly.


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