PD-L1 Positivity Associated With Presence of Tertiary Lymphoid Structures and High-Stage Disease in Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma

Blood-, Tissue- and Urine-Based Prognostic Biomarkers of Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma

Upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) is a rare but aggressive neoplasm. Currently, there are few reliable and widely used prognostic biomarkers of this disease. The purpose of this study was to assess the prognostic value of blood-, tissue- and urine-based biomarkers in patients with UTUC. A comprehensive literature search was conducted using the PubMed, Cochrane and Embase databases. Case reports, editorials and non-peer-reviewed literature were excluded from the analysis. As a result, 94 articles were included in this review. We evaluated the impact of 22 blood-based, 13 tissue-based and 4 urine-based biomarkers and their influence on survival outcomes. The neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, albumin, C-reactive protein, De Ritis ratio, renal function and fibrinogen, which are currently mentioned in the European Association of Urology (EAU) guidelines, are well researched and most probably allow for a reliable prognosis estimate. However, our review highlights a number of other promising biomarkers that could potentially predict oncological outcomes in patients with UTUC. Nonetheless, the clinical value of some prognostic factors remains uncertain due to the lack of comprehensive studies.

The roles of tertiary lymphoid structures in genitourinary cancers: molecular mechanisms, therapeutic strategies, and clinical applications

The presence of tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs) associated with distinct treatment efficacy and clinical prognosis has been identified in various cancer types. However, the mechanistic roles and clinical implications of TLSs in genitourinary (GU) cancers remain incompletely explored. Despite their potential role as predictive markers described in numerous studies, it is essential to comprehensively evaluate the characteristics of TLSs, including drivers of formation, structural foundation, cellular compositions, maturation stages, molecular features, and specific functionality to maximize their positive impacts on tumor-specific immunity. The unique contributions of these structures to cancer progression and biology have fueled interest in these structures as mediators of antitumor immunity. Emerging data are trying to explore the effects of therapeutic interventions targeting TLSs. Therefore, a better understanding of the molecular and phenotypic heterogeneity of TLSs may facilitate the development of TLSs-targeting therapeutic strategies to obtain optimal clinical benefits for GU cancers in the setting of immunotherapy. In this review, the authors focus on the phenotypic and functional heterogeneity of TLSs in cancer progression, current therapeutic interventions targeting TLSs and the clinical implications and therapeutic potential of TLSs in GU cancers.

Tertiary lymphoid structures in tongue cancer: Association with clinicopathological parameters, preoperative S-1 chemotherapy response, and prognosis

BACKGROUND

Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs) are observed in cancer-invasive sites of various organs, and show evidence of tumor-specific B and/or T cells, suggesting an active humoral antitumor response. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between TLSs and prognosis in patients with tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) after preoperative S-1 chemotherapy.

METHODS

Among 196 TSCC cases, 111 patients who received preoperative S-1 chemotherapy were compared to 85 patients who did not receive chemotherapy. We investigated the incidence of TLSs in both preoperative biopsy and resected specimens.

RESULTS

TLSs were present in 24 (12%) biopsy specimens and 31 (16%) resected specimens. TLSs were associated with clinicopathologically advanced cases and positivity for lymphatic invasion. None of the cases with pStage 0 (i.e., noninvasive cancer) showed TLSs. In preoperative S-1 chemotherapy cases, TLSs were significantly more common in those treated with S-1 for more than 21 days and in those with treatment effects 0, Ia, and Ib. TLSs may not be a favorable prognostic factor by themselves but maybe a prognostic factor when combined with preoperative S-1 treatment.

CONCLUSION

The presence of TLSs was suggested to be a factor indicating a favorable prognosis when considering the indication for preoperative S-1 chemotherapy. The synergistic effect of S-1 by activating antitumor immunity may be associated with a better prognosis in TSCC patients with TLSs.

[Profile and immune environment of upper tract urothelial carcinoma]

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES

Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma (UTUC) are tumors that share similarities with bladder tumors. Immunotherapy is already used for bladder locations and appears to have interest for UTUC. In order to rationalize the immunotherapy development pipeline it seemed necessary to describe the immune infiltrate of a cohort of UTUC treated with nephroureterectomy and to determine the expression of a panel of immune checkpoints and co-stimulatory molecules on tumor cells as well as on infiltrating and circulating lymphocytes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This is a monocentric, prospective and exploratory work. Patients treated with total nephroureterectomy or segmental ureterectomy for presumably infiltrative (≥ T1) UTUC managed at the Saint-Louis Hospital were included from January 2019 to July 2020. A set of markers and immune checkpoints were studied by flow fluorocytometry on circulating lymphocytes (PBMCs) and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). Some markers were also studied by immunohistochemistry on tumor sample.

RESULTS

In total, 14 patients were included and 13 patients could be analyzed. 1 patient had no residual tumor. 5 tumors out of the 12 (41.7%) showed a lymphocytic inflammatory infiltrate. PD1 was the most represented checkpoint with a median expression rate of 41.4% on CD4+ TILs and 3.89% on circulating CD4+ T cells. This rate was 62.4% and 7.45% respectively on CD8+ T cells. TIGIT was the second most represented marker with a median expression rate on tumor-infiltrating CD4+ T cells of 25% and 2.9% on circulating CD4+ T cells. The median expression level of TIGIT on tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells was 23.3% and 3.2% on circulating CD8+ T cells. ICOS was highly expressed on CD4+ TILS with a median of 33.9% in contrast to CD8+ TILS (median: 6.67%). Variable expression of other checkpoints (ILT2, TIM3, LAG3 and OX40) was found without clear trend.

CONCLUSION

This exploratory work highlighted that PD1 was the most represented checkpoint. TIGIT was the second most represented checkpoint while ICOS, TIM3 and LAG3 were 3 other checkpoints whose expression was found to be less important. ILT2 and OX40 appeared to be weakly expressed.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

II.

Prognostic value of programmed death ligand-1 and programmed death-1 expression in patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the prognostic value of programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) and programmed death-1 (PD-1) expression in patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A retrospective multicentre study was conducted in 283 patients with UTUC treated with radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) between 2000 and 2015 at 10 French hospitals. Immunohistochemistry analyses were performed using 2 mm-core tissue microarrays with NAT105® and 28.8® antibodies at a 5% cut-off for positivity on tumour cells and tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes to evaluate PD-L1 and PD-1 expression, respectively. Multivariable Cox regression models were used to determine the independent predictors of recurrence-free (RFS), cancer-specific (CSS) and overall survival (OS).

RESULTS

Overall, 63 (22.3%) and 220 (77.7%) patients with UTUC had PD-L1-positive and -negative disease, respectively, while 91 (32.2%) and 192 (67.8%) had PD-1-positive and -negative disease, respectively. Patients who expressed PD-L1 or PD-1 were more likely to have pathological tumour stage ≥pT2 (68.3% vs 49.5%, P = 0.009; and 69.2% vs 46.4%, P < 0.001, respectively) and high-grade (90.5% vs 70.0%, P = 0.001; and 91.2% vs 66.7%, P < 0.001, respectively) disease with lymphovascular invasion (52.4% vs 17.3%, P < 0.001; and 39.6% vs 18.2%, P < 0.001, respectively) as compared to those who did not. In multivariable Cox regression analysis adjusting for each other, PD-L1 and PD-1 expression were significantly associated with decreased RFS (hazard ratio [HR] 1.83, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.09-3.08, P = 0.023; and HR 1.59, 95% CI 1.01-2.54, P = 0.049; respectively), CSS (HR 2.73, 95% CI 1.48-5.04, P = 0.001; and HR 1.96, 95% CI 1.12-3.45, P = 0.019; respectively) and OS (HR 2.08, 95% CI 1.23-3.53, P = 0.006; and HR 1.71, 95% CI 1.05-2.78, P = 0.031; respectively). In addition, multivariable Cox regression analyses evaluating the four-tier combination of PD-L1 and PD-1 expression showed that only PD-L1/PD-1-positive patients (n = 38 [13.4%]) had significantly decreased RFS (HR 3.07, 95% CI 1.70-5.52; P < 0.001), CSS (HR 5.23, 95% CI 2.62-10.43; P < 0.001) and OS (HR 3.82, 95% CI 2.13-6.85; P < 0.001) as compared to those with PD-L1/PD-1-negative disease (n = 167 [59.0%]).

CONCLUSIONS

We observed that PD-L1 and PD-1 expression were both associated with adverse pathological features that translated into an independent and cumulative adverse prognostic value in UTUC patients treated with RNU.

Tertiary lymphoid structures predict the prognosis and immunotherapy response of cholangiocarcinoma

Introduction

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a malignant tumor of the biliary epithelium with a poor prognosis. The lack of biomarkers to predict therapeutic response and prognosis is one of the major challenges for CCA treatment. Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) provide a local and pivotal microenvironment for tumor immune responses. The prognostic value and clinical relevance of TLS in CCA remain unclear. We aimed to explore the characteristics and clinical significance of TLS in CCA.

Methods

We investigated the prognostic value and clinical relevance of TLS in CCA using a surgery cohort containing 471 CCA patients (cohort 1) and an immunotherapy cohort containing 100 CCA patients (cohort 2). Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and immunohistochemical (IHC) staining were used to evaluate the maturity of TLS. Multiplex IHC (mIHC) was employed to characterize the composition of TLS.

Results

Different maturity of TLS were observed in CCA tissue sections. Strong staining of the four-gene signature including PAX5, TCL1A, TNFRSF13C, and CD79A were found in TLS regions. A high density of intra-tumoral TLS (T-score high) were significantly correlated with longer overall survival (OS) both in CCA cohort 1 (p = 0.002) and cohort 2 (p = 0.01), whereas a high density of peri-tumoral TLS (P-score high) were associated with shorter OS in these two cohorts (p = 0.003 and p = 0.03, respectively).

Conclusion

The established four-gene signature efficiently identified the TLS in CCA tissues. The abundance and spatial distribution of TLS were significantly correlated with the prognosis and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) immunotherapy response of CCA patients. The presence of intra-tumoral TLS are positive prognostic factors for CCA, which provide a theoretical basis for the future diagnosis and treatment of CCA.

Intratumoral tertiary lymphoid structures promote patient survival and immunotherapy response in head neck squamous cell carcinoma

Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs) hold the potential role in the prediction of immunotherapy response in several clinical trials. TLSs in head neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) have been investigated through IHC analysis, whereas there is no TLS gene signature to evaluate the level of TLS neogenesis. We here proposed a TLS signature containing 13 chemokines and determined TLS-hi and TLS-low groups in HNSCC samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas. TLS-hi condition signified a better overall survival. A more inflamed immune infiltrative landscape was identified in the TLS-hi tumors characterized by higher proportion of T cells, TCR/BCR activation and antigen processing. High level of TLSs has a determined role in the clinical significance of T cells. Interesting discovery was that innate lymphoid cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts were positively associated with TLS neogenesis in TME of HNSCC. Furthermore, by integrated TLSs with stromal cells and score, immune cells and score, TMB and malignant cells, we proposed a novel HNSCC TME classifications (HNSCC-TCs 1–5), unravelling the counteracted role of stromal cells and score in inflamed immune landscape, which may provide a novel stromal targeted modality in HNSCC therapy. Finally, we verified that TLS statue is an ideal predictor for immune checkpoint blockade immunotherapy. Current study indicated that the TLSs serve as a novel prognostic biomarker and predictor for immunotherapy, which may provide directions to the current investigations on immunotherapeutic strategies for HNSCC.