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Eichhorn F, Weigert A, Nandigama R, Klotz LV, Wilhelm J, Kriegsmann M, Allgäuer M, Muley T, Christopoulos P, Savai R, Eichhorn ME, Winter H. Prognostic Impact of the Immune-Cell Infiltrate in N1-Positive Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer. Clin Lung Cancer 2023; 24:706-716.e1. [PMID: 37460340 DOI: 10.1016/j.cllc.2023.06.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Revised: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 06/24/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The tumoral immune milieu plays a crucial role for the development of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and may influence individual prognosis. We analyzed the predictive role of immune cell infiltrates after curative lung cancer surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS The tumoral immune-cell infiltrate from 174 patients with pN1 NSCLC and adjuvant chemotherapy was characterized using immunofluorescence staining. The density and distribution of specific immune cells in tumor center (TU), invasive front (IF) and normal tissue (NORM) were correlated with clinical parameters and survival data. RESULTS Tumor specific survival (TSS) of all patients was 69.9% at 5 years. The density of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) was higher in TU and IF than in NORM. High TIL density in TU (low vs. high: 62.0% vs. 86.7%; p = .011) and the presence of cytotoxic T-Lymphocytes (CTLs) in TU and IF were associated with improved TSS (positive vs. negative: 90.6% vs. 64.7% p = .024). High TIL-density correlated with programmed death-ligand 1 expression levels ≥50% (p < .001). Multivariate analysis identified accumulation of TIL (p = .016) and low Treg density (p = .003) in TU as negative prognostic predictors in squamous cell carcinoma (p = .025), whereas M1-like tumor- associated macrophages (p = .019) and high programmed death-ligand 1 status (p = .038) were associated with better survival in adenocarcinoma. CONCLUSION The assessment of specific intratumoral immune cells may serve as a prognostic predictor in pN1 NSCLC. However differences were observed related to adenocarcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma histology. Prospective assessment of the immune-cell infiltrate and further clarification of its prognostic relevance could assist patient selection for upcoming perioperative immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Eichhorn
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Thoraxklinik, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany; Translational Lung Research Center, German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Andreas Weigert
- Institute of Biochemistry I, Faculty of Medicine, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany; Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI), Goethe University, and German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Rajender Nandigama
- Institute for Lung Health (ILH), Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany; Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Member of the Cardio-Pulmonary Institute (CPI), Bad Nauheim, Germany
| | - Laura V Klotz
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Thoraxklinik, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany; Translational Lung Research Center, German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jochen Wilhelm
- Institute for Lung Health (ILH), Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany; Internal Medicine, University of Giessen and Marburg Lung Center, Member of the German Center for Lung Research, Giessen, Germany
| | - Mark Kriegsmann
- Translational Lung Research Center, German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Heidelberg, Germany; Institute of Pathology Wiesbaden, Wiesbaden, Germany
| | - Michael Allgäuer
- Institute of Pathology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Thomas Muley
- Translational Lung Research Center, German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Heidelberg, Germany; Section Translational Research (STF), Thoraxklinik, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Petros Christopoulos
- Translational Lung Research Center, German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Heidelberg, Germany; Department of Thoracic Oncology, Thoraxklinik, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Rajkumar Savai
- Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI), Goethe University, and German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany; Institute for Lung Health (ILH), Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany; Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Member of the Cardio-Pulmonary Institute (CPI), Bad Nauheim, Germany
| | - Martin E Eichhorn
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Thoraxklinik, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany; Translational Lung Research Center, German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Hauke Winter
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Thoraxklinik, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany; Translational Lung Research Center, German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Heidelberg, Germany
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