Metastatic spread in patients with non-small cell lung cancer is associated with a reduced density of tumor-infiltrating T cells.
Cancer Immunol Immunother
; 65(1): 1-11, 2016 Jan.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-26541588
ABSTRACT
Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes play an important role in cell-mediated immune destruction of cancer cells and tumor growth control. We investigated the heterogeneity of immune cell infiltrates between primary non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLC) and corresponding metastases. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded primary tumors and corresponding metastases from 34 NSCLC patients were analyzed by immunohistochemistry for CD4, CD8, CD11c, CD68, CD163 and PD-L1. The percentage of positively stained cells within the stroma and tumor cell clusters was recorded and compared between primary tumors and metastases. We found significantly fewer CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells within tumor cell clusters as compared with the stromal compartment, both in primary tumors and corresponding metastases. CD8(+) T cell counts were significantly lower in metastatic lesions than in the corresponding primary tumors, both in the stroma and the tumor cell islets. Of note, the CD8/CD4 ratio was significantly reduced in metastatic lesions compared with the corresponding primary tumors in tumor cell islets, but not in the stroma. We noted significantly fewer CD11c(+) cells and CD68(+) as well as CD163(+) macrophages in tumor cell islets compared with the tumor stroma, but no difference between primary and metastatic lesions. Furthermore, the CD8/CD68 ratio was higher in primary tumors than in the corresponding metastases. We demonstrate a differential pattern of immune cell infiltration in matched primary and metastatic NSCLC lesions, with a significantly lower density of CD8(+) T cells in metastatic lesions compared with the primary tumors. The lower CD8/CD4 and CD8/CD68 ratios observed in metastases indicate a rather tolerogenic and tumor-promoting microenvironment at the metastatic site.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Linfocitos Infiltrantes de Tumor
/
Carcinoma de Pulmón de Células no Pequeñas
/
Neoplasias Pulmonares
Tipo de estudio:
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Cancer Immunol Immunother
Asunto de la revista:
ALERGIA E IMUNOLOGIA
/
NEOPLASIAS
/
TERAPEUTICA
Año:
2016
Tipo del documento:
Article